Border Community Alliance's mission is dedicated to bridging the border and fostering community through education, collaboration and cultural exchange. |
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While Border Community Alliance has been genuinely affected by the worldwide public health crisis, our motivation to move forward and survive has never been stronger. Over the years, the board of directors and staff of BCA have poured their hearts and souls into the organization by implementing the important diplomatic mission of the nonprofit (bridging the border and fostering community through education, collaboration and cultural exchange) and we have resolved not to let this contingency wither away the nonprofit.
Faced with the suspension of our cross border tour program, BCA has pivoted by connecting the Arizona community virtually across borders in increasing the diverse programming of our other educational initiative, the Borderlands Forum to a weekly basis. Programs have ranged from topics including COVID-19 & Border Health with the chief of Arizona’s Office of Border Health to thematic online cooking workshops like Mexico’s national dish, chiles en nogada. We have accomplished this while simultaneously raising awareness and funds (social investments) for the Nogales, Sonora NGOs is our network with our Mexican community foundation partner FESAC, including nearly $7,000 dollars for the Nogales Food Bank.
Despite having to cancel our annual BCA internship fundraiser in March and the summer internship program, we developed a virtual Fall internship supported by the good will of our BCA membership and constituency who recognize the impact this program has on young people’s lives.
In the spirit of shedding light on the heritage and cultural significance that surrounds us, we are also developing educational tours north of the border for the cool season. These tours will be carried out with CDC recommendations in place, including the mandatory wearing of masks, social distancing and the participants use of their own vehicle for transportation.
We look forward to the opportunity to reinitiate our cross border tour program when safe and feasible to do so in order to facilitate citizen level diplomacy, person-to-person connections and understanding between our countries. The pandemic has revealed to us the importance of resourcefulness and the ability to adapt to this ever changing world we live in.
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Alex La Pierre
BCA Program Director
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Nostalgia Sonorense
By Alex La Pierre, BCA Program Director
Recently, on September 22, Doña "Chata" Gallego of San Ignacio, Sonora celebrated her 102nd birthday. A pillar of the community, Chata and her family have been entrusted with the keys of the Kino mission of San Ignacio de Caborica as the "celadora" or guardian of the whitewashed adobe sanctuary. Visiting with Doña Chata and her daughter Rosita became a wonderful ritual for me through the seasons while bringing groups on BCA's cultural tours to Magdalena.
Doña Chata and her family personify the characteristic giant heart intrinsic to being a Sonoran citizen. Beyond graciously opening the ancient carved mesquite doors of the temple at every BCA request, their kind generosity took the form of never leaving San Ignacio without a brick of their homemade, mahogany-red quince paste or a jar of preserved peaches or of fiery locally harvested chiltepines.
After introducing the group to the family's backyard lined by fruit bearing trees, a functioning acequia (water canal) and the ate de membrillo (quince paste) production area, I'd find a way to reserve a brief time to sit down on her couch next to her to catch up while trip companions would be taking pictures of the plaza and getting back into the sprinter. These frequent meetings with friends and the opportunity to introduce them to our guests will always be a highlight for me, a requisite action in bridging the border by getting to know our neighbors and how much we can learn from them.
¡Muy feliz cumpleaños Doña Chata, con mucho cariño, aunque sea de lejos! Wishing you a very Happy Birthday Doña Chata!!
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A follow-up on good news!
On September 10th, BCA´s program director Alex La Pierre crossed to Nogales, Sonora to connect with our Mexican community foundation partner FESAC for delivering a special social investment fund ("Fruit of the Loom Campaign for Family Health & Dignity") to the San Juan Bosco Migrant shelter Albergue para migrantes San Juan Bosco IAP of $73,246.90 MX pesos ($3,412 US dollars). San Juan Bosco and the Louriero family continues to serve migrants without closing their doors for a single day though the pandemic nearing their 39th year of operation! Become a social investor today, support incredible grassroots civil society projects like this one - donate at www.bordercommunityalliance.org/donate!
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October Borderlands Forum Virtual Programming
BCA has three special programs lined up for you in October. 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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Atascosa Borderlands
by Jack Dash and Luke Swenson
The Atascosa Highlands are an area of unmatched biological and cultural diversity, located along a rugged stretch of the US-Mexico border. Over the last two years, ecologist Jack Dash and documentary photographer Luke Swenson have been pursuing an intensive study of the area, designated by the Coronado National Forest Service as the Tumacacori Ecosystem Management Area. Their visual storytelling project focuses on the Atascosa Borderlands, documenting the environmental, political, and cultural forces shaping this landscape. Combining social ecology, with documentary photography and oral history interviews, their work confronts the diverse, and oftentimes competing perspectives of the region. Join us via Zoom for this unique opportunity to connect with project leaders Jack and Luke to learn more about the complex issues facing the Atascosas today. The presentation of their work will be followed by a Q&A.
Virtual Presentation / Q&A Session
(With RSVP, link to Zoom meeting provided via email the day prior to the event)
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Bridging the Border with Consul General Laura Biedebach
You are cordially invited to this virtual meet and greet via Zoom with the new Consul General of the US Consulate in Nogales, Mexico, Laura Biedebach. A career Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State since 2002, Laura recently began her assignment as Consul General for the U.S. Consulate in Nogales, Sonora in August 2020. Previously, she served as the Deputy Consul General at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, France where she was responsible for services to U.S. citizens. This Borderlands Forum opportunity will also offer participants the chance to learn about the U.S. State Department's Mission to Mexico and the work of the American consulate in our shared border community.
Free Event / donations welcomed
Virtual Conversation / Q&A session on
(With RSVP, link to Zoom meeting provided via email the day prior to the event)
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Sonora's Spirit
by Eduardo Miranda
Have you ever heard of or tasted Bacanora? Take part in this special forum where we will discuss all things Bacanora, the distilled agave spirit with a denomination of origin status in Sonora. With invited guest Eduardo Miranda of the internationally award-winning Real de Alamos and Fariseos Bacanora, we'll take a look at the history, ecology, and the production of this mescal which many consider the distilled essence of the northwestern Mexican state. This will be followed by a question and answer session for all participants.
Virtual Conversation / Q&A session on
(With RSVP, link to Zoom meeting provided via email the day prior to the event)
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Borderlands Literature and Film Circle
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The Borderlands Literature and Film Circle is up and running. Please consider joining us if you are interested in reading books, watching films, and engaging in group discussion with fellow participants and guest speakers. The group meets the second wednesday of every month at 10:00 AM. The group is composed of truly inquisitive and thoughtful folks who kindly and generously share their own interpretations of each reading and film with each other.
For the month of October, the group is exploring the culture of the borderlands and reading a book titled Tales from the Borderlands by Lawrence Taylor. The group was also lucky enough to secure a guest talk by Mr. Taylor at the meeting taking place on October 14. The group will also be watching the film El Mar, La Mar. In the months of November and December the group will continue with the topic of culture before switching over to history in January.
To register for this month's meeting or the meetings in the months to come, please send an email to info@bordercommunityalliance.org. We decided to ask everyone to make a monthly donation of $10 or an annual donation of $100 to BCA to support this initiative which can be made to BCA via its website.
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Office Hours:
Office open by appointment only until further notice.
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Physical Address:
I-19 2221 E. Frontage Rd.
Bldg F Suite 201-202
Tubac, AZ 85646
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 1863
Tubac, AZ 85646
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Membership/Events: 520-398-3229
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