All posts by lathamke

Eight people standing and smiling in an airport.

Day 1: From Indiana to Texas

Reflections

We ended day 1 exhausted  even though we didn’t do any digging in the cemetery today.  Since we were meeting at the airport at 6am, our days started very early.  Getting 10 people (8 team members plus two family members – one of them an infant), 10 checked bags, one checked crib and one checked car seat through the American Airlines counter was no easy task.  After that is was onto airport security and then a well needed cup of coffee. At this point we were all eagerly anticipating our first flight to DFW airport.

Once we arrived at DFW we learned our connecting flight was delayed an hour, so we decided to get an early lunch. After lunch we moved our group plus all our stuff (two carry on pieces per person plus a stroller down to our gate (C17). As soon as we got settled we were notified that our flight was delayed an hour longer and were moved to gate C7. After a two hour delay we were on our short 43 min flight to San Antonio.  Then we held our breath at the luggage carousel hoping that each piece made it as well, and sighed a heavy sigh of relief when we lifted the last piece from the belt.

A group of people sitting on the floor.
Passing the time at DFW

Our next hurdle involved getting the rental cars from Alamo. After a slight hiccup, the manager assisted us in getting our 3 vehicles (with the same price as the reservation). We shared the purpose of our trip with him and he wished us luck as we started as 2.5 hour drive south. We finally arrived at the hotel around 6:30pm. Exhausted and hungry we decided to get pizza and have a working dinner. The cultural anthropologists discussed proper participant observation technique and how to construct field notes. The forensic team discussed plans and potential complications for beginning exhumations the next day. We ended the day at HEB grocery store getting lunch items and supplies for the next day.

While not the most exciting day in the field, our new members learned patience and the ability to adapt are important characters for this type of work. We are all trying to be in bed by midnight to allow us a few solid hours of sleep before we meet at 6:30am for breakfast and the start of our next day.

~KEL

New Year Resolutions

Reflections

For many of us, 2016 was a tough year. We witnessed widespread human rights violations across the globe,  terrorism, mass shootings, hate crimes, racism, political turmoil, and said goodbye to many influential people.  All this in addition to our own personal struggles.  At times we cried, we were enraged, we were heartbroken and we were empty. Some of us protested, some volunteered and some donated resources to do our small part to bring peace, love and acceptance to all.  We are looking for a way to be the hope/peace/love/joy we want to see in the world, and a way to right the injustices we see all around us.

I understand that my privilege allows me to volunteer my time and my resources to social justice initiatives even though my lived experience prohibits me from truly understanding. I will be starting 2017 in Brooks County at Sacred Heart Cemetery continuing the exhumations we started in 2013 and 2014.  We worked with Baylor University to remove over 100 unidentified migrants from the ground so they could begin their journey towards identification and repatriation.  Volunteering to bring awareness to this humanitarian crisis, to bring closure to family members and to give a voice to a marginalized population feels like the most appropriate way to start the new year and put the  trials of 2016 in the past.

This trip will be different than previous seasons in several ways. This year we will be joined by faculty and students from Texas State University.  We have worked with them the last two years in the lab and are eager to work with them in the field as well.  Our previous trips have occurred in May or June, so a January trip should be more comfortable for the manual labor we will be conducting at the cemetery.  In addition to the UIndy forensics team, we will also be joined by a group of cultural anthropologists from UIndy. Supervised by Dr. Alyson O’Daniel, they will be conducting participant observation at the cemetery and community outreach at the South Texas Human Rights Center.  My family will also be joining me to better understand what I do during these trips to Falfurrias.

I look forward to working with an amazing group of people from UIndy, TX State, the Brooks County Sheriff Office and the local community.  I am eager to catch up with our friends in Falfurrias and continue to contribute our small part to these identification efforts. Happy New Year to you all!

~KEL

 

 

 

A large metal cross with smaller crosses in the background in a grassy field.

Heroes

Human Rights, Migrant Death, Reflections
Two team members excavating in a trench as others look on from above
Forensic Archeology

As I reflect back upon our trip to Texas this year I keep returning to the statement “The more you know, the more you know you don’t know.” We started working in Brooks County in 2013 when we were invited to assist with the exhumations in Sacred Heart Burial Park.  We worked hard and provided an important contribution to the work being started there.  As we moved on to supervise the exhumations the following year, conduct skeletal analyses, navigate the identification system and interact with the community, we became more deeply embedded in the issues and more aware of the extent and complexities of the humanitarian crisis on our border.

After being away from my son for almost two weeks, he asked if we could have a special day together and go see the movie “Captain America: Civil War.” The movie focuses on the Avengers, a group of superheros tasked with doing “good” for humans across the planet. Up until this point the heroes operated as their own independent entity. In this episode, the heroes are required to accept accountability for their actions by entering into a political agreement with the United Nations that requires them to follow specific ordinances and governances. This divides the Avengers team with some of them wanting to continue their humanitarian efforts without governmental interference and others accepting of the oversight. The end result is two groups of heroes working for “good” from different perspectives.  Throughout the movie I kept thinking of the efforts in South Texas to save the living and identify then repatriate the dead.

Three team members with a red cross flag
Building Water Stations

There are many governmental and non-governmental organizations working on these efforts, and everyone is coming from a place where they feel they are doing the most “good”.   Some of these individuals are bound by rules and standard operating procedures. They are functioning within the law. This means that they have greater access and resources due to their governmental standing but also less freedom to quickly change and adapt to different circumstances.  These rules and guidelines are an important part of standardization of approach and process within the medicolegal system.  Other organizations are operating outside of the law. This does not mean they are doing anything illegal. It means they are not restricted by the same rules as the governmental agencies. They have more restricted access and resources, but they also have more freedoms. They can modify their policies and adapt to new and unforeseen circumstances. I do not see either of these approaches as better than the other as each operates differently in different situations.  But, in order to make progress regarding the crisis on the border these groups do need to work together.  We need to remember our common goal of dignity in life and in death, and not let our different approaches distract as. As in the movie “United we stand, divided we fall”.

Map of migrant deaths in South Texas
Migrant Deaths in South TX

Forensic anthropologists working on the border are part of a team of people working from different perspectives to do “good”.  There are certain resources and permissions that we need from those working within the law since most of us are not employed by any governmental entity. There are also certain freedoms and flexibilities that we enjoy by working outside the law. At times we want that accountability and at times we are thankful for our independence.

By comparing those working on border issues to The Avengers, am I calling them heroes? From those that save lives through search and rescue or maintaining water stations, to those who lighten the spirit through a warm meal or the gift of hospitality, to those that identify and repatriate the deceased to a family that needs closure, to those struggling to change policy  – By touching one heart or saving one life, yes I think they are heroes to someone.

~KEL