Pima Alumna Shares Story of College's Intergenerational Impact

By Kanika Samra, External Relations

Barbea威廉姆斯, artistic director of the Barbea威廉姆斯 Performing Company (BWPC) has called Tucson home for 关闭 to five decades. She moved to Tucson from the south side of Chicago in the seventies along with her mother 和 siblings. Williams had been enrolled at the Southern Illinois University, Carbondale at the time. Not wishing to lose any time she enrolled at Pima 社区 College soon after 和 the rest as they say is history.

Williams’s relationship with Pima has continued 和 remains intact to this day. 2022年夏天, after a hiatus due to the COVID-19 p和emic, BWPC’s Kuumba in Afrikan Arts summer camp returned to in-person programming in association with Pima. 自2000年以来, Williams has led the annual summer camp that provides STEAM activities which include music 和 dance, 和 professional development for students ages 7-15. She is very clear about her mission - to be proudly Black 和 share that with the next generation. Recalling her own days at Pima’s West Campus, Williams said she was an active member of the international club which introduced her to myriad dance forms. From dancing the Can-can, Mexican Folklorico to learning from Pascua Yaqui dancers, Williams said she “loved every minute of it”.

After completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Arizona, Williams returned to Pima as faculty in musical theatre 和 dance. She taught at the college for a decade during which time she used the Dunham technique, devised by Katherine Dunham, to deepen her own exploration of Afro-Cuban 和 West African dance. Since 2002, Williams has been a faculty at the University of Arizona School of Dance. Today, BWPC provides a wide range of programming for adults 和 children. 

BWPC's Kuumba in Afrikan Arts summer camp returned to in-person programming with Pima's support.

At the helm along with her mother is Beah Williams, managing director of BWPC. She came aboard five years ago 和 has used her marketing 和 business skills to help the non-profit grow. Herself a Pima graduate, Beah said, “Pima is like a second home.” She is especially glad that the college has maintained a relationship with the African American community by inviting them to utilize college facilities 和 inspiring students to pursue their academic dreams.

Barbea agrees that having Pima as a partner provides tangible examples for students. From the experience of being on a college campus to participating in STEM activities during Kuumba 2022, each interaction with the college has the potential to spark curiosity 和 inspire young minds. Numerous BWPC alumni have gone on to attend Pima 和 other four-year universities. Kuumba which means creativity in Swahili, has been running for two decades. 在这个时候, it has become an intergenerational camp with former students enrolling their children when they become eligible. For Barbea 和 Beah, this is BWPC’s living legacy. 

The Williams family’s relationship with Pima is similarly intergenerational. After Barbea 和 her siblings found a welcoming environment five decades ago, Beah 和 then her son also studied at Pima. Barbea believes her mother’s decision to move the family from Chicago’s south side to Tucson positively impacted them all.

As a pillar of the community, respected dance practitioner 和 cultural anthropologist, paying it forward 和 instilling pride in the next generation is Barbea威廉姆斯's mission.