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32 Weeks

Snapshots

Each field season is a little different in terms of our goals, the team members and the experiences.  But this year is very different for me. I am 32 weeks pregnant with my daughter.  This has impacted out team in multiple ways from the way I packed and prepared, to our itinerary.

I had to very closely monitor the Zika Virus situation in South Texas. The CDC keeps an updated webpage with information regarding Zika cases in every state. While the number of reported cases in Texas to date is not significantly higher than in states surrounding Indiana, I still need to be cautious when outdoors.  I am following the CDC guidelines to prevent mosquito bites. This includes applying an insect repellent with at least 20% DEET and covering exposed skin while outdoors.  I also decided to pre-treat my outdoor clothing with Permethrin insect repellent. Permethrin is designed specifically for fabric and can last through multiple washes. All clothing that I will be wearing when we do outdoor fieldwork or outdoor events has been treated.

Dr. Latham 32 weeks pregnant in her UIndy Human Identification Center Lab shirt
32 weeks (still fit in an XL lab shirt!)

I do not anticipate the pace or volume of our contributions this field season to be impacted in any way. I am more fatigued at the end of the day than in previous field seasons, but we have a full schedule while we are in Texas. We will be working with Dr. Kate Spradley of Operation Identification on skeletal analyses at Texas State University until Friday. On Saturday we will be participating in Missing in Harris County Day. Our remaining time in Texas next week will be spent in Falfurrias volunteering with the South Texas Human Rights Center. I have an amazing team of University of Indianapolis students with me this year. They did a great job doing skeletal analyses today. In addition, there is a UIndy anthropology colleague working with us this year. Dr. Alyson O’Daniel is a cultural anthropologist embedding herself with our team.

Today we learned about the progress that is occurring in terms of identifications and repatriations across the state. I have dedicated friends and colleagues who are acting tirelessly to change policy and work to standardized the procedures.  This week there are students and faculty from both UIndy and Texas State working to complete as many skeletal analyses as possible to reduce the backlog of cases that currently exists.  Yesterday everyone worked smoothly and skillfully to complete several cases.   We are very excited to share more about what we are doing and the amazing progress our colleagues are making on issues of identification and repatriation. Stay tuned!

~KEL

They remember the Alamo, but I’ve never been

Snapshots

Today we flew into Texas and settled in before beginning our work at Texas State University tomorrow morning.  We began our journey with an early 8 am flight first to Dallas, and then to San Antonio.  I was definitely tired after the flight, but that quickly dissipated as soon as I got off the plane.

Group photo of Beyond Borders team members at the airport
Amanda, Dr. Latham, Dr. O’Daniel, Justin and Helen at the airport

 

Once we arrived, we were able to spend a little time sight-seeing around San Antonio.   Lunch was our first stop, and we decided to go to a restaurant called Moses Rose’s Hideout.  Apparently when you enter you’re supposed to knock on the door, give a secret password, and do something embarrassing for all the other restaurant goers to see before you’re allowed to enter.  Unfortunately for us, it was lunch and we were the only ones there, so we did not get to embarrass ourselves.  Regardless, the food was amazing.

Beyond Borders team members group photo at the Alamo
At the Alamo

After lunch we decided to visit the Alamo, as I had never been there before.  I was
astonished by the beautiful architecture and gardens we walked through.  I was excited to learn more about the history of the Alamo, but I kept getting distracted by the beautiful scenery, and of course the souvenirs in the gift shop.

Beyond Borders Team Members wearing bonnets
Fun at the Gift Shop

Subsequently, we decided to drive up to San Marcos to prepare for our week of lab work. On our way, we stopped at Buc-ee’s, which when I asked if it was a gas station turned out to be quite an understatement.  Not only was the gas station huge, but also the store itself.  They seemed to have everything and anything I could want at a rest stop.  And of course, we couldn’t resist taking a photo with the Buc-ee statue.

Beyond Borders Team Members in a group photo with Buc-ee the Beaver
Buc-ee the Beaver

Once we arrived at our hotel in San Marcos and settled in, we headed to H-E-B to buy lunches and dinners for the week.  The rest of the evening was ours to relax and prepare ourselves for the tough, but fulfilling work to come.    While many of the team members had been to these places before, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing the stories of years past and making new memories.  I really appreciated getting to see some of the sites of San Antonio today, and even more excited to get to work tomorrow morning.  I’m thrilled to be participating in this humanitarian effort with this group of people.

–Helen

Lead by Example

Reflections

“Why do you do this?” is a question I return to each year because it’s one of the first questions I am asked by people learning about our efforts on the border. My response has consistently been “Because it is the right thing to do.”  But the more I work within the midst of this humanitarian crisis, the more I ask myself “For who?”.  Who is benefitting most from our work in south Texas? Is it the unidentified individuals? The families of the missing? Myself?  As a professor of biology and anthropology I spend my days trying to simplify a complex reality for my students. Yet I’ve been working in the complex reality of the Texas-Mexico border for several years and have been approaching it with an embarrassing naievity.  I made it so simple in my mind and in my explanations that I now find myself questioning my own oversimplified statements from years past.

Award winning author Adriana Paramo (Looking for Esperanza) visited UIndy and spent several hours with my students and I talking about her work with migrant women and our work on the border. “How do you know they want you touching their loved ones?” her question was simple but I wasn’t sure how to respond.  The individuals that have been identified and repatriated to date were returned to families looking for closure, so I hadn’t considered the fact that not all families would feel that way. I hadn’t considered that some families would view our analyses as a guaranteed extension of purgatory for their family members, or be insulted by what they view as cultural insensitivity. But I return to the fact that most of the families of the missing want answers. As trained anthropologists, we approach our work with sensitivity and cultural understanding of the many different groups of people and cultures we may potentially encounter. As forensic scientists we approach our work with respect and a sense of responsibility in providing dignity for the dead.

Is it me? Am I doing this simply because it makes me feel good? There is a sense of satisfaction that comes with doing something you feel is right. But there is also an overwhelming sense of stress and fatigue that is inherent in this type of work. Any type of volunteer work that forces you to the brink of physical and mental exhaustion cannot be purely selfish in nature. If I merely wanted to feel “good” I could find other venues that were less time consuming and closer to home.  I would find something that didn’t leave my body and mind questioning my decisions to put myself so close to my breaking point over and over again.  As we prepare to leave tomorrow I have to remind myself that this year not only am I responsible for my own health and well being, but also for my daughter who is due in July.

So why is this the right thing to do? It is right because hundreds of people should not be nameless and forgotten after having died in our country.  Children and spouses should not suffer wondering what happened to their loved ones. And while I have come to recognize the fact that our work will not be the “right thing to do” for everyone and in every situation, it is the “right thing to do” for most.  Year after year I have seen my students grow as they experience a harsh reality very different from their own privileged lives.  I use this work to teach my children and my family about being thankful, humble and kind. In a time when many question the entitlement of the next generation, I see many young people (from my university and others) leaning humility, compassion and understanding in a way that would not be possible without immersion in this humanitarian crisis.

There are many smart, compassionate and dedicated people working in the middle of this crisis everyday.  I respect them in a way that I am unable to put into words because I can come home and separate myself from this situation in a way that they cannot do. They do not do this because they get paid, they also do this because they feel it’s the right thing to do. While we all have different ideas and different feelings as to what “right” means, I am proud to be a small part of this amazing group of people who fight for basic human rights in life and in death. Who treat all people with dignity. Who embody compassion, humility and humanitarianism.  And who lead by example.

~KEL