Tucson Homes for Sale with Faces of Tucson AZ with Randiesia Fletcher

Today we're here with Randicia Fletcher. I'm super excited to talk to you. I've been wanting to talk to you for a while because you've got some cool projects going.

I have a couple cool projects.

Yeah, I saw some stuff online.

Oh, thanks.

You're checking me out, I see.

So you've been nominated and you've been awarded to be on the Faces of Tucson, which is, you know, our project to give back people who give back to our community. And so I'm super excited that you're here. And of all people, you give back so much to our community. So it's great to have you honored here.

So I want to say that to you first. Thank you so much.

Yeah. Um, so let's talk about those projects. I know you were into a couple of fun things. Can you give me a highlight on those, what they are? Sure.

Sure.

Can. So we have the Urban Forest Project. So it's a part of our Portraits of Sustainability. So we have a community housing, um, project where we're building a food forest. And so we are in like the, the second phase of this food forest where we're growing plants. We have some, um, guests that are living on the property who are housing insecure, so they are able to take care of the plants and eat from the property as well. That's the Urban Forest Project. That's cool. We're working with Recovery and Repair. So it's like an art therapy program with the University of Arizona Museum of Art. And then also in collaboration with the Drawing Studio, we're doing the Living 2 Portraits Painturpertations classes. Painturpertations, big mouthful.

That was a lot.

Every second Tuesday of the month. And it's a free art class. And we talk about the issues of life and then we kind of write about it and then we draw it or painturpret what we feel. So it's another form of art therapy as well.

Oh, that's really, really cool.

Mm-hmm.

Um, so before we leave that, this subject, uh, how would somebody find about information about this stuff? How would they get in contact just about these 3 things?

They can get in contact with us on Instagram.

Okay.

That's the easiest way. That's, um, uh, portraits_of_sustainability. So Portraits of Sustainability.

Portraits of Sustainability with underscores between the words.

Yes.

And that's your Instagram. And that'd be the quickest way for someone to find you.— and they could get ahold of you and ask about any of these cool projects.

Absolutely.

Or they can find my email. I'm pretty easy to find, and I'll give that to you at the end.

Nice. Yeah, of course. So, as you know, we ask the same questions of everybody on the Faces of Tucson who have been honored here and give our viewers a chance to compare and see what your answers are going to be. So I'm going to delve into that with you. So the first one is to tell us about yourself. So I want you to think about yourself as an outside person and looking in at Randicea Fletcher. And this person looking at Randeesia Fletcher, what would they say? Who is Randeesia Fletcher?

Randeesia Fletcher is a person who's in the community who's always advocating for others. So if I was looking in on myself, I'd be like, man, she's always out there trying to help someone else. And I think that comes from the fact that someone was advocating for me and my family when we were children. So we grew up homeless, we were on Skid Row, so we were definitely displaced. And so I work with homeless people, displaced individuals, a lot of people in the international communities, and just people who are just challenged with life as a whole. That is my passion, to go out there and to be an advocate for those who are just not at their best right now.

Yeah, that's amazing. That takes, that takes patience and kindness and compassion, and it's an amazing gift. Yeah, it really is. So tell me a little bit about family, your family.

Well, I'll go family. I was actually on ancestry.com today.

There you go.

Yes.

So my mom and the dad that I grew up with, we're from Los Angeles. I grew up in Los Angeles. And we grew up homeless. Both parents were on narcotics. And so they were abusing drugs for a long time. We lived homeless for a long time. I ended up getting out of that situation and going into the Marine Corps. And didn't have the most pleasant experience, but I'm still a Marine at heart, always, always. One of my brothers is still housing displaced. My mother is housing displaced. My older brother is still trying to work out some abuse issues. And so my biological father just moved here to Tucson, and so I've been developing a relationship with him. And so, you know, I don't have the most positive deal, but you know, it's life and we get through it and we try to work it out and help each other the best way that we can.

Yeah, that's great. Okay, so the next question I have is tell us about your current, past, or future career and what you love love about what you do? And there's a lot based on what you told me already.

So I was a Marine at 18. My 18th birthday, I was on the rifle range, so I went into Marine Corps, and I'm actually a retired disabled veteran. I went into, um, the school system. I worked as a dean of students. I've worked as a 7 through 12 English teacher. I've worked for advocacy programs like First Things First at the University of Arizona, small business owners, and we do consulting work work with diversity, equity, and inclusion, and art therapy, of course.

Yeah, wow.

One of my favorite things to do was be a Marine, work with kids in the school, teach art therapy. I don't have—

I'm getting images of you in that Tomb Raider kind of costume with the machine gun.

Oh my goodness, that's like the best feeling.

I'm leaving it alone, I'm leaving it alone.

We won't talk anymore about that.

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness.

