In January, Voices from the Border was honored to attend the annual Common Ground on the Border Conference at The Good Shepherd United Church of Christ in Sahuarita, AZ. This year's theme was "From Border to Belonging: A Celebration of Commitment, Compassion, and Community Across the US/Mexico Borderlands." Registration for the three-day conference was completely full. About 200 folks from all over the country converged to explore the arts and culture of the borderlands and learn about the many complex issues that converge here. Participants were offered immersive field trips and attended multiple keynote speakers and presentations to understand better what it means to live and work at the US/MX border. Voices teamed up with our dear friend and colleague, Gale Hall, to present the Welcome Quilt Project to attendees. Later in the weekend, we also had a table in the courtyard featuring information about Voices, displayed Welcome Quilts, and invited people to make Welcome Quilt squares. The Project was met with great enthusiasm, and we made wonderful personal connections with folks around the country who want to be part of this movement. We were buoyed to see so many people coming to the borderlands to learn, connect, understand the issues, and return home with a feeling of agency and determination, as one participant shared, "to do something."
Meaningful, Heart-Centered Experiences at the Conference and News of the Welcome Quilt Project
~ by Gale Hall
I was honored to be able to speak about the Welcome Quilt Project (WQP), along with Voices' Board Member Maggie Urgo, at the recent Common Ground on the Border conference. My goals were to help people understand what the WQP is, how it continues to evolve unexpectedly, and how they can participate in this movement happening across the country. As readers of this newsletter, many of you know that story. So, let me share with you how I ended my presentation on Friday:
“My country is perpetuating the trauma of children and families immigrating to the United States using policies such as Desert as Deterrence in my name. So, when my deep gladness (supporting children, families, teachers, and doing crafts) met a deep hunger in the world (forced migration), my retirement ministry of promoting migration with dignity began."
“But this is such a big problem – what can one person do to make a difference? Thinking like this would give me permission to simply walk away – but I kept getting these nudges in my heart to do one thing. So, I started making quilts. Today, we invite you to join us in creating a Welcome Quilt Movement nationwide. A project that says to newcomers, "We see you, and we welcome you.” And says to people filled with hate and fear, “Your words do not speak on my behalf.” The messages in these quilts speak for me.
“In our communities, it continues to be important to publicly express the messages in the Welcome Quilts even (especially!) as asylum is being threatened and curtailed. The school-age son of a friend of mine was recently told by some of his classmates, “Go back to where you came from.” He and his family are US citizens, yet the hate persists. And, just as hate is taught, so is love, which happens by participating in loving actions. After experiencing the Welcome Quilt exhibit at the Arizona History Museum, one school-age boy said, “So if I welcome someone, and someone else sees me welcome them, then maybe they will welcome someone, too!”
“Can you see why children are my hope for the future?”
On Saturday, we had a table in the courtyard for the Welcome Quilts, with two quilts on display. We also invited attendees to make their own Welcome Quilt squares that will be sewn into future quilts. Also, I had just published a children’s picture book on Amazon called Lili’s Quilt: A Story of Immigration, Welcome, and Belonging, which I featured at the table as well. I had taught a college-level children’s literature class for the last 20 years of my career and always wanted to write a book – but had not found the story my heart wanted to tell until recently. The book gives me another way to share the reality of forced migration, using a non-threatening medium that encourages conversation and sensitive engagement with the topic for both children and adults. It also depicts a Welcome Quilt in a migrant shelter. Lili’s Quilt falls into a category of children’s literature called bibliotherapy: books that heal. These books help children solve problems while developing empathy and emotional intelligence. As children see how the characters in a book work through problems, they can begin to feel more confident when facing their own similar challenges. I hope that Lili’s Quilt will help the reader better understand the stories of families who are forced to leave their homes and to welcome them more fully. When writing this book, I didn’t want to shy away from sharing the truth of an immigration journey, but I also did not want to re-traumatize children for whom this was a reality. I wanted children to see Lili for the strong, brave, and resilient person that she is.
One of the two most poignant moments for me at the Common Ground conference was my interaction with Wendy, a young mom seeking asylum in our country. She also had a table in the courtyard selling her handmade embroidery items. She was there with her husband and two young children. Wendy came to our table and read the proof copy of Lili’s Quilt I had on display. Then, she asked if she could share it with her husband. When she came back, she was hugging the book and said to me through tears, “This book is my story. I can’t go back to El Salvador because of the gangs.” Then, she talked about how important it was for her family to be in the United States. At that point, I gave the book to her. She then brought me to her table and gave me one of her lovely embroidered creations. Wendy showed me the power of Lili’s Quilt to connect with someone’s lived experiences and to tell a story of hope. My friend, Michelina Nicotera-Taxiera, is the talented illustrator of Lili’s Quilt. We decided to donate 10% of any profits we make from the book to organizations that promote migration with dignity. I have decided that my 10% will go to Voices from the Border. If you read the book and like it, please leave a positive review on Amazon, as that helps promote this story.
I have also developed an accompanying empathy-based curriculum that can be used with Lili’s Quilt and/or with the larger Welcome Quilt exhibit (or components of the exhibit). If you would like to host a gathering to make Welcome Quilt squares and brainstorm welcoming ideas, I’d also be happy to Zoom into your event to read the book and do an author talk along with facilitating an activity from the curriculum with your group. To request the curriculum or to discuss possibilities, email me at lilisquilt@gmail.com.
The second important moment happened when conference attendee Rev. Jessica Braxton took a photo of Maggie and me holding a Welcome Quilt. She said she wanted to talk about this during her sermon at Tucson's Saguaro Christian Church that Sunday. Later, I went to her church Facebook page and saw her sermon. She talked about the various groups she had interacted with at the conference and ended with us. She then asked her congregation to make a Welcome Quilt together. Here is an excerpt of what she said about this project in her sermon:
"Voices from the Border is inviting us to make Welcome Quilts. Women in leadership are trying to foster a narrative of welcome in a place filled with the language of “stay away.” They do this by asking people to design and draw on a fabric square images that remind them of safety, welcome, home, and love. A square of butterflies on the quilt represents new beginnings emerging from a cocoon, from the desert, from a life of struggle, and in the hope of something beautiful. The squares all come together with colors of sunshine and starlight, of hope and of love to people needing an enfolding of welcome. From one cocoon, they emerge to be held in love in this new, frightening place with potential futures to come. We have this opportunity to create a quilt of welcome for these folks who see the value of a warm embrace: the light of love, the light of warmth, as it shines, as it spreads, as it fills. It may seem a small thing to do on our own, but together, we illuminate the path forward."
I can’t think of a more poetic way to summarize the Welcome Quilt Project.
This week, I am having breakfast with a woman I met at the conference from Madison, WI, who wants to host the Welcome Quilt exhibit for a month starting at the end of February. Perhaps you would like to bring the exhibit to your area as well to help illuminate the path forward together. Join us in the unfolding of this movement. For more information, email welcomehomequilts@gmail.com.
Comments