Actress, activist and AZ native Erika Alexander honored in native Winslow, Flagstaff

Award-winning actress and activist Erika Alexander, best known for her roles as Pam Tucker on "The Cosby Show" and Maxine Shaw on "Living Single," was honored and celebrated this weekend in her native northern Arizona cities.

Friday kicked off the five days of festivities for Alexander in both Winslow, where she was born, and Flagstaff, where she was raised. The Lived Black Experience Project organized the events.

On Monday, a ceremony to honor Alexander's mother, Sammie, was held to honor her years of service to the Flagstaff community.

The last day of celebrations will be on Tuesday, where Alexander and her family visit the Grand Canyon for a cultural demonstration.

The events kicked off in Flagstaff on Friday where a screening of "The Big Payback," a movie Alexander co-directed, was held at Northern Arizona University. The movie tells the story of the first reparations bill in American history for African Americans, according to Alexander's website. The screening was followed by a Q&A session.

On Saturday, Alexander led an acting workshop for young, aspiring actors at the Flagstaff mall. A public ceremony followed that event, which included performances from Little Big Sister and Ballet Folklorico de Colores.

The celebrations moved to Winslow on Sunday, where Alexander was inducted into the newly unveiled Winslow Hall of Fame and honored with a street dedication. Now, at the intersection of Aspinwall and Donnelley where her family lived, stands Erika Alexander Way. A block party followed the event, where community members met Alexander, and enjoyed free food and live entertainment. Local Indigenous dance groups also performed.

On top of being an actress, Alexander is an activist, entrepreneur, and storyteller.

She is the co-founder of Color Farm Media, which aims to bring greater equity, inclusion and diverse representation to both media and electoral politics, according to her website. The organization develops content for film, television, streaming, and podcast platforms.

Outside of the media world, Alexander has a commitment to social activism. She is a board member for One Fair Wage, which fights for raising wages and better working conditions in the service sector. Her website details that she is also involved in other social and racial justice organizations, including The Poor People's Campaign, Color of Change PAC, NAACP, and UNCF, among others.

But her roots are in northern Arizona, and she always reminds people of that.

"I've told my origin story to everyone who I introduce myself every time that I'm born in the mountains of Arizona. I'm very proud of that," Alexander told 12News. "Growing up in Arizona gave me a world of culture and allowed me to meet people who shaped who I am today."

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Erika Alexander celebrated in her hometowns of Winslow and Flagstaff