Story on The Migrant Walk - KUAZ 4th of July

Image from www.panleft.org.

I first became aware of the Migrant Walk when I went to see a screening of Jason Aragón's PRESENTE: inside the migrant trail walk. Aragón's film conveys "a reflective look into the Migrant Trail Walk of 2005. The 7 day/75 mile walk from Sásabe, Sonora, Mexico to Tucson, Arizona, USA that raised awareness about the deadly journey to the U.S., the tragic cost of border militarization, and also an opportunity to walk in solidarity with migrants."

Maisa Taha, a great friend of mine from anthropology did the walk this year and wrote a personal essay about it. I read it. It's honest and excellently written. It's level-headed without being dismissive and raw without being preachy. It's airing on Arizona Spotlight tomorrow at 9:30 am and 6:00 pm and you can't miss it.

She invited me to welcome her back into Tucson as the march returned home. I had been traveling to see friends, going to BBQs, lounging poolside. That's what summer means to me. When I saw the marchers with their white crosses, I was reminded that for some, summer is seared in their minds as the most deadly season.

When I saw them march in, I was hot from just standing around. I couldn't fathom what the trip had been like for them. They were dirty, sunburned, sweaty, dried up and exhausted. Some people burst into tears spontaneously. Many hugged and cried, hugged and cried in the midst of all those white crosses. I cried too, because this is what I saw in their faces: "I'm so fucking exhausted I want to collapse, but the only reason we're here is because of those who didn't make it. My walk ended in a picnic, their walk ended in a grave. And the only real difference between us is which side of the border we happened to be born on."

How could you not cry?

POSTDATA: Missed the show? Listen to the July 4, 2008 Edition of Arizona Spotlight online by clicking here.