20 Years of Women on the Border
We’re 20 years old in 2021!
Women on the Border was formed as a Texas nonprofit in January 2001. Our mission was to advance public education about the conditions for women working in the maquiladoras at the US-Mexico border.
In 2018, the Board broadened our mission to focus on social justice education. This was a response to the shocking policies of the Trump administration which revoked DACA, arrested, jailed and deported long term undocumented residents, spent millions to build walls and further militarize the border, and separated children from migrant asylum seekers at the border.
We remain committed to the empowerment of women in the border maquiladoras, and to public awareness of how free trade and immigration law and practices affect vulnerable people and communities.
Social Justice Education on the Web
Since it’s founding, Women on the Border has believed in the power of the internet as a tool for social justice education and organizing. We launched our first website in 2001. In celebration of our 20th anniversary we are excited to be going public with a new, re-designed, and up-to-date website as well as an enhanced presence on Facebook and Instagram. We even, at last, have our own logo.
We are working to expand and improve the online resources that are offered on the website. We’ve recently added a section of helpful links for legal advocates and others working to support asylum seekers, as well as a bibliography for scholars and others interested in furthering their knowledge of border issues.
Women on the Border is committed to using the internet and social media as sites of solidarity, learning and dialogue that will continue to inspire and those working for justice and human dignity at the border.
Delegations
Women on the Border’s history includes co-producing weekend delegations to the Mexican border with our friends from Austin Tan Cerca de la Frontera and the Comité Fronterizo Obrer@s.
Delegates met maquiladora workers in their homes, heard their stories, and learned about their efforts to hold company owners accountable for violations of Mexican labor law.
We wanted people to know that NAFTA had failed working families and that while the companies that moved to the border raked in profits, the workers left behind in the U.S., or those taking their jobs in Mexico, did not fare as well.
Solidarity & Community Engagement
For over a decade, Women on the Border has been a supporter of the annual Women and Fair Trade Festival in Austin. Our friends at Austin Tan Cerca de la Frontera produce this cultural event showcasing beautiful items made by women’s cooperatives like Fuerza Unida and Jolom Mayaetik.
Our Board members are actively involved with other community organizations. Two of us volunteer for Refugee and Immigrant Center for Legal and Educational Services (RAICES) which delivers legal services at detention centers. Another volunteers for the Austin Sanctuary Network Accompaniment Team. Another is active with People Made Visible, which uses artistic events to educate and celebrate immigrant communities. We also fundraise for those needing help paying for legal costs or for COVID related food and shelter needs, in Texas and West Chicago through groups like Interfaith Welcome Coalition and Immigrant Solidarity DuPage.
For the past three years, we have funded and purchased holiday gifts for the refugee women and their children residing at Posada Esperanza, the family shelter of Austin’s Casa Marianella.
