Voluntour 1951 is my attempt to learn about and create greater awareness of social justice issues along the U.S./Mexico border. I plan to ride my mountain bike across the 1951 miles of the border, working with social service and activist organizations and compiling narratives of the people with whom I come into contact for a future book.
Welcome
I heard a man speak recently, and he said "if you pray, then move your feet." In the last five years of my college career, I've been volunteering and working with organizations that serve homeless and Spanish-speaking communities. From that involvement, I've seen how much work still needs to be done--how much we, as socially-aware and responsible individuals, can care for and enable the neediest in our communities, from the often self-concerned and firmly-entrenched "top" to the impoverished and shifting "bottom".
One can trace the disconnect between top and bottom along the staggered line that composes the U.S./Mexico border. Civilian militia groups are flocking to the border in droves, targeting migrant groups who are trying to cross the border in search of better job opportunities and lives for their families back home. In Arizona, thousands of would-be migrants have died in the desert, while well-meaning individuals are prosecuted in federal courts for taking severely dehydrated would-be crossers to hospitals. In Texas, young women are dying by the hundreds as victims of violent acts committed right under the noses of two governments. On both sides, issues of xenophobia and community health are of increasing concern, as the U.S. and Mexican governments recognize but do little to attend to shared epidemics of racism and poverty. These are just some examples.
For a while now, I've prayed for solutions to these problems but have done very little to affect any real change. Eventually I see myself working along the border more formally as a social worker, educator and activist, but for now I've set my sights on "moving my feet." I intend to ride a bicycle along the entire 1951 miles of the U.S./Mexico border for three months, volunteering along the way and compiling narratives of the people with whom I come into contact. My aim is to better understand the ground-level effects of U.S. and Mexican border policies, while working with and learning from nonprofit and bi-national communities. In documenting others' thoughts and stories, I plan to listen to what people have to say about the border--how it's changed over time, what they've experienced and what they expect to see in the future. I hope to not only educate myself better about border life and culture but also to share that learning experience with others. I believe that this project will challenge individuals to consider their roles as global, rather than strictly national or local, citizens.
Starting on the 4th of November, I will cycle from Austin, Texas to San Diego, California and Tijuana, Baja California Norte. I plan to work with various nonprofit groups that serve on both sides of the line, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), Derechos Humanos and Habitat for Humanity. I will also be actively writing about the experiences that will come about, as I've arranged to write a regular column with Arizona State University's student-run newspaper, The State Press, as well as a contribution to the Arizona-based Latino Perspectives.
This web blog provides another portal for readership that friends, family and individuals interested in the project can access. This is just as much my forum as it is yours. I invite you to respond to upcoming posts with any criticisms, related news or connected ideas that you might have. Further, if you have any suggestions for places to stop and people to meet along the line, please keep me informed. This is a community movement, and I hope that you are willing to be part of it.
Peace,
The Man on the Bike
If you'd like to read more of Ryan's border experence, go to his blog at www.voluntour1951.blogspot.com.
