Border Community Alliance's mission is dedicated to bridging the border and fostering community through education, collaboration and cultural exchange.
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If you visit the BCA website and click the classes & events tab, you'll encounter a description of the philosophy behind one of the nonprofit's principal initiatives over the years,
the Borderlands Forum
. It explicitly identifies the purpose of the forum as being: "
... a clear, strong voice advocating mutual respect for the cultural diversity of the US-Mexico border region, thereby moderating the forces of xenophobia and racism that affect our region
." Anyone following the recent news can understand the tragic effects of these abhorrent forces upon societies worldwide. This is precisely why we are committed to the work of education, collaboration and cultural exchange across borders to encourage empathy and in order to challenge stereotypes of our neighbors and fellow human beings. In all of our actions, the nonprofit strives to extend an arm of solidarity across cultures, material and immaterial boundaries to uplift one another rather than add another block of division to wall us apart.
In that spirit, we have been working hard to provide pertinent, diverse and engaging programming over this past Spring and ahead to this Summer as a way of virtually connecting you to the borderlands wherever you may be and especially so now that the border has been closed to essential travel as a result of COVID-19. While we have always cherished the person-to-person quality our forum events and cross border tours have been known for, this transition to an on-line format represents our wholehearted dedication to fulfilling the nonprofit mission during these times. That being said, I cordially invite you to partake in our July forum events and foster community around a shared interest in these diverse and thoughtful topics.
In other news, we are welcoming back to the board one of BCA's founding members,
Dan Anderson
of Tucson, Arizona. Dan has been a strong supporter of BCA since its inception and his unique perspective and background with the organization will contribute greatly to the leadership of BCA and the future of our organization. Welcome back home, Dan! We also recently celebrated
Jerry
's retirement from executive directorship and his promotion to Senior Advisor. There are really no words for the level of dedication, investment of time and energy Jerry has selflessly devoted to building Border Community Alliance into the dynamic organization it is today. We are so fortunate to continue to have his commitment to help guide BCA's path in his new capacity as advisor.
Finally, with the idea of sowing empathy far and wide in mind, I would like to invite you to read the article below on the
Nogales Food Bank
which I co wrote with our Sonoran partner Alma Cota De Yanez of FESAC and donate as ability allows. Over the course of the pandemic, we have continued to be in open communication with FESAC and Alma, who has her finger on the pulse of the civil society NGOs of Nogales. She strongly advises us that the
Nogales Banco de Alimentos IAP
is of most urgent need. We are calling upon our social investors to help meet this need of our shared border community.
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Alex La Pierre
Program Director
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Social Investment in the Nogales’ Food Bank
Alma Cota de Yanez (FESAC) & Alex La Pierre (BCA)
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“
Porque todo sueño inicia con una buena alimentación
(Because all dreams begin with good nutrition)” is the unifying idea behind Nogales, Sonora, Mexico’s food bank, Banco De Alimentos De Nogales I.A.P., also known by the acronym BAN.
We have all witnessed the pictures of the quantity of cars in lines across the US at food banks nationwide (
here is a jaw-dropping aerial image
of the lines in San Antonio, TX in the NY Times), but there is little media coverage that trickles north of the border pertaining to the state of the food banks of our Mexican neighbors. Just like north of the border, BAN has been overwhelmed by emergency food requests from nearly every corner of Nogales. For those of you who have been on BCA’s Nogales Cross Border Tour and recall the Silesian Boys & Girls Club, DEIJUVEN, many of the families with children enrolled in DEIJUVEN’s programs are also currently being served by BAN.
Alma Cota de Yanez, the director of BCA’s counterpart community foundation FESAC (Fundación Empresariado Sonorense A.C.) in Nogales, Sonora has worked with BAN since the first day a donor realized Nogales needed one, 13 years ago. It is likely the NGO with the best data documentation in town: they normally serve 1,000 families and keep demographic details about family members, jobs, schools, special needs for disabled members, what kind of construction the house is, etc for reporting purposes.
Last week one of FESAC’s funding donors called to explore the possibility of supporting an initiative: how to support the extra 500 families that have applied for aid at BAN as a result of the COVID-19 public health crisis. They are only served once the 1,000 families have secured their monthly supply.
