Annual 911 Day of Arts Service

By Victor Lopez

On September 9^th, 2012, the members of Tucson Arts Brigade along with local volunteers gathered together at the 29^th Street Overpass adjacent to the Jim and Vicky Click Boys and Girls Club for the annual Day of Arts Service, in remembrance of 9/11. 

Between 1pm and 5pm, light landscaping, repainting, and an overall cleanup were done in the area surrounding the overpass. At the end of the day, participants gathered together to share their personal experience on 9/11. The different experiences and viewpoint’s on 9/11 were quite intriguing. 

A majority of the adult volunteers spoke of family members that were closely involved, the experience of those family members, and what emotions they went through when they found out about the attack. The youth volunteers generally spoke about the effects of 9/11 that are apparent today from a younger generation’s perspective. 

One issue that the entirety of the group made very clear is that, we need to not only recognize global tragedies, but everyday problems such as the homelessness in our cities all the way to tagging and gang violence. We all need to do our part and put in the work to become a thriving cooperative community. 

Victor Lopez is a Tucson Arts Brigade intern and is currently a senior at Amphi High School, Vice President of the school mural club, and helping TAB employ Community Cultural Development strategies in the Amphi Neighborhood.