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Fighting Hate With Love: Remembering Bernard Lafayette Jr.

AZPM
Published May 8, 2026 at 7:12 AM MST
Bernard Lafayette tribute 2
Courtesy of Bernard Lafayette
Bernard Lafayette, up close and smiling.
Bernard Lafayette tribute 1
Courtesy of Bernard Lafayette
A photo from a collection photos from Bernard Lafayette.
Fighting Hate With Love: Remembering Bernard Lafayette Jr.

Featured on the March 19th, 2026 edition of ARIZONA SPOTLIGHT with host Mark McLemore:

  • Learn about the life & beliefs of the late Civil Rights leader Bernard Lafayette, Jr.. He taught the principles of Martin Luther King’s approach to nonviolence to people across the globe – including here in Tucson.

Bernard Lafayette tribute 3
Courtesy of Bernard Lafayette
Bernard Lafayette standing beside Martin Luther King Jr.
Lafayette March hero
bernard lafayette and kids
Margaret Palmer, Our Family Services, co-sponsor of the Nonviolence Legacy Project
Harvard-trained educator Bernard Lafayette helps young people to analyze the images of violence that abound in their daily lives. He has them watch cartoons and then leads discussions on how the characters might have resolved their conflicts in a nonviolent way.

Photo credit: Margaret Palmer, Our Family Services, co-sponsor of the Nonviolence Legacy Project


  • The new production at Invisible Theater brings the honest words of men in prison to the stage.A preview of “Inside Out: Men Behind Bars”. Director Betsy Kruse Craig, actor Jonathan Heras and University of Arizona anthropologist Linda Green talk to Mark about the production.
Inside Out Men Behind Bars 2
Courtesy of Betsy Kruse Craig
Poster for the upcoming preview performances of "Inside Out: Men Behind Bars."
Inside out Betsy in studio
Sarah Arellano
Betsy Cruise Craig and Jonathan Heras at the AZPM studio.

  • And, this month’s storyteller is Ana Montañez. She shares how Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show became a unifying moment among her multi-generational immigrant family.

_In Ana Montañez's story she mentions a song that lifted her family's spirits during their tough chapters. Here is a version of the cumbia "Oye" which has tens of millions of views: [La Sonora Dinamita - Oye ft. Roberto Tapia](

Ana Montañez New 3-2026 photo
Courtesy: Ana Montañez
Ana Montañez is a Tucson-based storyteller who also performs monologues, poetry and stand-up comedy. She is the former executive directory of Odyssey Storytelling in Tucson.
Ana Moñtanez 1
Tony Paniagua / AZPM
Storyteller Ana Moñtanez records her story at the AZPM Studio

If you are interested in local storytelling or listening opportunities, options include: F*ST, Female Storytellers of Tucson, Odyssey Storytelling in Tucson, Open Mic Night in Sierra Vista, and Tellers of Tales Tucson.

You can also listen to The Moth Radio Hour Saturdays at 6 pm on NPR 89.1.

Webpage by Sarah Arellano.

Arizona Spotlight
Arizona Spotlight airs every Thursday at 8:30 am and 6:00 pm and every Friday at 8:00 pm on NPR 89.1 FM / 1550 AM. You can subscribe to our podcast on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, or the NPR App. See more from Arizona Spotlight.