Day by day West

DAY THREE: Phoenix and colorful murals

OCT. 10, 2018  |  Much-acclaimed Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza of the Barrio Cafe in Phoenix uses art as much as her mouth-watering cuisine to elevate Mexican American culture.  Above, she poses with a Catrina mural by artist Lalo Cota, one of many colorful artworks surrounding her restaurant on North 16th Street.

She also helped us understand the struggles of Mexican Americans in Arizona through the years in a commissioned mural by Angel Dias.

Also on Oct. 10, Bruce Hawker interviewed two noted Latino leaders — Luis Heredia, who currently is managing a mayoral campaign and is a player in national Democratic circles, and state Rep. Isela Blanc, a popular activist politician who is passionate about working on behalf of children to improve education and to help undocumented immigrants.  She described her story of moving to the United States from Mexico three decades ago and how becoming a citizen inspired her to give back.

Phoenix

A mural on the side of a building near Barrio Cafe.
Chef Silvana points to struggles by Mexican Americans in a mural commissioned in 2016.
Heredia, right, talks Arizona and national politics with Bruce Hawker after an out-of-this-world meal at the Barrio Cafe.
Arizona state Rep. Iaela Blanc tells her story of moving to America as an undocumented immigrant and how it pushed her to give back.
Hawker and Blanc share thoughts about similarities and differences between American and Australian politics during a conversation near the center of the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe.
ASU students stroll between classes at the university.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.