So we went to mexico with Maria. Twice. We went at night when we visited some amazing people who are doin amazing work. And again the next day when we walked to the border, paid 30 cents and crossed over the bridge from El Paso, Texas into Juarez, Mexico. It was amazing for me to see all of the revolutionary artowrk that was done along the border. It truly is another world down there. When we got in Juarez we were greeted by many people who were workin hard on the street to make ends meets, selling candy, jewelry and other goods. These are beautiful people who are struggling much due to capitalism, and many other forms of oppressions that have worked to destroy the Mexican people. Our host, Maria, lead us aroudn the city, through the markets and the store. We ate and were waitedon by a beautiful and sweet teenage girl who was laughing as some of us struggled to order our meal in spanish.
Maria was telling us about the dissapearances of the women in Juarez. Thousands of women in the recent years have disapeared to late be found raped and dea near the border. These women are young, Mexican workers in the Maquilladores (sweatshop factories) that have over powered and over populated Juarez. These maquilladores were built in the 1960s as an alternative tot he border worker act. Where Mexican workers were previously allowed into the US to work long hours on short visas, these Maquilladores allowed the US coporations and buisnesses to build their factories on Mexican land and pay there workers a fraction of what they had previsouly been forced to pay them when they worked in the US. These women workers that are disappearing are not going unnoticed, no matter how hard the Mexican government tires to hide. While we were walking we passed a few of the memorials for the women; a pink square painted on a surface with a black cross in the middle. This got to me, becuae these women are my age, and rape is used universally as a way to degrade, dehumanize and destroy a culture. These missing Mexican women are peoples daughters, sisters, wives, mothers, girlfriends, lovers and friends...and they are gone. It makes me sad and mad at the same time.
So after our lay in the bordertown of Juarez, we started on our way back, payin the 30 cents to get back over the bridge into El Paso. We had to wait in a line where we were right next to about 100 male deportees from aroudn the US being deported back into Mexico. These men were being forced to all fit in a small trailer with no air conditioner or air flow, on a day that was unbearibly hot, with temparutres at least 105. They were tagged on their arm and mistreated by the guards. They were stripped of their personhood, and made into animals being hauled to the farm. That scene was disturbing to see the mistreatment of "illegal people." No human being is illegal, no matter where they are from or where they live in the present; no human being is illegal. Maria was really upset by the whole scene, because for her this really hit home. She is from El Paso and grew up on the border and she knows whats its like to live in the border community.
To end this blog I want to say that my experience in Mexico made we want to organize outside of our border...sin fronteras..no borders. We should work to learn, connect and work with others that live in another community. When we tear down physical borders we are able to tear down the borders of hatred. So, work on yourself as a bordertown, and see if you can break down your own border. Thank you to all of the amazing people in our stay in El Paso, in Mexico and on the way there.
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One Struggle. One Love.
-Corina
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