Like the rest of the county, the 1950s in Arizona were a deeply divided time. Education, housing and public places like hotels and restaurants everywhere were segregated by race.

It might not be the first place people think of when it comes to the civil rights movement, but Arizona had key leaders that drew that attention of national voices like Martin Luther King Jr. Most work was all being done in the Valley. Up north, a recent graduate of the teaching college at Northern Arizona University would change life for Black residents of Flagstaff forever.

Annie Watkins discovered that ballots from Black voters were being thrown away so she turned her education skills into a different sort of teaching. And this was just the beginning of her legacy.

This week on Valley 101, a podcast by the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com about metro Phoenix and beyond, we share the life and legacy of Annie Watkins, from her time in Louisiana to an exhibit honoring her strides in integrating Flagstaff.

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