WHAT: Border Quilt Workshop
WHEN: Tuesday, April 21, 2015 from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: Alliance San Diego, 4443 30th Street Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92116
VISUALS: Dozens of Border Quilts, family and community members creating hand-made quilt panels.
San Diego, CA: The family of Francisco Ceseña (a 40 year-old U.S. citizen who was killed under questionable circumstances after being taken into inspection by Customs and Border Protection on December 24, 2014), will be creating a quilt panel in memory of their loved one during a community Border Quilt Workshop being held tomorrow from 5-7 pm at the office of Alliance San Diego.
Brenda Ceseña, sister of Francisco, released the following statement:
As Francisco's only sister, it's important to keep my brother's memory alive. He was a son, brother, uncle, father, and a grandfather. He was a very kind person who made sure that everyone around him always had food to eat, clean clothes, a place to shower, and a place to lay their weary heads to rest. We continue to demand justice for Francisco.
Their quilt panel will be another addition to the 170 panels that have already been created by residents of the Southern Border States of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. In December of 2013, the Border Quilt was unveiled in its entirety on the lawn in front of the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. drawing attention from Members of Congress and the immigrant rights movement. Each individual hand-made panel tells stories of loss as a result of the militarization of the border region. The theme of loss includes loss of family members resulting from deportation, loss of privacy, loss of civil rights, loss of economic potential, and loss of human life.
The family of Anastasio Hernandez Rojas and other community members will be in attendance to offer support to the Ceseña family.
This workshop is part of an effort to raise awareness about border brutality and for accountability over Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Various community events throughout the Southern Border will take place during April and May leading up to the 5th anniversary of the killing of Anastasio Hernandez Rojas on May 28, which is being designated as a Day of Action to Stop Border Brutality.
The Southern Border Communities Coalition (SBCC) brings together community organizations from San Diego, California, to Brownsville, Texas, to ensure that border enforcement policies and practices are accountable and fair, respect human dignity and human rights, and prevent the loss of life in the region.
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More About The Border Quilt
Families, and local groups in Arizona,New Mexico, Texas, and San Diego have created nearly 200 panels for The Border Quilt project since Southern Border Communities Coalition (SBCC) launched the Revitalize Not Militarize campaign almost 2 years ago.
The individual panels reflect each community's experiences with living in the border region, and express how militarization results in losses for communities. Through the quilt, families tell their own personal stories and hopes for revitalization.
Photos of the quilt panels can be found:
- Online: RevitalizeNotMilitarize.org
- Facebook: Revitalize Not Militarize
- Instagram: RevitalizeNotMilitarize
- Twitter: @SBCCoalition
- Hashtags: #RevitalizeNotMilitarize, #StopBorderBrutality, #BorderQuilt