Pure Update

Update

I've been busy in Tucson as of late, so it is nice to be back in Pittsburgh for a week to get some chill time, to see my family, and to share a bit about my time on the border. I've been devoting a lot of time to protests and rallies, as has a lot of the Tucson community.  

There were rallies the whole week before Brewer signed SB1070 into law, attended in large number by self-mobilized youth.  The May Day rally in Tucson drew over 7,000 people in support of various causes: legalization for all, saving public education and ethnic studies, stopping deportation and militarization, stopping border deaths, supporting labor, and most importantly, opposing SB1070.  Tucson religious leaders held a press conference at Southside Presbyterian Church, denouncing the new law as racist, unconstitutional, mean-spirited, and unethical.  

Many are calling for resistance and noncompliance with the law when it comes into effect in (now less than) 90 days.  There have been a few lawsuits brought against this, and the number is growing.  The city councils of Tucson and Flagstaff are planning to sue, a Tucson police officer has filed a case, and a class action law suit has been filed by the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders.  


And the thing is, SB1070 is just the beginning.  For example, HB2281 attacks ethnic and raza studies, stating that "any course, class, instruction, or material may not be primarily designed for pupils of a particular ethnic group...State aid will be withheld from any school district or charter school that does not comply."  Coming from an area where there is a high latino population, denying the education and importance of latino and ethnic studies seems ludicrous.  One of my friends recently shared a quote with me from John Berger, which seems fitting: "A people or a class which is cut off from its own past is far less free to choose and to act as a people or class than one that has been able to situate itself in history."

In all of this, I was able to take a wonderful one-day camping trip up to Mount Lemmon.  It was amazing to see the shift in climate and plant-life as we drove higher and higher into the mountains.  Spring also brings more gardening.  At BorderLinks, we have all been volunteering out in the garden: weeding, seeding, and having a bunch of fun.  I am sad to say, however, that Nick has left BorderLinks.  It is the right decision for him, but we will miss him dearly!

I am in Pittsburgh during the middle of the University of Michigan delegation that I am helping to lead.  I'm sad to be missing out on sharing experiences with them, but have been able to keep up with everyone using their awesome blog.  They are a part of a wonderful program sponsored through their school called GIEU.