Podcasts about kino border initiative

Armando Contreras is the National president and CEO of United Cerebral Palsy Inc. The organization has 55 affiliates, 53 of which are here in the United States and two are in Canada. Armando grew up in East Los Angeles and then attended college at the University of Southern California where he obtained a degree in Business Administration. Later he secured a Master's degree in Divinity from the University of San Francisco.   Armando has worked both in the for profit world as well as for and with several nonprofit organizations. He tells us about all his life adventures including being a cancer survivor now for ten years.   Mr. Contreras and I have a great discussion about his vision for UCP which this year is celebrating its 75th anniversary. Along the way, UCP expanded services beyond just working with persons with Cerebral Palsy. As he explains, the same kinds of services required by people with CP also apply to persons with Downs and Autism.   I hope what Armando discusses with me inspires you as much as it did me. Please let me know what you think.     About the Guest:   Armando A. Contreras is the President and CEO of the Washington, D.C. and Vienna, Virginia-based United Cerebral Palsy Inc., one of the nation's leading health associations providing vital services and advocating for the inclusion of people living with neurodevelopmental disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, autism, and Down syndrome via its 55 affiliates (53 in the U.S. and two in Canada).   A native of Los Angeles, Armando's professional career includes having served as CEO of UCP of Central Arizona, President and CEO of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (AZHCC), Director of the Arizona Registrar of Contractors, and Executive Director of the Council on Small Business under former Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano.   He was featured in Activator Magazine's March 2021 issue (“A Servant Leader's Faithful Journey”). In November 2016, Arizona Business Magazine recognized him as a top CEO in the nonprofit health sector. In 2015, Armando was named one of the most Influential Minority Business Leaders in Arizona. He was also the featured CEO in the December 2013 issue of Arizona Business Magazine, and the Phoenix Business Journal awarded him a Champions in Diversity award in 2012. Armando was a special guest on The Hill newspaper's virtual Disability Summit, featuring policymakers, business and nonprofit leaders discussing ways to increase employment across the disability community.   Armando attended the Harvard School of Business Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management program. In May 2001, he was honored to meet with President George W. Bush to discuss faith-based and community initiatives during a White House gathering on the topic.   Today, Armando serves on the Board of SourceAmerica. He is a former member of the Bishop's Finance Committee of the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, and he recently completed a term serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the Kino Border Initiative, a binational organization that promotes U.S.-Mexico border and immigration policies that affirm the dignity of the human person.   Armando earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Southern California and a master's degree in theology from the University of San Francisco. He also received certificates from the Indiana University School of Philanthropy and Harvard University.   He and his wife, Norma Contreras, live in Phoenix, where they are active in the community, particularly contributing their time and talents to faith-based social justice issues. The couple has three adult children and a grandson with another grandson on the way.       About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/   https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Welcome to another edition of unstoppable mindset where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet, and I won't go through all that again, it's inclusion because that means we include disabilities. Diversity typically doesn't, but the unexpected is what we get to deal with a lot as well. It's all fun, and we're glad that you're able to be here with us, wherever you happen to be. Our guest today is Armando Contreras, who is the president of United Cerebral Palsy, Inc, and I'm really anxious to hear more about that keeps keeps him, and I think a lot of us busy, and there's a lot of good stories and very relevant things to talk about regarding that. So let's get to it, Armando, I want to thank you and really appreciate you being here. Michael,   Armando Contreras ** 02:06 it's such a pleasure, and really it's an honor that I can be here on your show. So thank you for the kind invitation. Well, you   Michael Hingson ** 02:15 are. You're certainly most welcome, and Armando is one of those people who came to us again because of Sheldon Lewis here at accessibe, and he's he's keeping us busy, which is a good thing, and he's probably working on getting Armando to use accessibe, unless you already are with UCP. I haven't checked the website lately. Well, we   Armando Contreras ** 02:33 have. So we've already put in that, I believe, a plugin, and some of our affiliates are actually using accessibe as well,   Michael Hingson ** 02:43 which is cool, and it does a lot to help, which is, of course, what it's all about. Because accessibe, using AI, is able to do a lot of the work with the AI widget, not all, but a lot that needs to be done. So it's really great that you guys are using it, and I appreciate that and thank you for it, or on behalf of all of us at accessibe, yeah,   Armando Contreras ** 03:04 you're welcome. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 03:06 why don't we start as I love to do at the beginning? Why don't tell us a little bit about kind of the early Armando growing up and all that sort of stuff? Yes, so might as well,   Armando Contreras ** 03:18 yeah, the early Armando, growing up, was in East Los Angeles, in East LA so my father had a disability for most of his life. He had a he was in a car accident, and the doctors had said he would never work again. And right about that time when he had that car accident. I was born. I was the first, the oldest of three and my brother Louis and my sister Elizabeth. So life really changed for him, because he was middle class entrepreneur in Mexico, while he was American citizen. Then when he married my mom, then they moved over to Los Angeles, and eventually East Los Angeles, and that's where I grew up. I grew up pretty much in, you can say, in poverty. And while we were in a neighborhood called in Barrio, it's just a neighborhood of of, really, for the most part, a lot of good people. Our neighbors were fantastic, and we knew each other. So that was kind of like the beginning of many years of really, you know, experiencing disabilities with my dad and seeing what he had gone through. And it was a it was a tough, really. It