Vol 52 NEWSLETTER
October 2022
CLean
The Border Community Alliance is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to bridging the border and fostering community through education, collaboration and cultural exchange. 
October 2022

Dear Friends of the Border Community Alliance,
 
I’m delighted to tell you that the Border Community Alliance (BCA) has a jam-packed schedule for the fall and we’re excited to see you many of you at upcoming in-person or zoom events this season. We’ve worked hard to put together a wide selection of programming to meet our vision of the southern Arizona borderlands:
 
“La frontera is a vibrant, collaborative place of discovery.”

As the only nonprofit organization in the borderlands with our unique mission, we strive to bridge the border and create community through our Borderlands Forums, Borderlands Literature & Film Circle (BLFC), Spanish Language Program, Breakfast and the Border Lecture Series, tours into Mexico, and our ongoing social investment projects in northern Mexico, which have invested over $300,000 in Sonoran nonprofits since our inception almost 10 years ago.

We invite you to join us for these programs and more this fall and winter and we look forward to seeing you soon.

In borderlands community,
Celia Bavier
Executive Director
Border Community Alliance (BCA)
Here's an article about BCA's award-winning documentary, "Pilgrimage to Magdalena", in September's Juan Batista Historical Trail news magazine:
 
The Process of a Journey: A Review of "Pilgrimage to Magdalena"
By Mary Calvaresi, Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, September 22, 2022

During the end of September to early October along a 120-mile stretch of the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail (Anza Trail) groups of people embark on a pilgrimage to the city of Magdalena de Kino in Sonora. This transnational event embodies both the identity and heritage of the people who reside in the Sonora Desert. In partnership with the Border Community Alliance, National Park Service, and the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail; the documentary Pilgrimage to Magdalena shares the traditions and practices that exist on both sides of the border between Mexico and the United States. Throughout the fall the public is invited to participate in viewing this documentary to immerse themselves into the experience and learn more about the rich story of this event.
Fundación Del Empresariado Sonorense A.C.
Update
Alma Cota de Yanez,
FESAC Director
The women's prison in Nogales, Sonora, Cereso Femenil de Nogales, has started a new program to teach sewing and entrepreneurial skill to inmates. 
The program started in September and includes 32 inmates. They are currently working on sewing trousers, pajamas, and masks. 
Each week, one paid teacher and five volunteers visit the prison to teach the class. 
Currently, FESAC is supporting the teacher and their transportation but needs funds to continue this program into 2023. 
Can you help? To donate, go to https://bordercommunityalliance.org/donate and designate the "Women's Prison Program" for your gift. Thank you for your support!
From the beginning BCA has had a close relationship with FESAC, a Nogales, Sonora-based community foundation. This unique arrangement allows us to provide pass through donations to FESAC and to specific NGO community organizations that BCA/FESAC supports. We strongly stand with FESAC in lifting up local community by changing the narrative from charity to social investment.

BCA Spanish Program Sets Attendance Record this Fall!
Let’s Speak Spanish has experienced its largest enrollment to date, with over 70 students enrolled in our Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced courses this fall. “Gracias” to our new and past students, and a special “Mil gracias” to the dozen skilled facilitators who work with our students in small groups each week. It is really gratifying to see how many of our adult learners are truly advancing in their Spanish skills. And it is equally gratifying to see how much of everyday life and popular culture we have shared.

And There’s More to Come!
Special Conversation Classes in December. For four weeks in December, we will be offering a series of small conversation classes conducted by many of our great facilitators from Mexico and Costa Rica. There will be a mix of levels available from beginner to advanced, and the topics covered will focus on everyday life and popular culture of our “vecinos” or neighbors to the south. Look for additional information on the BCA website or in the November BCA newsletter.

Courses Start Again in 2023. If you were unable to participate this fall, we will be repeating our Beginner and Advanced courses starting the week of January 20 through the week of March 19, 2023. We also will be holding Session II of our Intermediate program as well. Look for additional information on the BCA website or in the December BCA newsletter.

BORDERLANDS LITERATURE & FILM CIRCLE (BLFC)
Update

Our November book is a first of its kind: written, published, edited entirely by immigrants. It is compiled and edited by well known author Reyna Grande (“The Distance Between Us,” “A Dream Called Home,”) and Sonia Guiñansaca, internationally acclaimed poet, cultural strategist, and activist. It is “ A unique collection of 41 groundbreaking essays, poems, and artwork by migrants, refugees and Dreamers. 

The date is November 9 at 10 AM via zoom.
Rita Cantu
 To register for this BLFC meeting, CLICK here or call Suzy at 520.398.3229.

UPCOMING EVENTS

October 17, 9-11am: Tucson Mainly Murals Walking Tour, led by tour guide Dorothy Yanez,   features many of the murals found in the downtown area, discussing the artist, history of the mural,  and many of the artists’ inspirations behind the pieces. The tour begins at the Presidio Museum and   is approximately two miles long. Co-sponsored with the Presidio San Agustin del Tucson Museum. Tour fee: $20 members; $25 non-members

October 19, 8:00am-1pm: Birding with Jeff Babson, Pima County naturalist and owner of Sky Island Tours. Meet at Las Cienegas National Conservation Area for birding, have a picnic lunch, and then head to Paton’s Center for Hummingbirds in Patagonia for more birding. Fee: $15 members; $20 non-members

October 20, 2-4pm: BCA Open House & Round Up. Drop in to learn about BCA’s fall program lineup, meet and mingle with BCA community members, and see our office. Short program at 2:30pm. Location: 2221 E. Frontage Road, Bldg F, Suites 201-203 (2nd Floor), Tubac, AZ

October 21, 9-11am: Film showing of BCA’s award-winning film, “Pilgrimage to Magdalena” & Breakfast. Location: Tucson Newcomers Club, Overlook Restaurant, 10555 N La Cañada Dr.,     Oro Valley, AZ. Breakfast fee: $18.

