Welcome to the 2021 Arizona History Convention. This is our sixty-second
year, and while this year has definitely been a challenge we
are pleased to be able to hold our annual Arizona History Convention
virtually. Our theme this year is an adaptation of last year’s
theme―“Advocating for Change”―which was meant to commemorate
the 100th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment and national
woman suffrage. Twenty-twenty was certainly a year in which many
Americans both advocated for change and navigated crises. With our
new theme, we encouraged presenters to consider historical actors
who advocated for change and navigated crises in the past.
The Arizona History Convention has itself had to navigate the
continuing public health crisis that began early last year. It was a
difficult decision to cancel last year’s convention, which was
scheduled to be held in Tucson, but it was the right decision. In the
wake of that decision, we quickly moved toward a virtual format for
the 2021 convention. This was a new challenge, but the convention
board and Arizona Historical Society (AHS) staff have met the
challenge head on.
We appreciate your interest in Arizona history, and we encourage you
to get involved―whether with AHS, a local museum or historical
organization, or any other institution that promotes Arizona’s history.
If you’re not already a member of AHS, we encourage you to stop by
the virtual AHS membership table. Membership in AHS has many
benefits, including free admission to our museums in Flagstaff,
Tempe, Tucson, and Yuma, as well as a subscription to our quarterly
publication, the Journal of Arizona History.
We’re glad to have you here at the Arizona History Convention!
~Dr. David Turpie, Arizona Historical Society
