FLAGSTAFF — Members of the Coconino Hispanic Advisory Council (CHAC) joined county representatives during the Flagstaff First Friday Open House at the Coconino County Courthouse on May 2, 2025.
Besides CHAC, other departments sharing information during the event included Coconino County Courts, the Coconino County Elections Dept., Emergency Management, Coconino County Flood Control District and Coconino County Human Resources.
Editor’s note: Story/photos courtesy of www.AmigosNAZ.com
FLAGSTAFF — With a mixture of fiery speeches, presentations featuring the importance of telling everyone’s stories and a commitment to refusing to be erased from the history books (video clip*), the 7th annual Coconino Hispanic Advisory Council’s (CHAC) César E. Chávez Community Breakfast took on a more feisty tone this year.
The event, held at the American Legion Post 3, included an opening presentation of the importance of remember the community’s history presented by Dr. Pedro A. Cuevas, assistant teaching professor at the Dept. of Ethnic Studies at Northern Arizona University.
Cuevas, who is a nationally recognized, award-winning educator with more than 25 years of experience working with incarcerated felons, gang members, drug addicted teenagers and migrant families, used his own family’s history in Flagstaff to tell of the importance of the Hispanic community to the fabric of the region’s society. He drew upon the oral history tales of the NAU Los Recuerdos del Barrio en Flagstaff Collection featuring interviews by Flagstaff Nuestras Raíces member Delia Muñuz, who happened to be attending the breakfast program.
Cuevas also showed the audience historic memorabilia from the time of the Cesar Chavez marches and fight for better workers’ rights. He also provided a preview of his upcoming student exhibit: “Wings of Change: Our Narratives Reclaimed,” an NAU Ethnic Studies Program art exhibit that includes artist reception from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 26, 2025 at SBS West Suite 100. The exhibit will be on view through April 28. The event features artwork by Ethnic Studies 160 and 100 classes, Ponderosa High School, Leupp Public Schools and T-schools.
Providing an update on the NAU Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and other DEI programs was Dr. Justin R. Mallett, vice president of Inclusive Excellence at Northern Arizona University. Mallett, who working to foster and enhance an inclusive environment at Northern Arizona’s main campus and its statewide campuses, provided details of his background growing up as an African American in an open racist environment in Mississippi, and his efforts to overcome those challenges to oversee a variety of inclusive programs at NAU.
Also addressing the audience were Flagstaff Mayor Becky Daggett, Coconino County District 1 Supervisor Patrice Horstman (Vice-Chair) and District 2 Supervisor Jeronimo Vasquez
A special remembrance presentation was also held to honor CHAC founding member Miguel Vasquez, who passed away in 2024. Presenting the program was CHAC member Ruth Eaton.
CHAC Chair Patricia Garcia thanked the guest speakers, elected officials, members of the county’s diversity committees and others for attending the annual event including United Way of Northern Arizona President & CEO Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Archuleta, Coconino County District 3 Supervisor Tammy Ontiveros, City of Flagstaff Councilmember Anthony Garcia, City of Flagstaff Councilmember David Spence, Coconino County Diversity Councils members Deborah Harris of the African Diaspora Advisory Council and Rose Toehe of the Indigenous Peoples Council.
The celebration featured the return of NAU’s Banda Latino Caribeña de Flagstaff, which provided the opening performance, with food provided by representatives from the American Legion Post 3.
The council is composed of volunteer members appointed by the Board of Supervisors. Members must reside in Coconino County, and should have an interest in and knowledge of issues and concerns of importance to the Hispanic Community residing in Coconino County. One does not need to be Hispanic to be a member. For more information about membership appointment and term limits, please read through the council bylaws. The council is currently recruiting interested citizens. Interested citizens are encouraged to submit an electronic application for membership to the council.
Call James Orloski at 928-679-8626 or send an email to jorloski@coconino.az.gov to get an application or more information.
COCONINO COUNTY — The public is invited to attend the Coconino Hispanic Advisory Council’s (CHAC) 7th annual César E. Chávez Community Breakfast from 7 to 9 a.m. Friday, March 21, 2025 at American Legion Post 3, 204 W. Birch Ave., Flagstaff.
Doors open at 6:45 a.m.
Join us in honoring those who supported the Hispanic community this past year.
The celebration includes guest speakers (with presentations on an upcoming Cesar Chavez/UFW-related student mural art project at NAU; update on NAU Hispanic Serving Institution programs, community updates by local elected officials), Cesar Chavez historical video presentations and the return of NAU’s Banda Latino Caribeña de Flagstaff.
Bring your handouts for our Community Information Table!
Contact Areina Contreras at acontreras@coconino.az.gov, call (928) 679-0886 or visit https://coconinochac.org for more information.
Optional breakfast $15 per person
Visit https://square.link/u/z2kNkphe
or scan QR Code below to purchase tickets
MORE DETAILS TO COME
Also see:
FLAGSTAFF — Members of the Tri-Diversity Councils, which included the Coconino Hispanic Advisory Council (CHAC) and the Indigenous Peoples Advisory Council, visited the Coconino County Election Center in Flagstaff to gain information on ballot security for the Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 General Election.
A team of election officials answered a wide variety of election-related questions during the nearly two-hour tour.
Participants were able test the system using KNOWiNK PollPads for registration validation and then submit via traditional ink-marked paper ballot or ExpressVote Marking Devices to submit sample votes. None of the electronic equipment is connected to the internet.
Members then visited a large warehouse storage room which contained all the sets of voting equipment that will be securely sent to 30 polling centers and 15 voting centers throughout the county. More than 400 poll workers have been hired by the county, with each center having between 5 and 15 workers depending on the size of the area served by the center.
Submitted votes are then escorted by county law enforcement officials from each voting location back to Flagstaff, where every vote is tabulated and counted used the Elections Systems and Software (ES&S) closed network system.
On election night, observers appointed by their political party can view from a corridor the tubulation of ballots from behind a large glass window. Early, Provisional and Conditional ballots are also counted on election night, with all signatures verified.
A Frequently Ask Question (FAQ) on the County’s election process can be found at https://www.coconino.az.gov/3098/Elections-FAQ
Coconino County has two separate departments that work together to administer elections. The County Recorder and the Elections Department are each responsible for overseeing specific areas of the election process. For more information, visit https://www.coconino.az.gov/195/Elections
CHAC 