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
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Celebration of Life for Professor Emeritus Miguel Vasquez to be held on Nov. 3 at NAU
By AmigosNAZ.com
FLAGSTAFF — The Coconino County Board of Supervisors officially approved a proclamation on Oct. 15, 2024 “Celebrating and Honoring the Life of Dr. Miguel Vasquez,” who passed away on Sunday, Oct. 6.
“WHEREAS, Coconino County and the communities within lost a cultural leader, mentor, and teacher on October 6, 2024 with the passing of Dr. Miguel Vasquez …” according to the opening of the proclamation read by the brother of Miguel Vasquez, David Vasquez.
According to a biography on the Coconino Hispanic Advisory Council (CHAC) website…
Vasquez Ph.D, Professor of Anthropology (Emeritus) Northern Arizona, was a founding member of the Coconino Hispanic Advisory Council (CHAC).
A native of San Francisco, he recently retired as an applied anthropologist who worked with Latino, Mayan, Native American, African American, and disabled adult communities for almost 50 years. He was recognized as an NAU President’s Distinguished Teaching Fellow. In his 32 years at NAU, he taught nearly 12,000 students at the undergraduate and graduate levels, according to his biography on the county’s CHAC website.
With extensive experience working with farmworkers in California, the Hopi Tribe here in Arizona, in Mayan communities in Guatemala and Mexico, and as consultant with the U.S. Department of Health &Human Services, he provided valuable cultural insights and technical assistance in community engagement, asset based community development, and program assessment.
He was a contributor to the World Health Organization Spanish-Language Manual on Disabilities, a past Board Member of the Society for Applied Anthropology, the Flagstaff Unified School District and the Museum of Northern Arizona.
He was married for more than 45 years to Marina Vasquez, a Mayan elder (now retired) with the NAU Native American Cultural Center. They have 2 sons, (District 2 Supervisor) Jeronimo and Francisco Vasquez, and 7 wonderful grandchildren.
SEE MORE PHOTOS BELOW
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Celebration of Life for Professor Emeritus Miguel Vasquez to be held from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3 at the duBois Center, Aspen Rooms A-B-C, Northern Arizona University.
There will be music, food, and dancing to celebrate Dr. Vasquez’s legacy.
A GoFundMe account has been created to establish a memorial scholarship at NAU.
Please visit: https://gofund.me/0afc7f2f
CHAC 