Margarita Ramirez Loya

Cananea, SON, MEX

Bilingual Picture Book: The Buffalo Soldiers Sing Sad Songs at Night/ Los Soldados Buffalo Cantan Canciones Tristes Por Las Noches

Margarita Ramírez Loya is a bilingual educator, writer, and digital storytelling expert with decades of experience teaching and writing across the Arizona-Sonora borderlands. With a background in communications and a master’s in curriculum and instruction from Arizona State University, she has served as a college instructor, academic coordinator, and publications writer, while also leading community-centered creative writing projects. For her Naco Heritage Alliance Fellowship, Margarita will create a bilingual picture book titled The Buffalo Soldiers Sing Sad Songs at Night / Los Soldados Búfalo Cantan Canciones Tristes Por Las Noches. This richly researched and lyrically told book will blend oral histories and historical storytelling to engage children and adults alike in the legacy of Camp Naco and the African American soldiers who once served there. Developed in collaboration with illustrators and local historians from both sides of the border, the project will culminate in a published, accessible work that connects families to the region’s history through art and narrative, fostering reflection, cultural pride, and bilingual literacy.