October 22, 10am: U.S. Immigration Policy - “Prevention thru Deterrence”, a presentation by  Geoff Boyce, Academic Director & Faculty, Border Studies Program, Earlham College and Research Associate, Binational Migration Institute, University of Arizona. Location: United Methodist Church     of Green Valley. Co-sponsored with AZ Immigration Alliance (AZIA)

November 5, 11am: Amerind Museum Film showing of BCA’s award-winning film, “Pilgrimage to Magdalena” on Zoom; panel discussion following with Dr. Tom Sheridan, Research Anthropologist at the Southwest Center and Professor of Anthropology at the University of Arizona, Regina Siquieros (Tohono O’odham), retired classroom educator, former Senior Coordinator for the American Indian Languages Development Institute at the University of Arizona, and former Government Affairs Assistant for the Chairman and Vice Chairwoman of the Tohono O’odham Nation, Dr. Seth Schermerhorn, Associate Professor of American Studies at Hamilton College and author of “Walking to Magdalena,” Dr. Magda Mankel, Associate Producer of “Pilgrimage to Magdalena” and former Education & Research Specialist at BCA. The panel will be moderated by Jerry Haas, Co-Producer of “Pilgrimage to Magdalena” and BCA Senior Advisor. To register, visit: https://bit.ly/AmerindOnline110522

November 3, 10:30am-Noon: TOUR: "Tubac: Where Art & History Meet" - new tour of Tubac, AZ, voted USA Today's "Best Small Town Art Scene" Winner in 2022. Brimming with art galleries, the historic Tubac Presidio, and wonderful restaurants, Tubac is a borderlands locale not to be missed. Tubac native and historian, Nancy Valentine, will take you on a tour visiting local historical sites, artisan workshops and galleries, and local landmarks, including the historic El Presidito gallery building. Location: The tour group will meet at Tubac Presidio State Historic Park Visitors Center. Tour fee: $20

November 7, 2pm: Demonstration of Mata Ortiz Pottery with Porfirio Mora, a potter who currently resides part-time in Tucson. Porfirio Mora represents the pottery tradition of Mata Ortiz, a small village in Chihuahua, Mexico, known for its talented potters. Mata Ortiz pottery is inspired by the ancient Paquimé culture, which shares many similarities with southwestern Pueblo cultures. Master potter Porfirio learned how to prepare the clay and the pigments, along with other basic techniques, from a tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation. Location: United Methodist Church of Green Valley.

November 9: Nogales, Sonora Cross-Border tour: Visit our partner nonprofit organizations in Nogales, Sonora, lunch & afternoon coffee. Tour fee: $75 members; $95 non-members. (All day tour) 

November 10, 9-11am: Tucson Public Art & Mural Walking Tour, led by tour guide Dorothy Yanez, begins at the Presidio Museum and proceeds into the downtown area, stopping at numerous public art pieces and murals. At each stop you will learn about the artist and the artwork. The tour is approximately 2 miles. Co-sponsored with the Presidio San Agustin del Tucson Museum. Tour fee: $20 for members; $25 for non-members

November 15, 10am-Noon: “The River Made Me: Nature & History Tour in Old Tubac”. Join NPS Ranger Rick for a fun nature and history tour of old Tubac and the Santa Cruz River. Experience historic Tubac, the Tubac Presidio, and the Anza Trail along the river below Tubac. Meet Ranger Rick of Tumacacori National Historical Park at the Tubac Presidio, then stroll 2 miles from the Tubac Presidio, a short walk along the river and back. Fee: $15 members; $20 non-members. Location: Meet at Tubac Park.

November 16, 8:30-11am: “BCA Breakfast & the Border” with speaker Dr. Michael Brescia, Curator of Ethnohistory, Arizona State Museum. Presentation topic: “Putting Mexico and the United States on the Historical Couch: The Long View of a Shared and Contested Past”. Breakfast fee: $35/Members; $40/ Non-members. Location: Desert Diamond Casino, Sahuarita

November 19, 7pm: Film showing of BCA’s award-winning film, “Pilgrimage to Magdalena”- on Zoom, with the Tucson Presidio Museum.

December 5, 10am: “Borderlands Reporting” with Melissa del Bosque, Emmy Award-winning Journalist with the Border Chronicle and 2020 RFK Human Rights Journalism Award winner. Co-sponsored with AZ Immigration Alliance (AZIA). On Zoom

December 8: Nogales, Sonora Cross-Border tour: Visit our partner nonprofit organizations in Nogales, Sonora, lunch & afternoon coffee. Tour fee: $75 members; $95 non-members. (All day tour) 

A donation of $10 is requested for attending events, unless a fee is required as shown. To register for events go to www.bordercommunityalliance.org or call Suzy at (520) 398-3229.
Please Help!

The Border Community Alliance (BCA) is in critical need of general operating funds to get us through the end of the year.  

We aim to keep all our program and tour costs low and affordable to members and the public - and to continually invest generously in our Sonora, Mexico nonprofit partners - but we also have to pay rent, utilities, staff salaries (one full-time and two part-time), insurance, and other standard non-profit operating costs.

Please help us continue offering high quality and affordable cross-border programs, invest and collaborate with our Sonoran nonprofit partners, and foster community by giving a generous donation today.

Donations can be given online here or mailed to
P.O. Box 1863
Tubac, AZ 85646
Thank you for your generosity and support.
Office Hours Vary
Call for appointment
(520)398-3229
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 1863
Tubac, AZ 85646

Physical Address (no mail):
I-19 2221 E. Frontage Rd.
Bldg F201
Tubac, AZ 85646