Given this situation, the donor has deposited a matching grant for $100,000 pesos (approx. $5,000 USD). FESAC’s commitment is to match it 1/1.
In fact, FESAC just received their first donation for the matching fund: $2,000 pesos from a local dentist (many of his patients, about 80% are from, yes, Green Valley and Tucson and as you can imagine the visits have decreased enormously since March). So we have $98,000 pesos to raise.
As FESAC’s partner, that is where we are hoping BCA’s network of members, friends and supporters can play a critical role in meeting these needs.
The public health crisis caused by COVID-19 is likely the event that has most hurt the economy of the binational community of Ambos Nogales in its history. Access to food comes certainly first and all else follows and that is why Border Community Alliance is behind this initiative to underscore the importance of BAN in Nogales, Sonora. If you can help, please consider making
a designated donation
to the Nogales Food bank, BAN by way of BCA’s pass-through social investment program
on our website here
(writing “Nogales Food Bank” in the Donor Note field), by mailing a check to BCA (PO Box 1863, Tubac, AZ 85646) with “Nogales Food Bank” in the memo line, or by calling BCA at 520-398-3229.
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BCA BOOK CLUB – New Name and New Programming
For the last two years, BCA’s Book Club has had a traditional format, reading a book every month with discussion to follow. A unique feature was that we met via conference call. Amber Workman, ASU Spanish instructor, initiated the group and joined us from her home in Tempe. Others called in from various locations – Maui, Oregon, Yuma, San Diego, Tubac and Green Valley.
With the COVID 19 crisis, we recently decided to re-organize, reach out to BCA staff for support, look for movies and websites as well as books to frame our discussions, and use Zoom to host our meetings. We defined our purpose as follows:
- To develop a comprehensive understanding and appreciation of the Borderlands as a culturally diverse, historically significant and environmentally unique region within the context of today’s political and economic realities
To accomplish our purpose, we recruited Magda Mankel, BCA’s Education and Research Specialist, along with Alex La Pierre, BCA’s Director of Programs, to suggest topics, recommend resources and occasionally, give presentations on their areas of interest and expertise. As many of you know, Magda is an anthropologist, completing her Ph D at the University of Maryland while living in Tucson and Alex is an historian – two impressive young people! We decided to ask everyone to make a monthly donation of $10 or an annual donation of $100 to BCA to support their work. Amber has agreed to be the Facilitator this first year; she and others will coordinate the offerings. We’ll also let everyone know what we’re doing through BCA’s e-newsletter so you can benefit from what we are learning. We’re excited about what we are doing, so send me an email if you want to join us. We may even want to start another
Zoom Group
if there’s enough interest.
Oh, one more thing. Our group decided that the name “BCA Book Club” no longer fits, since we’ll be watching videos and exploring websites and occasionally interviewing scholars and authors. Several suggestions were offered in our group; we decided to call ourselves the
Borderlands Literature and Film Circle
. The first meeting of the re-organized group is Wednesday, July 8 at 10:00 am.
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BCA in the Digital Age:
July Borderlands Forum Virtual Programming
BCA has four special programs lined up for you in July. We invite you to register, participate and make a
donation
towards the nonprofit to support our cultural programming!
If you need help registering for these events or if you've never done an online class before and want a little coaching, please call Suzy at
520-398-3229
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The Produce Industry in the Borderlands
by Jaime Chamberlain
Please join us for this forum presentation and Q & A with Jaime Chamberlain, President of Chamberlain Distributing Inc., Chairman of the Board of the Santa Cruz County Nogales Port Authority and board member of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas (FPAA) and the Arizona-Mexico Commission. Jaime will discuss the cross-border dynamics and importance of the produce industry to the economy of our binational region, elaborating on his work with the FPAA which represents approximately 100 produce distributing companies in the Nogales area. Reflecting current issues, the impact of the COVID-19 public health crisis on the industry will also be covered including his role with the AZ-MX Commision where he is frequently called on to interpret activities and policies affecting the produce market.
