Longwood University in the Borderlands

08/19/2022

Clark House is hopping with all of Longwood’s cultural groups! Good food and lots of tabling.

07/06/2022

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/29/us/texas-migrants-deaths-truck.html?referringSource=articleShare

Border Patrol officials say truck traffic is too voluminous to check every vehicle at the dozens of immigration checkpoints on roadways near the border.

05/31/2022

Yesterday was our last day of excursions ☹️ First, we visited Sugar Hill neighborhood, a historically Black area that used to be the only place in Tucson that African American people could buy homes. Many from outside the Southwest don’t know that Arizona also had Jim Crow laws — and “Juan Crow” laws that legalized segregation between white and Latinx people.

A highlight of our time in Sugar Hill was a visit to Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church, the oldest Black church in the state. Founded in 1900, the church still serves the community, particularly unhoused people in the area. We talked for a good while with Donna LeCount, a church admin, about the church and her experiences in Tucson. She’s amazing, and we already miss her.

After a quick stop by the La Pilita mural in Barrio Viejo, we headed to the east campus of Pima Community College for lunch and to view a sculpture, Las Madres (The Mothers) (2005) by Valarie James. The sculpture consists of three mother figures made out of metal frames and materials (denim, canvas) discarded by immigrants traveling through the desert.

The sculptures are intended to weather and disintegrate over time. They’re an eerie reminder of the hardship and grief that many immigrants face.

We’ve had a marvelous time together in Arizona. Today we’ll meet to discuss flight logistics and course assignments, and then the students fly home tomorrow. But that’s not the end of our posts! Stay tuned for student photos in the coming days.

05/29/2022

Morning at San Xavier del Bac mission on the Tohono O’odham reservation. Founded in 1691, the mission is still the spiritual home of many Tohono O’odham people today. This building dates from the 1780s.

We enjoyed exploring the grounds of the church, including some beautiful hilltop views of the reservation land. Inside the church, we observed ornate Spanish colonial baroque art, intended to inspire and educate churchgoers.

As per Longwood tradition, several of us then devoured fry bread from the market stalls in front of the church. Doesn’t matter if you eat it topped with red chile or honey and powdered sugar — it’s always delicious.

In the afternoon, we visited the Tucson Desert Art Museum to learn about Navajo weavings and contemporary Native art. A highlight was an installation of the Red Dress Project, which informs the public about the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) in the US and Canada.

On a lighter note, please enjoy the selfies we took with a mysterious wall iPad at the Desert Art Museum.

Lots of art, lots of good conversations, and also lots of car dancing.

That was yesterday. Today is our free day! We’re looking forward to some hiking, shopping, and other relaxing activities.

05/28/2022

An early morning venture into the grasslands near Sasabe, Arizona. Yesterday we went on a water run with two volunteers from Humane Borders, a humanitarian nonprofit.

Founded in 2000, Humane Borders maintains water stations (the blue barrels) in the desert to help migrants stave off dehydration after they have crossed the US-Mexico border. The barrels are marked with stickers of the Virgin of Guadalupe (a highly venerated depiction of the Virgin Mary) to let migrants know that the water is placed as an act of compassion and is safe to drink. All water stations are located on government or private land with permission from the landowners.

Students helped our hosts refill the barrels and learned firsthand how intense the terrain and climate can be for people crossing the desert on foot.

05/27/2022

Yesterday we spent the morning at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum learning about southern Arizona’s flora and fauna. Temperatures are rising, but we’re hanging in there!

After an afternoon at the Arizona State Museum exploring the area’s Native cultures, we had our first group dinner at a local café. A lot of us tried carne seca (dried beef), a Sonoran specialty.

05/26/2022

We had a great first day in the field! After interviewing Border Patrol agents and exploring the border checkpoint area in Nogales, we headed to Tumacácori National Historic Park.

Tumacácori is home to the oldest Jesuit mission in Arizona — a place where Spanish priests converted and lived with local Tohono O’odham people.

Great questions and conversations at these sites. Looking forward to our next adventure!

05/21/2022

Title 42 allows Border Patrol to deny entry to asylum seekers in the name of preventing the spread of infectious disease. This section of US code was activated in March 2020 at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Supporters want Title 42 to remain in effect, and critics assert that it does nothing to stop COVID’s spread. Critics have also pointed out that the vast majority of asylum seekers being turned away are BIPOC migrants, while white refugees from Ukraine have gained immediate entry at southwestern border entry points.

Judge Robert Summerhays ruled the CDC did not properly end Title 42, which allows U.S. border officials to quickly expel migrants.

05/19/2022

Sonoran hotdogs are a great example of transnational influences on regional food. Some food in the borderlands isn't just "American" or "Mexican" -- it's both.

https://thisistucson.com/eat/every-sonoran-hot-dog-joint-on-tucsons-south-side-mapped/article_2c15c934-523f-11ec-9ec9-930542cf1c57.html?fbclid=IwAR2LPCZ9fXFdD1jH4iXSkbCnFIyQRnkAgTPkpbAYUb62vtrX-UG007iyE44

04/18/2022

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/15/us/greg-abbott-immigration-repeal.html?referringSource=articleShare

Gov. Greg Abbott said he would reissue the policy, under which all commercial vehicles arriving at the border were inspected, if illegal crossings into Texas increased.

01/24/2022

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/11/us/texas-migrant-arrests-police.html?referringSource=articleShare

More news on the immigration front: Texas State law enforcement now uses local law to take over the federal government's role in policing borders.

Texas is using state law enforcement in an unusual way in an attempt to stem illegal border crossings. The tactic is raising constitutional concerns and transforming life in one small town.

12/22/2021

A reminder of Dr. Bidwell's lecture on ambiguous loss.

Many of us are taught that if we work hard enough we’ll be able to get over our losses. The social scientist Pauline Boss sees it differently.