Oh, that's awesome. Name me a couple of favorite restaurants in our community.

Oh, my favorite restaurant is here on, um, First and Grant, and that's Sherry Punjab, of course, and it's Indian food. And then I like, um, Tamarico, um, also. So that's one of my favorites because I love the jackfruit, I love the vegan, um, entrees. One of my favorite.

Oh nice. Yeah, I haven't been to the Indian food restaurant, but I've heard.

Oh my goodness.

Yeah, I've been going there for more than 20 years. I just want to note that, more than 20 years.

20 years. Wow, that's awesome. Um, okay, so we got food, and then, um, how long, uh, have you lived or worked here in Tucson?

I came—

I'm gonna put on my glasses. Sorry, I can't read my question.

Okay, don't worry, I got this.

I'll read them for us.

I came here in, in 2000 from Rhode Island, and so I was stationed at the University of Arizona, and I was in a Marine enlisted to commissioning program at the University of Arizona while I was studying. So that's what brought me here. And so I've been here for that time, and then I was retired in the military as a disabled veteran and started Troops to Teachers, et cetera. And so I've just been in the community since then.

Nice.

Nice.

What's the most interesting— or no, I'm sorry, who is the most interesting person you've met here in this community?

I'm going to say my husband because I thought I was That's pretty interesting. I'm very vain, but you know, I like to— I like, um, I like being in my own head, one, and I like to think about things. But for someone to challenge the thoughts in my head and to say that maybe you're not right all the time, that's a good person right there. So someone who challenges me is my husband, Herman Harris Jr.

Herman's adorable, by the way. I have met Herman. He's a good guy.

Yeah, he tried to cut his hair yesterday. Oh no, what are you doing?

He's challenging you again.

That's awesome.

Uh, let's see, if If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would that be and why?

I would go to Mauve Fiji, 'cause I have a friend there. And I haven't seen her since 2002 when I went on a project with the anthropology department at the University of Arizona. So we've been like pen pals and we FaceTime each other now. And so I would love to go back to visit with she and her family. And she's saying that I'm welcome to come And I don't wanna do the touristy thing, I wanna stay on the island again, sleep on a mat, and I just wanna visit her family. That's where I really wanna go. Her name is May.

May, oh, that's sweet. May, hopefully you'll let May see this.

Oh, I will, because I'm still trying to— Hi, May.

Yes.

That's awesome, we gotta let May in. I just lost this, hold on just a sec.

Uh-oh.

Okay, so no big deal. Let's see, let's talk about favorite movies and favorite TV shows.

So favorite movie would be The Princess Bride. As you wish. You know, I love Wesley. I know. But my favorite genre would be like Nollywood movies. I love Nollywood movies, but I don't have a favorite. But it would be all of them. My favorite TV show is I love watching Judge Judy, Paternity Court, and People's Court. I like watching the scandalous—

Judge Judy is still on?

Well, it's on YouTube, you know. I love scandalous court shows.

I'm trying to figure this mic back out. Sorry. Okay, so that's what advice— so what advice would you give to people? People are waving at us from the— we're in a window in an art gallery, live on doing the show here, and people are waving now because they can see we're talking. So yeah, now you're a celebrity for sure. What advice would you give to people?

Don't allow stumbling blocks to stop you.

Nice.

And so I feel like my life has had so many stumbling blocks. I'm a PTSD veteran, I'm a PTSD patient from my family life, and I have never allowed those stumbling blocks to make me stand still. So I'm just saying, you better learn how to run track and jump over those hurdles and keep going.

I love that analogy. Jump those hurdles, that's a great analogy.

Yes.

What is something on your bucket list?

Oh, on my bucket list would go, would, you know, Going back to Fiji, of course. But I also want to go and visit my homeland where the American descendants of slaves were taken from. So I would love to go to Ghana, Benin, Nigeria. I want to visit West Africa to understand my heritage even further. I have to be there. I have to touch it. I just have to put my hands there and put my feet in the water. I just need that to feel complete.

And you haven't ever been there at all?

No, no, I've just been in the South Pacific and I've been continental United States. I've been down to Mexico, but I have not been there.

Nice. Um, okay, so what is your go-to band when you can't decide what to listen to?

I'm always going to listen to Miles Davis, and my favorite album is his Kind of Blue album. And so I remember listening to that, um, record while I was sitting in the Towers in April of the year that they went down.

Aye, yikes, that's crazy.

All these milestones.

Nice. What current or former local business makes you the most nostalgic about Tucson?

Oh, I was gonna say Hotel Congress here.

Right out the window.

Right, yeah, it's right here. You know, I like looking at the architecture in there, but it's scary. It almost reminds me of a haunted house though. I know, it's kind of weird. We used to live in hotels sometimes downtown Los Angeles and there are ghosts there.

