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WINTER/SPRING
TOUR REGISTRATION
IS NOW OPEN
Click calendar to view schedule
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THE BORDER LINE
by Jerry Haas
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Last week I led a group from Gillette, Wyoming on a cross border tour to Nogales. The group was particularly appreciative and eager to learn, with stops at ARSOBO (“the wheelchair factory”), the San Juan Bosco Migrant Shelter and the autism support center (ATIC). Alma Cota de Yanez talked to them about social investment, and when we got to La Roca Restaurant, Estyn Kevitt from the US Consulate briefed them on the many ways our two countries are interwoven through families, trade and tourism. The group loved every minute of it, asking questions and offering praise. After the tour was over, when I was back home in Green Valley, I thought about how lucky I am to be a part of this experience. I love to introduce people to a world they would never know unless they were willing to see for themselves. I love passing on some of what I’ve learned from Alex, Alma, Bob and from my own research. I am very grateful for our partnership with FESAC and for our friend, Alma Cota de Yanez. Later, when I finally had chance to read the very positive evaluations of the tour group, I wanted to give a “TEN” to the whole day. Then it hit me: a really good day like this doesn’t just happen. It has taken years for BCA to develop its reputation for excellence, rooted in long-term relationships and good management practices. We want every tour and every Borderlands Forum to go well. Our small administrative staff tries hard to assure that donations, tour registrations and events are handled well. Our risk management strategies reflect our commitment to safety. The relationships we have with Mexican businesses and nonprofits are based on respect and trust, a result of working together over time.
We would love to do more but we need your support. Donations to our general fund and to our summer internship program allow us to do what we do. BCA is a registered 501 c 3 charitable nonprofit organization and donations are tax-deductible as specified by law. If you’ve not yet made an end-of-the-year donation to BCA, please consider doing so. Donations can be made through our website, by check mailed to our office (PO Box 1863, Tubac, AZ 85646 or through our broker Ben Duncan (520.398.2785). Thank you!
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8:30 - 10:00 AM
Location:
Grill on the Green Restaurant, Canoa Ranch Golf Resort
Cost:
$20 (BCA members) and $25 (non-members)
Hot breakfast included
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Breakfast and
the Border
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With
William Beezley, Ph.D.
“How Mexico Sees Itself, and How We Should See Mexico: Examples from Popular Culture”
For the last 21 years, Beezley has served as Professor of History at the University of Arizona with a special focus on Mexican history and popular culture. Dr. Beezley has authored dozens of books on Mexico, including serving as editor-in-chief for the recently published Oxford Encyclopedia of Mexican History and Culture (2019).
He believes it is important for citizens in this country and region to better understand the history of Mexican culture. “Mexicans and Mexican-Americans are becoming an increasing large percentage of the U.S. population and are becoming an increasing visible part of the culture and I am confident that in the future Mexican independence will be as widely celebrated as St. Patrick's Day,” Beezley said.
For many residents of Southern Arizona as well as public television viewers across the country, Dr. Beezley will be easily recognized through his frequent appearances as an-camera expert for 16 episodes of the PBS-produced “The Desert Speaks” and “In the Americas” television programs.
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T O U R S
click the date to register
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If you are curious to learn what exactly is Sonoran food and how it differs from wider Mexican cuisine, this gastronomic tour of Nogales will clarify the regional characteristics of our vibrant southern neighbor while providing a background in cultural heritage. Visitors to Nogales, Sonora are often geographically limited to walking distance in the main tourist zones for dining options while visiting south of the border. This tour takes you off that beaten path and deeper into Nogales to the modern gastronomic zone of local Nogalenses. This tour is your chance to taste and see for yourself.
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HERMOSILLO:
SONORA'S CAPITAL
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See for yourself why the culinary scene of Hermosillo is gaining so much attention by publications like the
LA Times
and programs on Netflix.
This two night stay will provide tour guests with an overview of the city's history and its significant sights, making the case that Hermosillo is a unique destination rather than just a stop on the way to Gulf beaches. Guests will experience the Mexican muralist art tradition at the
Palacio de Gobierno
, observe the Sonoran sunset from the top of the city's emblematic
Cerro de la Campana
, and visit the historic old quarter of town,
Villa de Seris
, world renown for its coyota pastries, among others.
Hermosillo's modern gastronomy will also be highlighted, representative of the state's famous ranching and
Sea of Cortez
fishing economies.
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Join nonprofit BCA on our next visits to the cosmopolitan Sonoran capital:
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MAGDALENA
Here & Now Tour
Located just 60 miles south of Nogales, Magdalena de Kino has been honored as a
Pueblo Magico
, a special designation bestowed by the Mexican federal government because of its high level of historic and cultural significance to the nation. Just far enough away from the border, this tour provides an opportunity to take in the serene provincial heart of regional Sonora. The community is the terminus of an internationally famous pilgrimage route that spans both the United States and Mexico. This day trip includes both a look back to the past and a glance at the contemporary challenges of a small Mexican city along with a visit to neighboring
San Ignacio
to visit one of the Jesuit black robe
Eusebio Francisco Kino
's first missions founded at the end of the 17th century.
