The following is the opinion and analysis of the writers. Villegas and Vasquez are co-directors of the Mexican American Heritage and History Museum:
The Mexican American Heritage and History Museum at the Historic Sosa-Carrillo House, located on the Tucson Convention Center campus, fully supports the renaming of the TCC Music Hall to Linda Ronstadt (a third-generation Tucsonense) and the TCC Plaza to Alva Bustamante Torres (a fourth-generation Tucsonense). They have made significant contributions to our Mexican American community, totally deserving of this honor.
Ronstadt’s ancestors brought their business and musical talents with them when they first arrived in Tucson in 1882, with Linda continuing her family legacy. She is a world-renowned retired singer, earning several awards, including the Grammy and American Music awards, a recipient of the Kennedy Honors Award, and an inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She has also often used her voice to speak against Mexican social and racial injustices.
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Alva is responsible for bringing the greater community’s attention to saving sites sacred to generations of Mexican American families, including the Gazebo in Plaza de La Mesilla. She was an original member of the Tucson Historic Areas Committee which eventually became part of the Tucson Pima County Historic Commission. Alva was one of the first Mexican American women to have a syndicated column in a major newspaper.
We urge community members to mail in letters of support for this historic designation by May 2:
Director, Tucson Parks and Recreation
The TCC Music Hall and Plaza are on land once occupied by families and businesses in Barrio Viejo before the destruction caused by “urban renewal” in the late 1960s. Naming the spaces after the two women will affirm that place-making and place-keeping enable past, present and future generations of Mexican Americans to learn about and be proud of the many contributions we have made and will continue to make.
Lastly, we believe the time is now to reclaim these spaces and name them for women deserving of this public honor as the TCC Music Hall and TCC Plaza namesakes. For too long, we have stood by as places of significance to Mexican Americans, and other historically marginalized groups, are under-represented and taken over and named after white men. While we will never be able to resurrect and preserve what was destroyed and replaced, renaming the TCC Music Hall and TCC Plaza after Tucsonenses Linda Ronstadt and Alva B. Torres is a step forward in honoring our people, places and history.
The Mexican American Heritage and History Museum is dedicated to the preservation of culture heritage and history. It is located at 151 W Granada Ave., and will reopen to the public beginning May 5. The days and hours will be Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The new exhibit is “Mujeres Tucsonenses.”
Betty Villegas and Alisha Vasquez are co-directors …….