Border Community Alliance's mission is dedicated to bridging the border and fostering community through education, collaboration and cultural exchange. |
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Hello BCA friends and supporters,
I am thrilled to be writing to you as the new executive director of the Border Community Alliance (BCA) as of September 1. While I’ve only been on board for a few weeks, I already feel “at home” in this community, and I appreciate the warm welcome I’ve received from many of you, whether by phone, Zoom, or in person.
I look forward to meeting many more of you as I travel around the borderlands region and participate in BCA events throughout the next few months.
The BCA staff and board have been working hard to plan meaningful and exciting programming for the remainder of 2021 and into 2022. Though the pandemic altered our programming in some ways, and we have revamped much of it to be utilized both online and in person, our mission for all of it remains the same: Bridging the border and fostering community through education, collaboration, and cultural exchange. New programs are being added weekly, so please check our website regularly for updates (www.bordercommunityalliance.org). This newsletter offers highlights of upcoming events. Also, please subscribe to us on Facebook and Instagram to get further updates from our partner organizations and us.
I invite you to reach out to me personally with any questions or ideas about our work. We welcome suggestions! I can be reached at cbavier@bordercommunityalliance.org or by calling (520) 917-1886. I look forward to hearing from you and working together to bridge the border and foster community.
Thank you for all you do to support BCA and our partners.
In community,
Celia Bavier
Executive Director
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From San Juan Bosco Shelter:
Thank you!!
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On behalf of Albergue para Migrantes San Juan Bosco, FESAC, and BCA, we would like to thank all of our supporters for your generous donations to the shelter over the past six weeks.
Through your generosity we’ve raised over $50,000 to support their work to shelter, feed and offer services to an ever-growing number of migrants and refugees. We are profoundly grateful for this level of support.
Thank you and we’ll continue to keep you updated on the needs and work of all our community partners across the border.
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"Pilgrimage to Magdalena"
Documentary Update
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Wayfarer, there is no path. The path is made by walking.
Antonio Machado, Spanish poet (1875–-1939)
Thank you, everyone, who helped make the September 23 big screen premiere of “Pilgrimage to Magdalena” a success: BCA’s board, committee members, volunteers, and friends of BCA who took the time to attend the presentation. The Border Community Alliance gives special thanks to the United Methodist Church of Green Valley for hosting the event, and Chad Eggen of the Church, who managed all the screening details.
We're also proud to report that on September 29, Pilgrimage was screened by the Religion Today Film Festival at the Teatro San Marco in Trento, Italy, and awarded top honors in the category "Migration and Coexistence."
The Border Community Alliance is honored that “Pilgrimage to Magdalena” is one of 83 films chosen for screening at the festival; overall, there were over 1,400 entries from 36 countries. The theme of the Religion Today festival is Nomads in Faith. If you would like to read more about the festival, type “Religion Today Film Festival” into your browser. You’ll be directed to more information about the film festival process and see the festival program. You can choose the English version of the site by clicking a box in the upper right-hand corner of the home page.
Anyone who has ideas for additional programs featuring “Pilgrimage to Magdalena” should contact Board Member Sara Martin.
--Sara Martin
BCA Board Member
719.231.1900
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BORDERLANDS LITERATURE &
FILM
CIRCLE
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The BCA Borderlands Literature & Film Circle (BLFC)— – Upcoming Fall/ Winter Programming
The Borderlands Literature & Film Circle is on the move! We have lots to share since our last posting here. We plan to include regular updates on the rich diversity of books, films, web links, and visiting speakers we discuss, all shared through monthly meetings of with the group on Zoom. With attendees as far away as London and the East Coast, ours is a vibrant group, addressing the myriad challenges of the borderlands region with ever- expanding understanding and sensitivity.
September’s meeting featured Gary Paul Nabhan of Patagonia, AZ, and his book, “Food from the Radical Center.” It’s one of over 30 by Dr. Nabhan, an ethnobotanist and pioneer in the seed-saving and local food movements. Our discussion and questions ranged from seed-saving to local food patterns to ways of building collaboration among differing groups, to hands-on biodiversity practices, and even to balancing the activist and contemplative lifestyles (Gary is also an ecumenical Franciscan brother).
This past spring and summer took us into jaguar country in southern Arizona with “Cloak and Jaguar: Following a Cat from Desert to Courtroom” by Janya Brun, then to “New Trails in Mexico” with Carl Lumholtz’s 1909 account of exploration in lands we now call home. We then moved on to a deep dive into our most precious desert resource in, “Where the Water Goes: Life and Death Along the Colorado River” by David Owen, followed by “The Secret Knowledge of Water” by Craig Childs. In August, we took a break with “A Good Map of All Things: A Picaresque Novel” by Alberto Alvara Rios. We are wrapping up our focus on the borderlands environment moving into autumn with explorations of cultural food traditions, the unique Sky Islands of the borderlands, and ancient-to-current desert architecture.
