How a local turn-of-phrase turned into a call for peace across ideologies

In many ways, Cottonwood—a Northern Arizona city nestled in the region’s Verde Valley—fits the stereotype many people hold about a rural American small town: charming historic buildings, a slower than normal pace, the sense that everyone knows your name, and typically, a conservative political presence. 

Normally, small cities like Cottonwood rarely make the news. But the firebrand of Trumpist conservatism has made its presence known, and made the past two years in Cottonwood markedly volatile: 

Religious groups showed up in droves to protest city council decisions that allowed a touring drag company to come to town; Far-right community members packed out the local recreational center for a working meeting on whether or not they should ban drag in public; The Mingus Union School District’s meetings on budgets and resources for students shifted to include discussions on banning certain books; And a local anti-LGBTQ+ church was at the forefront of a mayoral recall.