Announcing UPROOTING VIOLENCE a BorderLinks Book Talk Series

We are exited to announce a new speaker series: Uprooting Violence.

BorderLinks is a response to the profound dehumanization, and legal and extralegal violence migrants face. Central to the BorderLinks mission is the use of popular education to transform the world through critical awareness, reflection, and informed collective action. We invite you to deepen your understanding with us through our Uprooting Violence Book Talk Series. Join us in discussion with our guest speakers as we explore the themes of violence, migration, and resistance to structural oppression.

Check out our event schedule, learn more, and register at borderlinks.org/events

Lean In with BorderLinks

Thank you so much to all who attended our live event last week: Lean In with BorderLinks! For those of you who missed it, good news. We have a recording of the event below.

We are so excited to share with you how BorderLinks has been transforming over the last few years. In this recorded event you'll hear from current board and staff members about what we’ve been learning through our ongoing transformation work to create new leadership models and commitments to justice. You will also learn about the impact of our programming from recent delegates from UConn and guest speaker Dr. Rocío Calvo, Associate Professor of Global Practice at the Boston College School of Social Work.

We hope you'll enjoy this presentation and we also hope you'll consider supporting the BorderLinks' mission with a donation.

Visit borderlinks.org/donate to support BorderLinks critical work.

Lean In with BorderLinks Event Recording - June 16, 2022

Interpretación en español / Spanish interpretation

COVID Update: BorderLinks Restricting In-person Programs Based on COVID Cases in Pima County

With community, participant, and staff safety in mind, BorderLinks has decided to set a clear guideline based on COVID metrics for when to switch in-person programs to a virtual format. BorderLinks will not conduct in-person programming if daily new COVID cases in Pima County are over 100 per 100,000 two weeks prior to the first day of the program.* Practically, this means that a BorderLinks staff member will check-in with groups who have a scheduled program 14 days before it begins. If the data shows that daily new COVID cases are over 100 per 100K, the decision will be made to switch the program to virtual. If under 100 per 100K, the in-person program can move forward.

While the metric of daily new cases is not the only one we look at to make decisions about COVID safety, it does indicate the severity of the virus’ presence in the community. Daily cases over 100 per 100K are extreme and have only occurred in Pima County when COVID is spiking drastically. We have observed that COVID is more likely to strike closer to home during these spikes, has caused unreasonable stress for staff and participants, and has forced unsustainable safety measures during in-person programs.

BorderLinks continues to follow its comprehensive COVID safety protocol when in-person programming is conducted—this includes mask wearing, testing, vaccination, and more. It is also our current policy to schedule in-person programs so there is no overlap with other groups in order to reduce the likelihood of cross-community spread. Delegations and workshops should be scheduled as soon as possible in order to secure your desired dates. Some dates are already being secured for 2023.

Thank you for your understanding during this unprecedented and difficult-to-navigate global pandemic as we strive to keep you, our staff, and community safe.

*We will be referring to this particular website for this metric which states that “our daily new cases number is a seven-day average divided by every 100K people in a location”: https://covidactnow.org/us/arizona-az/county/pima_county

End the Year Supporting Border Justice with BorderLinks!

Dear Friend,

As 2021 closes, few of the changes in immigration policy we had hoped for have come to pass. In the face of this disappointment, BorderLinks remains steadfast in our mission of transformation through educational experiences that connect wider communities, raise awareness about the impact of border and immigration policies, and inspire action for social transformation. Will you support the life-changing actions of our delegates and partners by making a gift to BorderLinks, today?

Even as we navigated the pandemic, BorderLinks had an extraordinary year:

• Over 550 individuals participated in virtual and in-person educational programming through 13 delegations, 18 workshops, and 9 speaker events including a conference presentation.  

• We ran vibrant new virtual programming that we developed in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, revamped our in-person curriculum, developed covid protocols, and started in-person programming again.

• We expanded our Board, welcomed new staff, and expanded our  interpretation and language access.

• We created staff, Board, and organization-wide acuerdos (agreements) that enable us to grow in loving ways through accountability and transparency (click HERE to read them).

Our work would not be possible without our amazing community partners. Together, we endorsed the Pima County Justice for All Initiative; sponsored the Annual Migrant Trail (virtual this year); served on the #SaveAsylum Coalition  and the Southern Border Communities Coalition; signed community organization letters; established a limited fiscal sponsorship with our partner organization Paisanos Unidos; participated in a Climate Justice project; and mobilized resources for community members in need.

Action rooted in community is the embodiment of our mission. Mattie Gottbrath, a participant with the Washington University in St. Louis delegation in 2020 wrote:

“BorderLinks turned my passion for migration justice into something that I could confidently act upon to make a difference... After viewing the border with my own eyes, and hearing directly from people affected by border policy and security, my beliefs about migration found broader and longer-lasting roots.” 

Mattie will be bringing another delegation to BorderLinks in March 2022, and we are looking forward to growing together more.

As we discovered when developing the acuerdos, the work of transformation requires us to keep dreaming fierce dreams. Our plans for 2022 involve not only maintaining our critical programs but also continuing to grow. We plan to expand our capacity to meet demand as well as increase accessibility for BIPOC, low-income, and directly affected communities whose voices will deepen and expand BorderLinks’ work. We will also develop new community partnerships, further expand our curriculum, and make our space more accessible, welcoming, and as beautiful as  the vibrant mural at our entrance and the Tucson plants in the garden.

Will you join us in making these dreams a reality? Your gift of $10, $100, $1,000 or more will help us to do this work. We deeply value and appreciate your generous support in any form to help us to realize a loving and transformed community.

With Gratitude and Solidarity,

Cecelia Aguilar Ortiz 

BorderLinks Board President

ANNOUNCMENT: Vaccine Requirements for In-Person Delegations

At BorderLinks, we are committed to the lives, health, and safety of our staff, delegates, community partners, and wider public health. As we begin leading in-person delegations again, we want to do our part to prevent exposure and curb the pandemic. This is why our staff and board has decided to all get vaccinated and require both staff and delegates to be vaccinated, with the legal exception of people who are not vaccinated for medical or religious reasons. We recognize that we have the privilege of access to the vaccination and want to be in solidarity with those at most risk in our community.

We require delegates to take a COVID test 3 days before travel and have a negative COVID result, and are implementing social distancing and mask-wearing protocol aligned with the most up-to-date CDC and local health department guidelines.

We are not requiring community partners to get vaccinated because we recognize hesitancy present in some communities of color from the history of racist medical practices in the United States as well as limited access to the vaccine. Most of our community partners are vaccinated; for those who are not, we will make appropriate arrangements to keep everyone safe, which could include outdoor or virtual presentations.

Within the uncertainty of this constantly evolving pandemic, if a delegation needs to cancel, we have a flexible policy, including offering virtual programming in their place, etc.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Tania Garcia at tania@borderlinks.org.