The Navajo mother: Nellie Shirley
HOUCK – Nellie Shirley was born in 1932 on the Navajo Reservation and has lived there except during the years she attended boarding school. After her parents died when she was 13, she was sent to two schools where she was able to strengthen her Catholic faith as well as embrace her Navajo culture.
Kinaaldá: A Navajo girl comes of age in traditional ceremony
LUPTON – Kieloh Nellie Poolah, 11, came of age in the eyes of her Navajo community in February. Surrounded by four generations of women in her family, she completed a series of tasks and hours of prayer to complete the Kinaaldá ceremony.
Hopi journalist leads others on journey of Phoenix Indian School, other Native American history
PHOENIX – Patty Talahongva grew up on the Hopi reservation, practicing traditional Hopi ways and Catholicism. After she attended Phoenix Indian School in the late 1970’s, she began to learn more about the fraught history of boarding schools. Today, she works as a journalist and as a curator at her former school, now a museum and community center, helping to teach the surrounding community more about Native American culture and history.
Asian-Americans working to make their voices heard in Arizona
PHOENIX - The Asian population in the U.S. has grown faster than any major ethnic or racial group in the past 15 years but in Arizona, where they account for just 3.5 percent of the population, it can be easy to be overlooked. But a group of advocates is out to change that.
‘Everyone can see themselves in Barbie’: Iconic doll better reflects global diversity
PHOENIX – Mattel, like many companies adapting to a multicultural world, has been working to diversify the shape, races, ethnicities and occupation of Barbies.
Citizenship question on census will intimidate immigrants, skew headcount, Latino leaders say
Latino leaders at a NALEO convention in Phoenix were worried a citizenship question on the 2020 census will suppress responses by undocumented residents and reduce funds for programs like Title 1 for education.
Pharmacy chain CVS adds medication drop-off sites in Arizona, another move in opioid battle
Arizona is expanding drop-off services for unused and old medications to 13 CVS pharmacies and at least three police stations in a continuing battle against opioid overdose and addiction.
Action plans: Arizona groups teaching millennials and minorities to get involved politically
Arizona organizations are teaching political moves to millennials, Latinos and other racial and ethnic minorities, whether that’s voting, protesting or running for office.
School’s out, lunch is on: Kids get free, nutritious meals in summer
Free meal programs throughout Arizona feed children while school is out for the summer. St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance and the Peoria Unified School District also offer activities.
Border Patrol praises cooperation of Arizona National Guard along the border
The collaboration between the National Guard and Customs and Border Patrol as part of Operation Guardian Support has so far proved to be beneficial in the efforts to secure the Arizona-Mexico border.
