The Migrant Trail: We Walk for Life
by Derechos Humanos
Photo Migrant Trail by Brenda Norrell
May 30- June 5, 2011
Join us for the seventh annual 75-mile journey from Sásabe, Sonora to Tucson, Arizona in solidarity with our migrant sisters and brothers who have walked this trail and lost their lives. We bear witness to the lives that are lost, the families who mourn, and the communities that suffer the divisions that borders wreak on all of us.
Monday, May 30th, 2:00pm: Sásabe, Sonora: Join us for the sending forth ceremony and the 5 mile walk to our first campsite on the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge
Sunday, June 5th, 11:30am: Tucson, Arizona: Join us for the welcoming celebration as participants complete the 75-mile journey, bearing witness to the gauntlet of death that has claimed more than 5,000 men, women and children on the U.S.-México border.
Online Registration has begun!
Registration is not complete until you have completed the online registration process, and mailed your Waiver, Participant Agreement, Medical Information Form, and your payment has been received. Forms cannot be e-mailed, as we need your original signature.
All registration information must be received by Friday, May 13, 2011.
The suggested donation for participating in the Migrant Trail is $7 per day.
Please send checks to: Arizona Border Rights Foundation (put "Migrant Trail" in the memo field) P.O. Box 1286, Tucson, AZ 85702
Participation: In an effort to respect the group experience of Migrant Trail, we are only accepting participants who can commit to walking the entire week. If you are unable to commit to the entire week, we welcome you to the sending forth ceremony on the first day, and the receiving ceremony on the last.
For more information, please contact: migrant_trail@yahoo.com or call 520.770.1373
History of the Migrant Trail
The Migrant Trail: We Walk for Life was the idea of three people who decided to first do the walk in 2004 as an act of solidarity with migrants and to raise awareness about the deaths and terrible plight that migrants face. A total of 30 people completed the entire walk the first year, approximately 50 the following year, nearly 75 in 2006, 58 in 2007, 65 in 2008, 49 in 2009, and 54 in 2010. More than 100 walkers have joined the walk for the final leg into Tucson each year. Walkers come from many states and countries, and various walks of life.
Community support for the walk has been overwhelming. Meals are delivered to the walkers by numerous organizations and individuals and one church along the route has hosted the walk overnight. Each year more organizations have helped organize the walk. The walk itself has been an important community building experience with walkers organized into teams which cover all aspects of the journey. Many walkers have commented that the camaraderie experienced during the walk was the best part.
The Migrant Trail is not intended to simulate the experience migrants face as they cross the gauntlet of death. Walkers are accompanied by support vehicles, unlimited food and water, and medical attention: things that the migrants themselves desperately lack. However, by walking 75 miles in the hot summer sun we try to make a small contribution that will some day lead to change on the border. No one should be forced to risk their life in order to provide for their family.
Photo Migrant Trail by Brenda Norrell
May 30- June 5, 2011
Join us for the seventh annual 75-mile journey from Sásabe, Sonora to Tucson, Arizona in solidarity with our migrant sisters and brothers who have walked this trail and lost their lives. We bear witness to the lives that are lost, the families who mourn, and the communities that suffer the divisions that borders wreak on all of us.
Monday, May 30th, 2:00pm: Sásabe, Sonora: Join us for the sending forth ceremony and the 5 mile walk to our first campsite on the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge
Sunday, June 5th, 11:30am: Tucson, Arizona: Join us for the welcoming celebration as participants complete the 75-mile journey, bearing witness to the gauntlet of death that has claimed more than 5,000 men, women and children on the U.S.-México border.
Online Registration has begun!
Registration is not complete until you have completed the online registration process, and mailed your Waiver, Participant Agreement, Medical Information Form, and your payment has been received. Forms cannot be e-mailed, as we need your original signature.
All registration information must be received by Friday, May 13, 2011.
The suggested donation for participating in the Migrant Trail is $7 per day.
Please send checks to: Arizona Border Rights Foundation (put "Migrant Trail" in the memo field) P.O. Box 1286, Tucson, AZ 85702
Participation: In an effort to respect the group experience of Migrant Trail, we are only accepting participants who can commit to walking the entire week. If you are unable to commit to the entire week, we welcome you to the sending forth ceremony on the first day, and the receiving ceremony on the last.
For more information, please contact: migrant_trail@yahoo.com or call 520.770.1373
History of the Migrant Trail
The Migrant Trail: We Walk for Life was the idea of three people who decided to first do the walk in 2004 as an act of solidarity with migrants and to raise awareness about the deaths and terrible plight that migrants face. A total of 30 people completed the entire walk the first year, approximately 50 the following year, nearly 75 in 2006, 58 in 2007, 65 in 2008, 49 in 2009, and 54 in 2010. More than 100 walkers have joined the walk for the final leg into Tucson each year. Walkers come from many states and countries, and various walks of life.
Community support for the walk has been overwhelming. Meals are delivered to the walkers by numerous organizations and individuals and one church along the route has hosted the walk overnight. Each year more organizations have helped organize the walk. The walk itself has been an important community building experience with walkers organized into teams which cover all aspects of the journey. Many walkers have commented that the camaraderie experienced during the walk was the best part.
The Migrant Trail is not intended to simulate the experience migrants face as they cross the gauntlet of death. Walkers are accompanied by support vehicles, unlimited food and water, and medical attention: things that the migrants themselves desperately lack. However, by walking 75 miles in the hot summer sun we try to make a small contribution that will some day lead to change on the border. No one should be forced to risk their life in order to provide for their family.
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