January Training Session by Jessica

Our last training (on January 25th), felt to me like a training of our personal abilities to handle rude behavior and bad reactions from people who don't share our same points of view. When we watched the youtube video of two high school girls from Arizona who said many mean and horrible things about "immigrants," I was really surprised. I had never experienced any rude comments or racism that felt like it was directed at me, and seeing this gave me an idea of how it felt; and it felt really horrible. I realized that there are people in this country that maintain a lot of hate toward Mexicans. Our meeting on Wednesday gave me a negative impression of Arizona, and in this light I would even go so far as to say that they give our country a bad reputation. However, the training also made me want to strive to do something good in this world and make a difference, which makes me excited for our upcoming trip!

All About Our Meeting -- by Eliza

On our January 25th meeting we discussed real issues surrounding Arizona, USA. One issue we discussed was the hatred portrayed by two young ladies in a video, in which they disrespected Mexicans in various ways. These young ladies made many racist comments which heavily impacted us, referring to them as illegals, dirty, and poor people. As a group we discussed what this does to people, how it spreads hatred and causes hateful acts towards people of different races. This is the kind of hatred that we want to stop.

Another topic we discussed was the ban on all Ethnic Studies courses in the Tucson Unified School District. The Board of Education in Arizona enforced the ban, which has cost many of the students an integral part of their education. Superintendent Huppenthal did not seem to care about what teachers and students had to say about the issue. All of the schools in the district were even threatened with budget cuts if the courses were not removed (the schools had no choice). The students engaged in these courses had access to more knowledge; they were allowed to express themselves in various ways; and they were given a chance to know their own history and culture. But the Board of Education saw this class as a threat to the nation, and said that it encouraged the overthrow of the US government. Which is ridiculous!

During our meeting we talked about current issues in Arizona that we will definitely be confronting on our trip in February.

MLK Day of Service @ Arlanza Community Garden

On Martin Luther King Day over 100 community members showed up to CLP's new garden on the corner of Cypress & Challen. The Confronteras student participants played a huge part in making this day a success! In addition to cleaning, planting, watering, and creating community awareness about the event, they also set up a Confronteras Booth - complete with a banner, fliers, treats and information!

Inspiration from Erica, read on!

"Opening the doors of the Arlanza garden to the community to celebrate Martin Luther King Day was one of CLP's most successful events yet! With the participation of over 100 community members and supporters, every single booth reached maximum capacity. It was really nice to see how interested our fellow members are in seeing our garden continue to grow. I spent a few hours at the painting booth, where we painted flower pots with designs of our dreams for the garden. I was surprised by everyone's dreams; they all wanted to see peace within the neighborhood! While I was finishing up my flower pot, I began to realize that the dream I shared with many others, of this grade bringing peace amongst us was already taking place. Side by side, we all worked together with smiles on our faces because we were surrounded by a positive environment...the Arlanza garden."

Message from Youth Leader Franay!

"What's the Confronteras team been up to?!?" you ask?

Lots of planning and preparation have been put into action during this insane holiday season! This past Thursday the team, and our special guest, MDS Shiva, got together at the Arlanza Cybrary to go over some necessary material. We discussed the logistics of how our trip will play out, everything from what we need to pack, to what questions we wish to have answered, and what we expect to gain from this trip. We also made a Facebook FAN PAGE! Check us out

"CLP: Confronteras 2012" and 'Like' us to help spread the word!

The team is now working on registering with BorderLinks, the organization who will be leading our trip in Arizona and Mexico. You can check out their webpage at: http://www.borderlinks.org/

The closer we get to the trip date, the more we seem to get done. Last week's meeting = Success!

Wetback - The documentary

In the Fall, we watched Wetback, a Canadian documentary film released in 2005 that follows the personal stories of immigrants on their journeys through Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico en route to the US and Canada. Funded by the Canada Council for the Arts and directed by Arturo Perez Torres, the movie (available on Netflix), explores several complicated themes revolving around the hardships of life in developing countries, the risks that immigrants take, their motives for taking those risks, and the several different actors that affect their journeys.

Kenya explains her thoughts on the documentary below...

My reflection on the documentary, Wetback, gave me a clearer perspective of an immigrant's determination in crossing the border to create a better life for themselves and their family. It has also shown me the dangers and unfairness faced on the journey. In Mexico, Maseca, the main product used for making tortillas has plunged in business. Many of the owners have had to look on to new income opportunities, such as leaving the country in search for a better job. Immigrants don't want to leave their families, but it's a sacrifice they have to make when they cannot provide for themselves or their loved ones.

In this documentary many people stated that Mexico needs to look into social justice, because things are out of control and unfair. I learned that there are safe houses for immigrants that are coming and going, associated with the Catholic Church, which provide care and food. The film also examined the statistics of immigrant abuse and showed that 75% of abuse is done by police officers and that 80% if immigrants are robbed. Another danger they faced was the "Train of Death," a resource used to cross the border in which men and women risked their lives trying to jump onto the train. Many who tried to jump the train lost arms, legs, and various other body parts.

On the other side of the border were men who were not involved in any police or immigration service. They took it upon themselves to dedicate their days and nights to look out for immigrants or any evidence that proved immigrants were nearby. I saw this in a negative way. I understand that it's illegal to cross the border without papers, but I thought their behavior was excessive and made them look like ignorant fools. I respect the purpose of those trying to provide themselves and their families with a better life, and that the law is the law. But bad treatment and MIA citizens in other countries is not the solution; and over 1,000 immigrants have gone missing. The families of missing people are still worried and waiting for them.