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Packing List: work boots; field pants (x3); lab shirts (x3); long johns (x3); lab cap; beanie; work gloves; belt; first aid kit; water bottle; sunglasses; chap stick…

Reading List: Looking for Esperanza, Paramo, A. (2012); The Land of Open Graves, Leon, J.D.(2015); Showdown in the Sonoran Desert, Rose, A. (2012); Digging for the Disappeared, Rosenblatt, A. (2015); Drug War and Capitalism, Paley, D. (2015)…

To-Do List: last minute X-mas shopping; clean house; do laundry; wash dogs; pick up final necessities for Texas trip…

Music List: Myela, Nick Mulvey; O Holy Night, Bastille 2016 rendition; Papales Mojados, Chambao; Nino Soldado, Ska-P; Mal Bicho, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs; Solo le Pido a Dios, Mercedes Sosa; Nobody Knows, The Lumineers; This Land is Your Land, Woody Guthrie; A Change is Gonna Come, Sam Cooke; Equal Rights, Peter Tosh; Where is the Love, Black Eyed Peas; We are the World, various artists (1885 and 2010)…

This time of year many people are making lists to make sure their holidays are picture perfect. This year my lists abound, yet as I peer through them I can’t help but think of the lists one would make as they wrap up their life to trek across a vast and expansive desert in pursuit of something better. The personal effects recovered with the remains of those who were not fortunate enough to complete their journey reveal a heart wrenching tale: prayer cards; religious pendants; family photos; a few changes of clothes, and little else.

I have moved many times in my life (Florida>various places across Central Texas> Indianapolis, Indiana) so the prospect of moving hundreds to thousands of miles is something I am familiar with. For me, though, these moves involved expansive lists including garage sales, moving trucks, and the knowledge that on the other side my worldly belongings that I have acquired throughout the years may provide a sense of home in a new and unfamiliar place. It is hard for me to fathom being forced to leave literally everything behind but a small backpack of necessities to travel, largely by foot, hundreds to thousands of miles across formidable landscapes to a destination likely unknown. Add on top of this uncertainty the various barriers (legal, language, cultural, political, financial, etc.) that await these individuals and it’s hard to hold back tears just thinking about it.

What hell must these people be faced with that they feel that this is their only option? This is the type of question that I ask myself as I prepare mentally to travel to South Texas with the UINDY’s Beyond Borders team in January. Having been raised in Texas and having prior involvement with the border crisis in South Texas during my undergrad. career at Texas State University, I have quite a different perspective than my fellow Beyond Borders peers. I am intimately familiar with the climate, landscape, and culture of south and central Texas as well as the unspeakable tragedy that is the US-Mexico border crisis, so the challenges I anticipate are purely mental/emotional.

In light of this, I look forward to aiding in bringing closure to the families of these victims who do not know where their loved ones have ended up. I look forward to long, brutal days in the South Texas winter as I lend my hands and heart to this noble cause. I look forward to a day when people are no longer forced to leave their homes and families due to socio-political turmoil. I look forward to a day when people who face different challenges are welcomed as neighbors and not walled out. I look forward to the prospect of lasting unity that is typically only instilled by mass disaster.

I leave you all with one final list; my Christmas Wishlist:

Peace and justice for the victims of the US-Mexico border crisis.

–Jordan

It has been almost two weeks since I have been home from Texas; well one week if you count the time that myself and other students spent in Boulder City, NV attending the Mountain, Desert, and Coastal Forensic Anthropology Conference. The thing with staying busy, is that it does not allow you to think or dwell on certain matters which can be both positive and negative. With traveling and then feeling under the weather (I’m highly allergic to Nevada apparently), I am just now able to process what happened down in Texas this field season. Everything was different compared to my first field season at Sacred Heart Cemetery in Falfurrias, TX in January 2017.

After coming home in January, I was flooded with all sorts of emotions stemming from my time in Falfurrias. I attribute most of those emotions to visiting ‘the wall’ and volunteering at the Respite Center. During my trip, I did not allow myself to really process what was happening and the experience I had at the Respite Center. When I got home, I did not even make it through the drive home from the airport before I was so overcome with emotions that I cried most of the ride. I loved every minute that I spent at the Respite Center and I hope that in the future I can volunteer there again. When conducting field investigations at a cemetery, it is easier to remove yourself emotionally from the situation than when dealing with people who are still alive to tell their stories. In previous blog posts (from Jan), I know it was mentioned about the gentleman and his daughter who crossed the border, who came forward to tell us their story of how they got there. There was also another lady, who was traveling with her three daughters, who also shared her story. I’ll never forget those moments, I don’t think anyone in that room that day will ever forget.

When I came home in January, I felt motivated and inspired. I wanted to spread the news of what is happening and to educate those who may not understand completely the hardships people face below the border. This time, I still feel that same motivation and the need to continue volunteering in this effort. I am also amazed at how much more I have learned regarding the situation going on in South Texas as well as what is happening in Mexico.

The Mountain, Desert, and Coastal meeting could not have come at a better time. This year, the second day at the conference was a symposium on the ‘Sociopolitics of Migrant Deaths’ which had speakers from UIndy, the Colibri Center, the PCOME, Texas State University, and a journalist who is currently residing in Mexico. This symposium gave a whole new perspective about the humanitarian crisis in South Texas and what is also happening along the US/Mexico border.

Although I am not flooded with as many emotions as I had after being exposed to this humanitarian crisis for the first time, I feel that this trip has further solidified that this on-going effort isn’t about me or the other parties involved; it is about them. Them being those who have died that are still waiting to be identified and their families who are still waiting to find out what happened to their loved ones. After this trip, I have realized that this humanitarian effort isn’t something that will be completed in 1 year. This is an on-going effort and I would not be surprised if 10 years from now- this volunteer work is still be accomplished. I am forever grateful to have been able to be a part of this humanitarian effort and I hope to have the opportunity to continue volunteering in the future. As of right now, there is already another field season planned for January 2018 and again in May 2018. 

Jessica