Hugs Not Walls

Imagine you have three minutes, and only three minutes, to be with your family. 

What would you do? For three minutes you can hug your loved one. For three minutes you can hold your grandchild, niece, or nephew for the very first time. For three minutes you can hold your mother, and cry in her embrace. Three minutes, and only three, to see a sibling. You have three minutes to take a picture - the one picture you’ll have where you’re all in one frame, together. For three minutes you can laugh with family. 

And the air horn blasts, and you’re forced to separate once again. 

Hugs Not Walls, an event organized by The Border Network for Human Rights, allows families who are separated by the border a chance to connect. For three minutes, families are that much closer to being whole. Families from the United States side of the border wear blue - on the other side, families wear white. The gates open, and families shift through in cycles, hugging, crying, and being together. Knowing the border stands for the hate that tears us apart, hugs represent the love that gives us hope. Love knows no borders.

We had the honor to witness just a few of these moments this morning - and the stories were heartbreaking. A little girl shouting for her father across the fence. A young man wondering if his tia (his aunt) remembered him. A young mother who hadn’t seen her own mother face-to-face in seven years - this morning her kids met their grandmother for the first time. A line of journalists wiping tears from their faces. 

We’ll let the photos speak for themselves. We’ll post more in the next few days.

You can find more information about the Border Network for Human Rights on their website: http://bnhr.org/

Anapra Border Gate, New Mexico. October 2018.

#HugsNotWalls, #LoveKnowsNoBorders, #AbrazosNoMuro