Little Amal Wildcat Welcome!
We will meet AT 4PM, outside at the College of Ed south entrance to gather, walk over, and welcome Little Amal as a group.
Our International Students, Faculty, and Staff are invited to welcome Little Amal by lining the sidewalk on the northern side of the UA Mall between Stevie Eller Dance Theater and Flandrau Science Center. They are invited to visually represent their country or culture of origin in a way that feels authentic to them. Little Amal will arrive 3 hours ahead of kickoff and walk through this Greeting Line. Afterwards, all participants are welcome to join us to celebrate at the Fan Fiesta Tailgate area. While anyone and everyone is welcome to join us for the Greeting Line, we want our International Community front and center, this event is to celebrate them first. Little Amal will be coming to the university (walking from Eller Dance Theater to Flandrau Planetarium at 4:30 PM.)
Discover the power of art and compassion in a free, community-wide event with Amal Walks Across America. Join us in welcoming Little Amal, a 12-foot puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee girl, to the Old Pueblo as part of her 6,000-mile journey in search of family and friends.
An “international symbol of human rights” (The Guardian, 2022), Amal will travel across the United States to learn firsthand about a country that has long been a refuge for those seeking safety and opportunity. Her walk is a celebration of art, hope, and shared humanity that aims to unite communities while refocusing attention on the urgent needs of refugees and highlighting the rich cultures immigrants bring.
Amal will join over 1,500 artists in 100+ local events across 35 towns and cities to learn more about the stories of the American people who established roots in these communities over the last hundred-plus years. She will begin in Boston, MA on September 7 and reach San Diego, CA on November 5. The cross-country journey will take Amal through the nation’s capital, the Midwest, the South, and across the Southern border, before heading north to Los Angeles. Walk with Amal Across America. One Little Girl. One Big Hope.
Schedule of Events in Tucson 10/28
6 AM: Sunrise on Cemamagi Du’ag
Desert Laboratory at Tumamoc Hill
1675 W. Anklam Road, Tucson, AZ
Little Amal joins hundreds of Tucsonans to climb the oldest continuously inhabited hill in the US and to catch a magical sunrise over the saguaros. She witnesses a land blessing and is reminded that she walks on ancestral lands.
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9 AM: İBienvenida a Nuestro Barrio!
Galeria Mitotera
802 S. 4th Ave, Tucson, AZ
On her way from Tumamoc, Amal will notice the rich history of our Chicanx, Mexican, and Indigenous communities. The smell of home-cooked foods and the sounds of music will fill the air upon her arrival at Galeria Mitotera’s community art space. Amal will be welcomed to our Barrio of South Tucson with a seat at our community breakfast table, performances by local mariachi and folklórico groups, and a fun-filled pinata breaking with her new friends in South Tucson!
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10 AM: Dos Vidas Car Ride
Cruise through South Tucson
After a warm welcome in South Tucson, Amal catches a ride with Dos Vidas Car Club and friends, and heads to a block party downtown. Along the ride, she sees vibrant neighborhood murals, crosses the threshold of iconic Five Points, and passes by beautiful Santa Cruz Church.
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11 AM: İHola! A Tucson Block Party
Children’s Museum Tucson
200 S. 6th Ave, Tucson, AZ
After hitching a ride with Dos Vidas Car Club, Amal comes upon the Children’s Museum Tucson, where a celebration of the city’s many cultures fills the area with music, art, and food. Amal is greeted by young folklórico dancers, who lead her through the festivities, where she eventually hears the notes of home.
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4:30 PM: Wildcat Welcome
University of Arizona Mall
1737 E. University Blvd, Tucson, AZ
At the University of Arizona Tailgate, Little Amal is greeted by the University’s international community, a group of scientists and science students with their eyes on the stars. She’s swept along in the festivities around the UArizona Football game against Oregon State by the band, cheer, and football players.