Like noises and—

And they're— the elevator would fall, it would just be very scary, and that hotel reminds me of it. But it's scary to me, but it makes me curious.

Yeah, I love going in there too.

Yes, it makes me very curious about what's going on in there and all the things of the past.

Yeah, that does bring that up for sure. So if you could choose anyone that's alive today and it can't be a relative, with— and it can't be me— with whom you'd love to have lunch, who would that be and why?

Oh, of course I want to be with former President Obama.

Okay.

That's very important. I just want to— I just would want to ask questions about success and his family, and I would love to know about school and What did he, those things that we don't know that he studied and what was a typical day like? I just wanna know like regular stuff.

Yeah.

Nothing major. I just like to be— I don't know, no hard questions.

Yeah, I think I'd just love to be around him just to see if I could take, just like get some of that diplomacy energy from him and take that away with me 'cause it's so strong. His diplomacy was amazing.

I love that.

Yeah, really neat. So where would you have lunch with President Obama?

Oh, Urban Fresh down the street here. Urban Fresh with Chauncey. So I love that restaurant. It's a great vegan restaurant. And they have a little outdoor patio. So like I'm saying, being with President Obama, it would just— I just want to ask some informal questions. And so it's such a great outdoor spot. And we just sit there. Probably everyone would be taking pictures and everything. But I just want to sit there at just a regular place. Yeah, he's probably not a regular type dude.

I think he is, and Chauncey would probably be great to hang out with as well. Yes, I think that could be really cool. What's your favorite thing or something unique about our community?

My favorite thing would be all the little shows that they have. I love that. I love going to the opera. I love going to the theater. I love the idea that they have Broadway Tucson. Yeah, I try to make all the Broadway events. And so that's one of my favorite things to do is go to the theater. So anything opera, anything on stage, some of the smaller things at the Rialto and the Fox. I just love going to see performances. And sometimes I get a little break on my ticket prices for being a veteran.

Nice. That's nice. Where do you see yourself in 5 years and where do you see in the next 5 to 10 years?

Well, I would love to continue to explore more contracts in the government sector with doing diversity, equity, and inclusion in art therapy. So I see myself in, you know, we're a lot in the nonprofit world, we're dealing with smaller businesses, we've worked with some banks, but I would love to further our contracts into government contracting and some larger institutions. So just more work in what we're doing, more teaching, more teaching opportunities.

Yeah, nice. That's awesome. So even for friends or family, what's something interesting that most people don't know about you? This is a great question. Even friends or family, what's something interesting that most people don't know?

People don't know that I'm an introvert. Don't laugh, Tony Ray Baker.

I'm one of them, okay. Your shyness is just coming out.

I knew it would.

No, I am.

I'm shy. I'm shy. I think I'm terrified to cross the street sometimes because it's like a stage, and so I have stage fright. I get terrible butterflies in my stomach, and I'm nervous. I can be the nervous type.

But you jump the hurdle.

I would jump the hurdle.

You always do.

You know I do.

That's awesome. Maybe you should go on stage. Have you done that? Your face changed everywhere.

Oh my goodness.

Okay, so what's the most beautiful place you've ever been?

One of the most beautiful places I've been is one of my favorite places to go, is Venice Beach. I love going to Venice. I love being there at night. I love watching the people on the boardwalk and seeing the performers and seeing the sunset and hearing the waves crash and smelling and the ocean air. Oh my goodness, it's so nostalgic. I could be there right this moment, but it's too cold. But it's my favorite and the most beautiful place to be.

You totally just took me there. I've been there many times. I'm like, oh, I'm back in Venice.

This is like—

we should close our eyes and we can go through that exercise again after we're done. I know, I love your shoes. They're great. That's awesome. Uh, what's your favorite month?

December.

Favorite holiday?

Juneteenth.

What's the best single day on the calendar?

The 17th.

Okay.

Because of my birthday, so I'm 17.

Gotcha.

December, because my birthday's in December.

What would you rate a 10 out of 10?

Myself.

Nice. Oh, beautiful answer. Who inspires you to be better?

Herman.

Herman. I knew that was— I knew that answer. I could have done that one for you. What's one of your two favorite smells?

Rose.

Rose, nice. And finally, in 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think— what 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word home?

Faith, hope, and love.

Nice. I'm so excited that we get to have you on today, and thank you for everything you're doing for our community. And again, let's talk— how would people connect with you? This is your chance, please give them all the information we can to get to find you?

Yes, so you can reach me by visiting our website at www.harrisfletcher.com, and there should be a contact link there that you can find me there. Also, you can find us on Instagram at Portraits of Sustainability, and that's underscore after each of the words— Portraits_of_Sustainability. And also, you can find us at the Urban Forest Project by HF on Instagram. Thank you.

That's awesome. I'm Tony Ray Baker with the Faces of Tucson. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Bye.