Good morning!

I am a big with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona, which means I’m paired up with a child to mentor and hang out with. 

I’ve been with my little for coming up on three years now, and she is a total delight. We love doing things together like checking out new bookstores and seeing movies. 

Today, I plan to take her to get hot cocoa and go see Christmas lights, but I’m not sure which neighborhoods would be best to visit. I’ve almost always lived in apartments where there’s not too much decorating going on. 

Any recommendations for neighborhoods with lots of Christmas lights? I’m located in downtown Phoenix, so the closer to there, the better, but I’ll take any ideas. 

Our reporter Rob also asked the same question on our Instagram so he could put together a roundup of all the suggestions. Feel free to reply to him there, or if you respond to this email I’ll pass on your answer!

Have a great, festive day!

Thanks so much, everyone, for your donations so far!

From now through the end of this week, we are running our Holiday Supporter Drive, and we need your support to ensure we can continue to report the local stories that matter most to Arizonans. 

You can join us by donating to our newsroom today! Thanks for being part of The Copper Courier community! ❤️

AP Photo/Matt York

💬 “It is insane and ridiculous to even think about the idea that we could subject the women—and the men for that matter—of Arizona to a ban that was crafted when women couldn’t vote.”

— Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes

Arizona’s highest court will hear the first arguments today surrounding the reinstatement of an 1864 law that criminalizes abortion care.

Arizona currently operates under a “harmonized,” or hybrid version, of the 1864 and 2022 abortion bans, meaning doctors can administer abortion care up to 15 weeks of pregnancy, with non-physicians being banned from performing the procedure completely.

There are no exceptions for rape or incest, and the penalty for aiding with an abortion is a minimum two-year prison sentence.

Should the Arizona Supreme Court decide to fully reinstate the 1864 law, abortion services will be banned in every instance, unless the procedure is needed as a life-saving measure on behalf of the mother.

Oral arguments before the Arizona Supreme Court begin today at 9:30 a.m. and can be viewed via livestream on the Court’s website. A ruling may take several months. 

Read the full story here. 

Photo by Anyon Fak-McDaniels

💬 The word is getting around [that] this place has great food. We didn’t want to miss out, so we made a reservation.”

— Lauren Henschen, a diner at The Diaspora Collective

Located in Phoenix’s historic Heritage Square, The Diaspora Collective is a multi-faceted business that combines a restaurant and a market into a hub of Black culture.

The restaurant: Latha, which means “flavor” in Swahili, serves dishes such as suya flank steak and piri piri wings that include the “flavors of Africa, Brazil, the Caribbean, and the Southern United States.”

The market: Soko specializes in selling “handmade goods from Black artisans” designed to represent the African diaspora.

Several trips to Africa inspired the founder of The Diaspora Collective, Evelia Davis, to create her business in Phoenix and open its doors in April 2023. 

Since it opened, Davis says The Diaspora Collective has found success from patrons eager to sample new cuisines and learn about and interact with African cultures.

Read the full story here. 

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Jessica Swarner. The Copper Courier is happily free to read for everyone. Your financial support means a lot to us. Donate here.

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