Let Me Tell You About Tucson
With the impending Trump rally set to hit my hometown, Tucson legend Linda Ronstadt has issued a statement expressing her distain, but I want to better explain what this represents.
Tucson, Arizona, was an incredibly charming and safe place to grow up. At the time I did not appreciate all of the colloquial experiences that city had to offer — I always wanted to be somewhere bigger, with seasons, and tall buildings. But, looking back on my adolescence and thinking about all of the beautiful experiences I had growing up, I now realize just how precious a hometown can become.
I think that this feeling translates to so many hometowns all over the country — not just in the desert but in the Midwest, in the South, in the North East, and everywhere else. When we are growing up we can’t wait to be somewhere else, but once we have found what we are looking for, we often think about going home to that time when anything was possible and we had our full lives ahead of us.
Donald Trump will be holding another rally in my hometown today, the second one in under a month. Tucson’s proximity to the border makes it a hot spot for debate over immigration and that never ending proposition of “a wall” that never comes to fruition. Tucson is also a university town, and despite it’s substantial growth over the years, it maintains a timeless charm, with a laid-back undercurrent, that a lot of kids from the East Coast are desperate to experience. A good point of reference for my hometown is the movie Can’t Buy Me Love, which was filmed in Tucson, and embodies the spirit of the city during that time.
It is also a service industry town, where many who aren’t tied in with a few big, local corporations, live paycheck to paycheck. The Tucson I always knew growing up was made up of decent, hard-working people, who prided themselves on being good neighbors. Like many towns and cities all over America, Donald Trump and his unapologetic public racism and sexism has emboldened even more uneducated and bigoted people to come out of the woodwork.
Growing up in Tucson, Arizona, meant having access to some of the craziest bumper stickers. We were exposed to Wiccan philosophy and hippy humor every day, and you rarely saw a political bumper sticker unless it was to support Jesse Jackson or Jerry Brown. The most political sticker I ever saw growing up in Tucson read: “Visualize Whirled Peas.” But, in the last 10 years, all of that has changed drastically, as Trump supporters now decorate their big trucks with MAGA flags and “Let’s Go, Brandon!” signs all over the city.
I’m sure that every town in America has been injected with this same, passive-aggressive posturing that seeks to openly express bigotry under the guise of Freedom of Speech. I can’t tell you how many Trump Trucks I have been behind, or how many loud MAGA enthusiasts I have had to endure while biting my tongue, because Arizona is an open-carry state, and there is no point in trying to reason with a Trump supporter with a gun. It feels like I have been biting my tongue forever in a numb haze, waiting for another day.
Yesterday, in response to the impending Trump rally being held at the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, Linda Ronstadt issued a statement about her feelings on the impending rally. To say Linda is a cherished gem in Tucson is an understatement. She has always represented our city and state with such talent and class that she is considered a role model and a special version of Tucsonian royalty, much like Gabby Giffords. I don’t know if it was Kamala Harris’ stupendous debate performance on Tuesday, or the eloquent endorsement by Taylor Swift for Harris on Tuesday night, but by Wednesday, Linda Ronstadt had reached her limit:
I needed no reminder about how thoughtful and passionate Linda Ronstadt is, but for some reason, her statement struck me as something that the best in Tucson would have said. I learned how to protest in a Tucson High School — shoutout to Amphi, go Panthers — when a teacher encouraged a group of us to protest Bush’s actions in Kuwait. There were only six of us on the street corner outside of school that day, but we were so proud when we made the evening news, even though one of us had misspelled Kuwait on a poster. (In her defense, the student who made the mistake was our valedictorian, so all of the haters can suck it.)
Speaking up for what is kind and right is as inherent to Tucson as saguaro cactus — it is a town that prides itself on kindness and peace. I had forgotten some of the things that I learned growing up in my city, because I had allowed other people to change how I behaved and when I spoke out. What Ms. Ronstadt has reminded me of this morning is that it is not necessarily about persuading an opposing party and it is not always a waste of time. It feels good to say what we really mean. It is even better to have one of our SHEROs say it for all of us.
This portion of the statement really sticks with me: “Trump first ran for President warning about rapists coming in from Mexico. I’m worried about keeping the rapist out of the White House.” Today I am reminded that the good people of Tucson, and of all the other towns and cities across this beautiful country, know the truth about what Donald Trump stands for — we are starting to feel emboldened again to say it out loud.
Many of us might feel scared to fully believe that we can win this election based on the heartbreaking loss in 2016. I know that I wrestle with that trigger feeling of election fear all the time. But this morning, I am reinvigorated with some of the lessons I learned growing up in one of the most amazing cities in the world. It does make a difference when we speak out, even when there are only six of us and our spelling comes under attack.
It is important to not let ourselves stay numb, because we might miss a moment of inspiration, or maybe even the greatest moment of all — when we elect Kamala Harris. It does make a difference to still have faith in the goodness of our cities and towns, because that forms the basis for the heart of our communities, which we have a hand in creating. This is an exciting time that we should all cherish, even if we are terrified that the election might not go the way we desperately need. It is important to believe, again.
Thank you, Linda.
Amee Vanderpool writes the SHERO Newsletter, is an attorney, published author, contributor to newspapers and magazines, and an analyst for BBC radio. She can be reached at avanderpool@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @girlsreallyrule.
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When a person with "reach" responds in the way Linda Ronstadt did, in particular to the people in their home town or home state, it matters. Will it sway people? I don't know. But it's always important to speak out from the heart. I applaud her. And, of course, in just a few words she said so much.