On October 13th, we’ll visit with representatives of the Ajo Center for Sustainable Agriculture, a Tohono O’odham project. Our November 11th meeting will bring us to the Southwest mountains and the Sky Islands, with guest presenter Jeff Babson, local naturalist and owner of Sky Island Tours. December will focus upon desert-adapted architecture, with selections and speakers to be developed. (Stay tuned!) We also hope to add some in-person field trips to our upcoming curriculum.
Join us … it’s in your best interest!
--Rita Cantu,
BLFC Co-Coordinator
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Upcoming Events
Mark your Calendar for these Events
& register at the links below:
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October 21, 9:30am: “BCA tour of Borderlands:Where the Desert meets the Sea" special photography exhibit at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum REGISTER
October 22, 3pm: "The Land of Open Graves: Raising Awareness about Migrant
October 26, 2pm: “Day of the Dead presentation by Luis Guel Coronado”
at Community Performing Arts Center, Green Valley REGISTER
October 29, 2pm, "Pilgrimage to Magdalena" film showing, Tubac Community Center, Tubac, AZ REGISTER
November 10, 2021, 9 am: Breakfast on the Border
(Cónsul Rafael Barceló Durazo of the Consulado de México in Tucson, Speaker)
at Grill on the Green, Canoa Ranch Golf Club, Green Valley, AZ REGISTER
November 11, 2pm*: Borderlands Film & Book Circle (ZOOM)
--*SPECIAL MEETING TIME NOV. 11 ONLY-- REGISTER
November 20, 2pm: “Ruby, AZ – Archaeology & Immigration” by Magda Mankel, Education & Research Specialist, BCA (ZOOM) REGISTER
December 7, 2pm: Readings & Discussion from "Voices of the Border: Testimonios of Migration, Deportation, and Asylum” with authors Tobin Hansen and María Engracia Robles (ZOOM)
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BCA Profile
Jan Saunders, BCA Board Member
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After completing her Master’s degree in Spanish and Latin American Government & Politics, Jan left the East Coast for Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she raised a family, served as a volunteer firefighter, EMT, and adaptive ski instructor. She returned to academia as Department Chair at Saint Michael’s Prep School. After retirement, Jan fell in love with the Sonoran Desert and became a part-time resident of Green Valley where her life-long devotion to travel, study, and volunteer experience in Spain, Mexico, Guatemala, and Costa Rica continues to foster an enduring interest and love of all things “south of the border”.
“At my very first BCA meeting I felt a sense of family and knew I had found a home. During my years of involvement, I often remember Desmond Tutu’s advice that we must stop simply pulling our drowning brothers and sisters from the river and search upstream for why they keep falling in. The mission of BCA, implemented through social investment, education, collaboration with other cross-border non-profits, and a respect for the rich Mexican culture, offers all members the opportunity to work upstream; and that’s where I want to be. I am honored to serve as a member of this board that has, in spite of a pandemic, worked to foster our mission by remaining active, relevant, and solvent. Thanks to the support of loyal members and donors, I visualize an optimistic future for BCA and our borderlands.”
Jan has been a BCA Board member since December 2020. Besides her activity with the Board, Jan is also a co-coordinator of BCA’s Borderlands Literature & Film Circle (BLFC) and is on the outreach team to distribute BCA’s film “Pilgrimage to Magdalena.”
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Interested in joining BCA’s Board?
Border Community Alliance is seeking new Board members.
Board members serve a 3-year term and are expected to participate in monthly board meetings (in-person or online), help out at BCA events when available, and contribute an area of expertise to the organization (i.e., fundraising, graphic design, writing, finance, volunteer management, etc.).
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Would you like to volunteer with BCA?
Border Community Alliance is looking for volunteers to participate in the pursuit of our mission statement.
If you are interested in volunteering with BCA, please contact us at info@bordercommunityalliance.org with your application, details on your interest, and/or CV, or please give us a call at 520-398-3229.
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Border Community Alliance is pleased to offer
a full slate of programming through 2021.
To help keep us operating and offering these programs,
we ask you for your support
through a generous gift, if you're able.
Thank you.
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Office Hours:
10-1
Tuesday, Thursday & Friday
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Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 1863
Tubac, AZ 85646
Physical Address (no mail):
I-19 2221 E. Frontage Rd.
Bldg F201
Tubac, AZ 85646
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