Indigenous Peoples and Human Rights

February 27, 2010

Remembering the Migrants: Tucson Peace Fair 2010



By Brenda Norrell
Censored News
MORE PHOTOS:
TUCSON -- In the half moon circle of booths before the stage, children's faces were painted and Guatemalan tapestries were on display. There was the call for peace, and the paintings of torture in China. Veterans for Peace, Amnesty, the ACLU, Derechos Humanos, Borderlinks, No More Deaths, KXCI Radio and so many others were there at the Tucson Peace Fair today. The Tucson Refuge Sewing and Crafts Circle offered handmade bags made by African women who are now refugees here. Others called for the protection of the Santa Rita Mountains from copper mining.
On one table, there were tiny mementos, precious items left behind by migrants in the Sonoran Desert. There were fragments of a child's clothing, bits of toys and beads, now made into art, so they will not be forgotten. On quilt patches there are the memories and the names of those who died in the desert.
"The Migrant Quilt Project contains the names and the unknowns (desconocidos) who have died while crossing the US/Mexico border. By driving migrants into remote regions where there is no water, food or medical care, many succumb to extreme heat or cold exposure, dehydration and heat stroke. We honor all those who died trying to find a job." --International Migrant Quilt Project. http://www.losdesconocidos.org/

No comments: