I came to Tucson 22 years ago from Hawaii. I was living in a rain forest near the lava crack I was gonna be buried in and out of a plane window Oak Creek Canyon called me. I left my children, my ex wife, everything I knew, and came here. I’ve been here 22 years. …
Faces of the Festival
FACES OF THE FESTIVAL chronicles the diversity of faces, ages and cultures at our annual Tucson Meet Yourself festival. Who are you? What is your story? We photographed and interviewed festival participants and audiences this year. We’re so excited to introduce you to one another here. All photographs by Steven Meckler, official TMY photographer.
The study and documentation of folklife involves the accurate representation of people's viewpoints in their own terms. Quotes and opinions expressed in interviews do not necessarily reflect the sentiments and opinions of Tucson Meet Yourself, the Southwest Folklife Alliance, or any specific person or entity at the University of Arizona.
Sierra: Marching Artist
I’ve always been a creative type. I really like the marching arts and marching band and drum corps. I play the mellophone—it’s like the marching French horn, kinda looks like a big trumpet. I fell in love with it in high school. I got to be the drum major on the podium my last year. …
Reuben: The Minerals
My mom is from Hermosillo. My father is from Douglas. They met in Douglas. There’s a cemetery in a little village outside of Douglas called Pirtleville, where my grandparents are buried and my great grandparents are buried and my aunts and uncles and babies that didn’t make it. So I feel when I come home …
Jeanine: Second Home
I am originally from Democratic Republic of Congo. I arrived in Tucson as a refugee in 2000 with my family. I still have a large family in Congo. I did not speak any word in English, so I had to go to school, had to work to support my family and myself. Now I help …
Dulce: Inside Books
I’m from Mexico. I’ve been in Tucson 10 years. Right now I’m a server at a restaurant and I go to school. I should be graduating in May. Once I’m done I want go into book publishing. I want to do more of the reading than the writing. I get writer’s block. Right now I’m …
Kit: Finding Joy
I feel like I belong wherever there’s festival, where everybody is giving themselves a chance to be happy. I go there to dance and instigate riots of joy. My dance is freestyle, whatever the music makes me feel. At Tucson Meet Yourself, I go from one stage to another all day long for three days. …