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WINTER/SPRING
TOUR REGISTRATION
IS NOW OPEN
Click calendar to view schedule
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At BCA, we encourage an alternate narrative with regard to the US-Mexico border specifically and to Latin American more generally. We see the ingenuity, devotion and success of our neighbors to the south and applaud their efforts at bettering themselves with nonprofit initiatives and start-up entrepreneur efforts. The rising middle class in Mexico (now at 36 million) is something to celebrate as this group generates so many possibilities for the future. At the same time, we know that this is not the complete story. The vestiges of colonialism continue to haunt our relationship. US immigration policies seem like an ever-growing labyrinth, a Kafkaesque novel. And individuals caught in the middle of this become desperate in their struggle to survive. The encounter between First World economic privilege and Third or Fourth World despair is vividly illustrated in Peg Bowden’s new book
A Stranger at My Door
(Peer, 2019). She tells the story of a migrant from Guatemala who shows up at her door on a cold and snowy December day near Christmas. The story is as much about Peg’s struggle with her own conscience as it is about Juan Carlos’ heart-rending search to find a way to support his family. The uneasy friendship that develops over the next five years is a tribute to both of them and their persistent faith in something more than the distance between them. Reading Peg’s book (she is a founding member and friend of BCA), I remember my own discomfort in traveling in places of extreme poverty and the temptation to distance myself from harsh realities of vast economic disparity. Yet somehow, we need to keep the poor in front of us, even as we look for beautiful and good things not related to material wealth. On my desk at home, I am reminded of this discipline by the famous quote from Gandhi: “I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and weakest man whom you have seen and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him. Will he gain anything by it. Will it restore him to a control over his own life and destiny. In other words, will it lead to swaraj (freedom) for the hungry and spiritually starving millions. Then you will find your doubt and your self melt away.” May it be well with you in this new year and may the new year be just a little more hopeful than the last.
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Jerry Haas, BCA Executive Director
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Previewing:
The Basque Connection & Spain's Northern Coast Tour
1:30 PM
We invite you to join us for this free info session at BCA Offices in Tubac to learn about BCA’s 2020 trip to Spain.
Upcoming Trip dates:
26 May-6 June 2020
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Save your space on this trip with a
deposit
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Arizona and the Basque Connection
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Have you ever wondered where the name for our state,
Arizona
came from? Well, the answer is interestingly from somewhere very close to us and, at the same time, originating from as far away as across an ocean.
Read the rest of this article by BCA Program Director, Alex La Pierre,
here
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Travel to Oaxaca with us next year…
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Some of you may recall that a year ago we hosted
Porfirio Gutierrez
at the West Center in Green Valley at an event we called “The Magic of Oaxaca.” Since that time, we have developed a close relationship with Porfirio, his family and staff, coordinating three tours to Oaxaca this year. The spots were quickly filled with waiting lists and so we are delighted to announce that in the
2020/2021 season
we’ll again coordinate three tours with Porfirio’s group in November (2020), January and February (2021). Exact dates and prices are still being negotiated.
If you are interested and want to have your name on the list to be contacted, please email or call Suzy Webber at
Suzyw.bca@gmail.com
or call her at 520.398.3229.
Jerry Haas
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Snack your way through Nogales, Sonora on this surprising foodie tour
"This tour focuses on what is Sonoran food, versus what is Mexican food," he said. His nonprofit organization the
Border Community Alliance
runs these weekly tours to introduce Arizonans to different cities across the state of Sonora. With textbook memory, Alex ticked off the qualities that make Sonoran food unique, like the reliance on wheat and cattle, to the little chiltepin pepper balls that are the wild ancestor of modern chiles..."
Read more from the Arizona Daily Star article
here
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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:
(1-2 spots left)
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MAGDALENA
Here & Now Tour
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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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Kino Bay
Tour
(2 spots left)
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BCA Winter/Spring Round-up (FAQ's)
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 about traveling to Mexico and preview nonprofit BCA's upcoming Winter/Spring borderlands programming!
10:00 AM
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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”
S O L D O U T
Thank you for your support!
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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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Many of us who come to Southern Arizona from other parts of the country may know little or nothing about our neighbor to the south, Mexico and its heritage. This overview introductory course is in two sessions, with an optional third session. In session one we'll explore Mexico's indigenous origins, the Spanish Conquest and the Colonial period which ended in 1810. In session two we'll review Mexico's struggle for independence leading to the present. The optional third session on February 17 is a field trip to Nogales for cultural exploration and lunch in Mexico (passport required). The recommended text for the class is Lynn Foster's "A Brief History of Mexico: Fourth Edition".
10:00-11:30 AM
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While barbed wire is strung all over the border wall in Nogales, AZ, a real public safety crisis continues to stalk southern Arizona residents: the combined hazards of an increasingly flood-prone Nogales Wash and a deteriorating, dangerously-sited binational sewage pipe that lies along or crosses that Wash for much of its 9+ mile length in the US.
This presentation will describe the situation, in terms of hydrology, infrastructure, and politics. Finally, we will explain what
Friends of the Santa Cruz River
and our partners are doing to find a comprehensive solution to this complex and dangerous dilemma.
2:00-3:30 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 closing, 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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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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