Judith Salcido

Judith Salcido is a PhD Candidate in Language, Reading and Culture at the Department of Teaching, Learning and Sociocultural Studies at the College of Education. Her advisor is Dr. Dr. Sheilah Nicholas. Ms. Salcido is Mexican and Tohono O’odham from Ajo, Arizona, the site of Arizona’s first open-pit copper mine.  During mining operations, Ajo was racially segregated into “Ajo '' for white community members, “Mexican Town” for Mexican community members, and “Indian Village” for Tohono O’odham and Hia-Ced O’odham community members.  Mexican Town and Indian Village were located next to the open-pit copper mine. When the mining company demolished the areas to expand the pit, Mexican Town and Indian Village residents were forcibly displaced from their homes.  Although Ajo is well-known for its mining history, Mexican and Indigenous community members’ stories and experiences with the enforced displacement have not been widely shared.  Judith’s research ““You don’t want to talk about the mine?”: Testimonios on the Forced Displacement of Residents from “Mexican Town” and “Indian Village” will use Indigenous storytelling and testimonio to center Indigenous and Mexican community members’ voices regarding their reactions and responses to the copper mine.  The project seeks to emphasize the lasting impacts of copper mining on Indigenous and Mexican communities.