Living With Injury honors the predominantly Mexican American communities of Tucson’s south side who, in the 1980s, organized one of the nation’s earliest and most successful environmental justice movements. Facing contamination from powerful defense industries that polluted local water sources and caused widespread illness, residents mobilized to demand accountability and change.
Curated by Alisha Vasquez of the Mexican American Heritage and History Museum and Dr. Sunaura Taylor of UC Berkeley’s Disabled Ecologies Lab, the exhibition features work by artists and researchers with deep ties to this history, including Alex! Jimenez, Franc Contreras, and Dr. Denise Moreno Ramírez.
Marking the 40th anniversary of journalist Jane Kay’s groundbreaking Arizona Daily Star investigation that exposed the pollution, Living With Injury commemorates both the harm caused by environmental racism and the community’s resilience. It invites collective remembering and reflection, celebrating the organizers who fought back against racism, colonialism, and neglect—and won.
Start Date: November 14, 2025
Start Time: 5:30 pm
End Date: May 31, 2026
Location: Museum of Contemporary Art Tucson
