All posts by lathamke

Human Rights For All

Human rights?

Reflections

Article 1 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states:  “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” If you look up the definition of Human Rights it reads: “Human rights are moral principles or norms that describe certain standards of human behavior, and are regularly protected as natural and legal rights in municipal and international law. They are commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights “to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being”, and which are “inherent in all human beings” regardless of their nation, location, language, religion, ethnic origin or any other status.”  Therefore it is our moral and legal obligation to treat all people with dignity and respect.

Social Justice is based on the concepts of human rights and equality, and can be defined as “the way in which human rights are manifested in the everyday lives of people at every level of society”. While this term and practice is quite old, it gained momentum in the early to mid-1800s with religious groups. The concept has morphed over time, however, modern practice still embodies: the protection of human dignity, actions to promote equal opportunities for everyone and holding the State accountable for the distribution of vital means.

For five years the Beyond Borders Team has operated to promote these concepts and has argued that these dignities extend beyond the life of an individual. That humans should be treated with dignity in life and dignity in death.  We will continue to hold strong to these values, even at a time when those who work to protect Human Rights and fight for Social Justice are characterized as weak, annoying, offensive and unpatriotic, among many other  derogatory words.

I am very proud of all the students who have volunteered to participate in this humanitarian mission over the last five years. They are some of the strongest and most compassionate people I know. They embody the words of Lady Liberty, treat others the way they would want to be treated and are part of the generation that will make this world a better place. They are facing their own fears and volunteering to put themselves in the middle of a harsh environment that has claimed the lives of so many others. And while I know these missions are not about them, I do know what they experience in the Texas Borderlands changes them in ways they never imagined.  To me that is progress.  Change requires compassion, empathy and a drive to do what is right for all people regardless of their biology, cultural beliefs or economic circumstances.

~KEL

Tres Cementerios

Human Rights, Migrant Death, Reflections

The UIndy Beyond Borders Team has been participating in this large scale migrant identification initiative for 5 years now.  Five years. Five field seasons. Three counties. Nearly 200 exhumations. As you have already read in previous posts: each cemetery presents its own unique challenges to locating and excavating the burials and each country provides a unique setting in which we would find ourselves challenged and learning more about the complicated humanitarian crisis unfolding at the border.

Sacred Heart Cemetery Gate
Brooks County

With each field season we have learned to be flexible, to problem solve, to apply our archeological skills in new ways and to expect the unexpected. We have learned the value of planning and teamwork,  the type of motivation that can only come with a passion to do what is right and just, and the hope that our hard work will benefit someone who is longing for answers.  We have learned to push through the pain of bruises, blisters, muscle aches and sun burns.  To let our head coach us to believe we are not physically aching, tired and heartbroken because we cannot slow down until our job is complete. We have made lifelong friendships and we have learned things about life and humanity that only others embarking on a similar mission can fully grasp. We have seen the best and we have seen the worst of humanity in action.

Rio Grande City Cemetery
Starr County

We have learned that our early understanding of this issue was naive and the issues are so deep are so complicated that it is difficult to truly grasp what is happening and why it is happening. We have learned that while we can be advocates, we can never truly understand these issues because of our nationality and privilege.  But we can listen, we can contribute our skills and we can use our platform to educate and inform those who have no idea that thousands of people are dying and being buried in the southern US borderlands.  As forensic scientists we are able to tell stories and document inequalities that may otherwise go unheard and unnoticed by the vast majority of Americans. We see the imprints of lifelong poverty on the bones and teeth of the dead we uncover, we see the love they have for their families in the photos and notes found in their pockets, we document the places they die and bear witness to the fact that these deaths are happening in staggering numbers. We not only work to give them a name and restore their memory but we make them a part of the indelible medicolegal record that will one day work towards change and social justice.

Willacy County
Willacy County

As another field season comes to an end I again find it difficult to express my feelings. On the one hand I want to say how proud I am of my team and the entire field team in general. I want to feel pride in our work and comfort in that fact that 37 more people now have a chance at identification and repatriation.  But on the other hand these feeling seem so inappropriate within such a large and violent crisis. It is a humbling experience and it is eye opening and shocking to see how these migrants are viewed and treated in life and in death.  We thank you for following our journey, which is intimately entwined with the journey of those we unearth. We hope you learn,  you feel and you share what is happening.

Please let us know if there is something you want to see on the blog in the future and please support our continued work if you have the ability to do so.

~KEL

Together We Can Do Great Things

Reflections

The Beyond Borders blog focuses mostly on the achievements of the UIndy forensics team as they work on a large scale migrant identification initiative. However, our team is just a small part of a large group working on issues surrounding this massive humanitarian crisis.  We would like to use today’s blog post to highlight some of the other amazing people that spent the first half of January working on exhumations in Willacy county.

Dr. Kate Spradley is a biological anthropologist from Texas State University and the Director of Operation Identification (OpID).  OpID was created in 2013 to to facilitate the identification and repatriation of unidentified human remains found along or in close proximity to the South Texas border through community outreach, scientific analysis, and collaboration with governmental and non-governmental organizations. She coordinated the exhumation efforts in Willacy County.

Dr. Spradley taking photos in the cemetery.
Dr. Spradley

Dr. Tim Gocha is a biological anthropologist from University of Nevada, Las Vegas who volunteered to work on the exhumation efforts in south Texas.  Last year he was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State University, where he helped manage Operation Identification. This year he is volunteering to continue working on these identification efforts.

Dr. Gocha in PPE.
Dr. Gocha

Dr. Nicholas Herrmann is a biological anthropologist from Texas State University who conducted ground penetrating radar prior to the excavations to locate the burials. He also spent several days at the site working on a digital map using RTK satellite navigation.

Dr. Herrmann excavating.
Dr. Herrmann

Robert Shults is a photographer who has spent the last few years photographing the various laboratories and projects associated with the Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State University.  He not only photographed the work happening at the cemetery but also spent a lot of time digging himself.

Rob Shults photographing the project.
Rob Shults

Dr. James Fancher is a dentist and Air Force Colonel who has practiced dentistry, worked in dental education and assisted with forensic identification efforts. He volunteered to work on the exhumation efforts in Willacy County.

Dr. Fancher talking with a team member.
Dr. Fancher

Deputy Don White is a Volunteer Deputy for the Brooks County Sheriff’s Office and experiences the migrant death crisis personally through his search and rescue efforts.  He volunteered not only to be site security but also got his hands dirty on many occasions assisting with the exhumations.

Deputy Don White flagging an area of interest.
Deputy Don White

Eddie Canales is the Director of the South Texas Human Rights Center, which is dedicated to the promotion, protection, defense and exercise of human rights and dignity in South Texas. Their mission is to end death and suffering on the Texas/Mexico border through community initiatives. He spent a few days with us in the field working on the exhumations and gathering important documentation regarding the burials.

Eddie Canales helping excavate a burial.
Eddie Canales

There were a large number of students and volunteers from Texas State University, University of Indianapolis, University of Nevada, Las Vegas,  Tulane and The Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team, among others.  Additionally there were several Texas State University alums who served essential roles as team leaders in the field.

Group photo of the field team.
The Field Team

The ability to locate and exhume over 30 individuals who will now begin the identification and repatriation process was a team effort that relies largely upon volunteers and generous donors. Please support these organizations and spread awareness of this work as you can. Thank you!