Virtual live presentation / Q&A session on
(link provided upon registration on our website)
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Reporting the Arizona-Sonora Connection
by Kendal Blust & Murphy Woodhouse
Journalists Kendal Blust and Murphy Woodhouse with public radio station KJZZ’s Fronteras Desk in Hermosillo, Sonora share their experiences reporting about the intricate connections between Arizona and Sonora. Join them for a presentation that delves into what it’s like to report from the Sonoran side of the border, and why those stories are important to Arizonans. We’ll hear about the challenges of building a new bureau in the Sonoran capital and learn more about some of their favorite stories reported from across the state.
Video presentation upload on
Virtual live Q&A session on
(link provided upon registration on our website)
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A River between Two Countries: The Santa Cruz
by Angela Gervasi
A 2,000-mile border divides the U.S. from Mexico but for many more centuries a river has flowed between the two countries. Join Angela Gervasi, journalist and author of the bilingual photobook Santa Cruz: When a River Crosses the Border for this video presentation and virtual Q&A session. Angela will discuss the role the Santa Cruz River plays in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands as well as the community members who live alongside the river. In a time when national and international outlets are lending coverage to the border region, Angela's documentary project underscores the importance of community-oriented reporting and cultivating understanding of the borderlands from the perspective of a river rather than a wall.
Video presentation upload on
Virtual live Q&A session on
(link provided upon registration on our website)
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Both Sides Now:
The Paintings of Paula Witter at La Línea Art Studio on Morley
Join us for a virtual tour of La Línea Art Studio on Morley Avenue in downtown Nogales followed by a live Q&A session. Hosted by Aissa Huerta, Director of La Línea, this forum video presentation will feature the imaginative and inspiring paintings of Patagonia local artist Paula Wittner. La Línea Art Studio on Morley is a cooperative art and event space that aims to enrich the cultural environment of Ambos Nogales by connecting artists with their community.
Video presentation upload on
Virtual live Q&A session on
(link provided upon registration on our website)
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¡Hablemos Español se está volviendo virtual!
(Let’s Speak Spanish is Going Virtual!)
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BCA’s recent Let’s Speak Spanish program was an outstanding success – until COVID-19 struck. During February and March, over 50 students and 15 facilitators participated in this unique program before the last weekly session was cancelled. Of all the projects undertaken by BCA, Let’s Speak Spanish is one of the most challenging now, since so many of the activities require significant social interaction, such as one-to-one conversation exercises, pronunciation drills, group singing, etc.
But,
¡No hay que preocuparse!
– No need to worry! BCA is developing a plan to deliver this popular program virtually. A few weeks ago, a dozen of BCA’s facilitators participated in a test lesson delivered using Zoom Meetings, and the test was successful. The key feature of Zoom that made this possible is the Breakout Room function, which allowed the participants to split off into smaller groups to practice the weekly one-to-one exercises. And given the number of facilitators who continue to be interested in the program, we should be able to offer very small groups of a half dozen or so, so that every participant will receive personalized attention and assistance.
As a first step to ready the program for this fall, BCA will be conducting two virtual trial sessions of Let’s Speak Spanish this July. All past students are encouraged to participate and provide feedback. As an added feature to the program, the trial sessions will be split up by skill level, with one session for beginning speakers, and one session for intermediate speakers. And as a suiting finish for our interrupted in-class program, the materials for the trial sessions will be based on the materials for the week that everyone had to miss.
If you were a student in the 2019 or 2020 Let’s Speak Spanish program – or if you would be interested in participating in the future – we invite you to sign up for one of these two special sessions. By participating, you can learn more about this popular program while also helping us fine tune the program for the best experience this fall. The two trial sessions are scheduled for the week of July 19
th
, and you can sign up for either the beginning or intermediate session.
If you would like to participate in either test session, please register at the BCA website by following these links:
Each class will start at
1:00 PM Arizona Time (4:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time)
and will run for 90 minutes. Because these sessions will serve as a trial for the program, there is no charge for participating.
The classes will take place virtually using Zoom meetings. The week before the sessions are scheduled, each registrant will receive an email with class materials and a link to join the Zoom meeting. If you haven’t yet participated in a Zoom meeting, you can register at
www.zoom.us
for PC access or download the Zoom app for iPad or Android access.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Jim Hoff, BCA’s program coordinator for Let’s Speak Spanish. Jim can be contacted at
jhoff@tegnos.org
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Office Hours:
Office is currently closed until further notice
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Call for an 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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