Name/Title
Canzanetta Lofton - “Circus” - Oakhill SpringsDescription
Canzanetta, known as Kansas, likes to recount how she received her unusual name. When she was born, her mother, undecided on what to name her, consulted another new mother across the room. The woman, a stranger, suggested the exotic name. But Canzanetta’s great grandmother, who lived to be 105, insisted on nicknaming her “Kansas,” since it was easier to pronounce.
Born in Sacramento, the first of three children, Canzanetta later moved with her family to Oakland. She has worked in an educational guidance center and various libraries stocking books, as well as at the Salvation Army and in convalescent homes.
Canzanetta has suffered from seizures and headaches most of her life, and was often bullied in school for not “talking right.” At the age of 18, with the help of Rev. Thomas Compton, she was fortunate to find a place where she could be herself—at the Berkeley Mt. Zion Baptist Church.
She enjoys the slow music of radio station 102.9 and gospel music. And her AWE classes offer her an unexpected benefit: she never gets a headache when she’s working on her art.