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Nogales Cross Border Tour
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Beautiful Rio Sonora Tour
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The Basque Connection
& Spain's Northern Coast Tour
Dates:
26 May - 6 June 2020
Route:
Madrid-Soria-Bilbao-Solares-Gijón-A Coruña-Santiago de Compostela-Ponferrada-Tordesillas-Madrid
Arizona and Mexico’s direct connection to Spain lasted three hundred years (1521 to 1821) when it was called New Spain. There are many legacies: language, religion, culture, architecture. This trip will introduce the traveler to all of these, with an explicit Sonoran/Arizonan connection to the Basque country, the fascinating region from which a majority of the early ‘Spanish’ settlers of our two binational states originated from. Connecting our region to the Iberian Peninsula, we will visit the ancestral homeland of the Anza family, the leader and pathfinder of the 1775-76 expedition to found San Francisco, California. Following along the Cantabrian Sea, we will also explore the unique culture of the autonomous regions of Cantabria, Asturias, Galicia and Castilla y Leon and learn in-place about this region's role as a borderlands within Spain’s medieval history. As with other BCA tours, we’ll travel as a small group (15 to 20) with knowledgeable guides who are close to the people of Spain.
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THE BORDERLANDS FORUM & EVENTS
click the date to register
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Mining Heritage
of the Borderlands
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Local historian
Dan Judkins
will share the history of mining in the Pimería Alta (Arizona-Sonora Borderlands) beginning in the Spanish period. The presentation will highlight the 1736 discovery of the planchas de plata (silver slabs) at Rancho Arizona, a few miles southwest of today's Nogales, Sonora, and the ensuing frenzy of mining activity in the area.
1:30-3:00 PM
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BCA Winter/Spring Round-up (FAQ's)
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Interested in traveling to Mexico? Do you want to know more about Hispanic culture, the Borderlands Region, US Immigration Policy? We cordially invite you to join us for this free information session to answer your questions and preview nonprofit BCA's upcoming Winter/Spring borderlands programming!
10:00 AM
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Celluloid Pueblo
Book presentation
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Border Community Alliance in collaboration with
Tubac Presidio State Historic Park
invites you to join us for this special presentation by University of Arizona Professor
Jennifer Jenkins
on her recently published book,
Celluloid Pueblo
that has a special connection to the Santa Cruz Valley.
Tickets:
$20 (BCA members $15) at event. Seating is limited, please call Tubac Presidio at
520-398-2252
for reservations.
1:30-3:00 PM
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Let's Speak Spanish!
Organizational Meeting
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“Let’s Speak Spanish”
is a six-week group conversation program designed to help adult learners in the Borderlands exercise Spanish language skills. February 6 is a
free organizational meeting
to introduce this program to anyone interested.
During the organizational meeting, BCA leadership and staff will introduce the program facilitators and provide a program overview, including a sneak peek at the instructional videos and study aids that will
be used to prepare for each weekly conversation session. Before closely, the times and locations of the weekly meetings will be announced, and you will have an opportunity to register for one of the sessions.
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Border Community Alliance is issuing membership cards starting in January 2020 to all of its members, whether individual, family, booster, entrepreneur or founder. To pick up your card at the office, please call A.J. Hernandez at 520.419.1960 so your card will be ready when you stop by. Office hours are 9:00 to noon, Monday thru Friday.
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BCA Board of Directors –
applications welcome!
During the next year, several faithful members of BCA’s Board of Directors will be rotating off after serving the maximum of two three-year terms. Anyone interested in applying for membership is welcome to fill out an
application
. Officers currently include
Cecilia Quade
(President);
Marty Bronstein
(Vice-president);
Susan Scott
(Secretary);
John James
(Treasurer); and
Jerry Haas
(Executive Director).
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Volunteer Positions
BCA is currently looking for two key volunteer positions to assist with its mission. We seek a
Volunteer Coordinator
to help recruit and deploy our volunteers. Cecilia Quade has been serving in this capacity, with help most recently from Alex La Pierre. Volunteers host Borderlands Forum events and help spread the word with outside events.
BCA is also looking for someone to serve as
Intern Coordinator
for our summer intern program. College and university students come from all over the country to spend six weeks on the border, learning about the complexities and creativity of the region and its issues. Diane Brooks has served as Intern Coordinator for the last four years.
For more information about either of these positions, please contact me or the individuals named in this article.
Thanks!
Jerry Haas
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Please email or snail mail your application to:
or
BCA/Volunteer
PO Box 1863 Tubac, AZ 85646
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An Evening with Luis Alberto Urrea
No More Deaths, a Tucson-based advocacy group that seeks to end the deaths of undocumented immigrants crossing the desert near the border is excited to announce that critically acclaimed author, Luis Alberto Urrea, is coming to Tucson to host a fundraiser to support our work. Mr. Urrea is the author of The Devil's Highway and 16 other books, which reflect his cross-cultural experiences as a Mexican-American. Born in Tijuana, Mexico to an American mother and a Mexican father, Urrea is best known as a "border writer". He has won many awards for his writing and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2005 for The Devil's Highway, which tells the story of a group of men who in 2001 attempted to cross the border into southern Arizona's deadliest corridor, the very area where our volunteers leave lifesaving food and water. He was recently named a Guggenheim Fellow and is a distinguished professor of creative writing at the University of Illinois-Chicago.
The event will take place
Thursday, February 13, 2020
at the El Casino Ballroom, 427 E 26th Street, Tucson, AZ. A reception with the author at 5:30 pm precedes the main program, which will begin at 7:00 pm.
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Office Hours:
Monday - Friday
9:00 am -12:00 pm
Additional hours by appointment.
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I-19 2221 E. Frontage Rd.
Bldg F Suite 201-202
P.O. Box 1863
Tubac, AZ 85646
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Membership/Events:
520-398-3229
Office:
520-419-1960
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PLEASE FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
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