Border Witness Journal

Border Witness Stories
an on-line journal

Welcome to the International Project's first on-line journal. We invite members of 2006 and 2007 Border Witness Delegations to contribute stories (and a few photos) following their time on the Border. Check back to see postings and share in their learning.

Sample Itinerary: October/ November delegations travel from New York State to El Paso, Texas, USA and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico. For more details, click here for a tentative schedule. (There were some changes.)

Friday, November 3 included a visit with the Director of Migrant and Refugee Services, the Catholic Diocese of El Paso, followed by shopping for lunch on a wage of a factory worker at a Juárez maquiladora (a foreign-owned assembly plant). Delegates helped toprepare a meal with their purchases at Tabor House in Juárez. Tonight will be the final celebratory dinner. On Saturday morning at 9:05 a.m. the Newark and Albany groups departed together for Houston.

For those of us unable to experience shopping on a maquila wage with delegates, click here for an interactive shopping trip. Called "Shop 'til you drop on a Mexican wage," the feature allows us to

choose a job in the US and Mexico,
see photos of workers and their real wages,
make virtual purchases
and see how long each person would work to earn enough to pay for the items you select.

The virtual experience concludes with this observation: "Is it any wonder that in Mexico today, many children work to help their families make ends meet? Is it any wonder that other Mexican families take tremendous risks to cross the border to try to make a living in the U.S.?"

Thursday, November 2 was the Day of the Dead, recognized by a Roman Catholic mass at the Border fence. Delegates also met with Bill Morton, a partner in the World Hands Project. Click here to read about an ongoing land dispute in the western part of Juárez. Another highlight was the unexpected opportunity to visit a farmworker center in El Paso.

Wednesday, November 1 included an international gathering with the Zapatistas. After an information session with Dr. Glen Kuecker, Resident Director of the Earlham College Border Studies Program and a Latin American historian, the group was scheduled to have lunch at Cafe Mayapan. Delegates visited Annunciation House in the late afternoon and shared dinner with guests there, many of whom are refugees from Mexico and Central America.

After a 7:30 a.m. breakfast, Tuesday, October 31, began with orientation and a Border tour as well as visits to sites in both El Paso and Ciudad Juárez. The day ended with a gathering for reflection after dinner. Home base for the group is Howard Johnson's Express Inn in sight of the Border in El Paso.

Monday, October 30 was a travel day.

Background:

Meet West Cosgrove, a Maryknoll Lay Missioner who lives in El Paso. He directs the Border Project and has partnered with the Labor-Religion Coalition's International Project since 2002. The city below is El Paso. Mountains in the distance are in Mexico. For a factual overview of the Ciudad Juárez/ El Paso region, click here. For information about some of the places delegates will visit, visit the Web site of Annunciation House. The group will visit their central location on Wednesday. Check the the El Paso Times on-line to read more about what's going on this week on the Border.

Delegation Members

The 12 members of the October 30-November 4, 2006 group fit perfectly in a 15 person van, with extra space for a case of bottled water. In addition to the International Project Coordinator, Maureen Casey, the delegation brings together…

a college teacher from Buffalo,
two staff members from Catholic Charities in Ithaca,
two pastors (a retired Presbyterian minister from Troy and a Unitarian youth minister from Rochester preparing for his role as mentor with a group of young people from his congregation who will be part of the February 2007 Delegation)
two Skidmore College students
a recently retired teacher from Rochester and a practicing teacher from Long Island
a staff member from New York State United Teacher with expertise in worker health and safety
the new office manager at the New York State Labor-Religion Coalition

Journal Entries

The group arrived home safely on Nov. 4. Their full itinerary left little time to write. Look for journal entries here as they arrive.