was a tough. It was tough growing up, let me put it to you that way, for for many reasons. So then later, I got involved with the Catholic Church, Saint Lucy. Catholic Church in Los Angeles or a small town called City terrace, and that kind of that really changed a lot for me, as far as getting involved with community issues, getting involved in helping people, getting involved in connecting with the kind of the local issues that were happening in the city of Los Angeles, because those priests, those Catholic priests, were very involved in that, in ministries, and they went outside of the ministries to help community members, regardless if they were Catholic or not, what. And prior to that, I got involved as a musician. So I was a trumpet player, and I played trumpet at St Lucy's church for about 23 years. But then that that did something, something of sort of a miracle for me, because when I applied after going to a junior college in Los Angeles College, and then I applied to a dream university, USC, so the University of Southern California, and I think one of the big reasons that I got in was because of my community involvement, so that that led to a full scholarship, and that was quite the blessing for me, because there was no way that that we can afford me going to a private university. So, you know, that's kind of like, in the nutshell, my my upbringing, otherwise I would be here three days, you know,   Michael Hingson ** 06:30 yeah, what year? What years were you at USC,   Armando Contreras ** 06:34 I was there. I was there in 8085 through 87 ish, around that time? Yeah, around that that time? Yeah, I graduated in 87   Michael Hingson ** 06:46 that's that's much beyond my favorite USC football game, which was, how was it? I think Notre Dame was leading SC 24 to nothing at the end of the first half. You know, the game, I can tell by the end, it was 55 to 24 USC, which is the way it should be.   Armando Contreras ** 07:07 You know, SC had his great moments, and sc has had their challenging moments. Has Yeah. So, you know, last year, it could have been a better year for us. But, you know, we look to the future. And like I always say, don't fight on. So fight on   Michael Hingson ** 07:23 is right. My wife did her graduate work at SC I've never been to a football game there or anywhere, and one of these days, I'd love to go, but she just passed away in November of 2022 we were married for 40 years, but I've already been an SC fan before I married her, and one of my favorite SC stories is that the day we got married, we arrived at the church, and it was supposed to be a wedding that would pack the church. A lot of people wanted to come and see us get together, but the wedding was supposed to start at four o'clock, and like the church was less than half full on about 412 suddenly the doors opened, and this whole crowd came in, and the wedding went forward, only about 15 minutes late. Later, we tried to find out what it was that kept people away for so long. And what we heard was everyone was in their cars waiting for the end of the USC Notre Dame game. And since SC one, it was that God clearly was on our side.   Armando Contreras ** 08:25 I love that. Yeah, it's a great story. And my my sister, condolences for loss.   Michael Hingson ** 08:31 Well, thank you. You know she her body was just slowing down. She was in a wheelchair her whole life, and just in 2022, things were kind of catching up. And as I say, the spirit tends to move ahead of the body sometimes, and that's what happened. But she's watching somewhere, and if I misbehave, I'll hear about it. I'm not at all worried I'm going to try to be a good kid. But that's great that she did go to USC, and you said something else. I think that's really interesting to me, and that is that where you grew up, people were very nice and very friendly. And I think that is so often true, and a lot of times people stray into some of these areas and they think it's going to be horrible, and they they look for the worst, and they find it because they're not looking for the best. They're not looking to try to find friendly people and and it's so unfortunate that too many, too many times, we don't really look for the best in people. And unfortunately, then it comes out.   Armando Contreras ** 09:34 Well, you know, I I could only say great things about East LA and the barrio that I, that I grew up in, were there elements in there? Of course, sure you were, we were about a block away from from the gang activity, and you just had a choice, right? And thanks to my parents that were super strict, they didn't, they didn't allow me to make those kind of choices when I was younger. You know. To join the gangs, but that element was in front of you, you know, and some of them, some of the folks I still know today, some of them that were in gangs and stuff, now they've settled down. They have families, but I just have to say that there was a sense of community there where I grew up, even, even, or despite the elements that were around us. So yes, do I hear the negativity when they somebody mentions East Los Angeles? Yes, but I could, I have to say that even though we grew up in poverty and even though there was a lot of challenges for us as a family, I I really cherish the neighbors that were there. When I remember that the kind of those gatherings, we had nothing. So there was no we played, you know, with just a regular basketball or something. There was no communication via a cell phone or anything like that. Yeah. So, you know, I have only good things to say. And part of my upbringing there today, I realized that wow, I was I was working on a strategic plan without even knowing what a strategic plan was back in the day. Yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 11:17 Do you think that today it's harder, or there's more of that kind of activity, or is it just that people are now having their attention drawn more to it, and again, still, I think all too often deal with it in such a negative way. But do you think it's worse than it was?   Armando Contreras ** 11:36 I mean, if we're talking about, if we're talking about gang activity. I mean that still, I think, is just as prominent that today, unfortunately, than what it was this as it was back. You know, when I grew up in the night, in the 60s, I believe that leaders, community leaders, our representatives, really have to invest into communities, invest in education, invest in in jobs, right? Because people, naturally, some of them, will start looking for a way of making a living, and they may choose a different route. In addition to that, gangs and they become a family. So, you know, parents do need to, you know, also be aware of what their kids are doing, and support them and and nurture them and show them love, right? And because, if you really get to the bottom of it, and you start speaking to a gang member, she or he, there's underlining problems, and maybe comes from family. You know, there could be so many things that are happening, but I truly have a vision that that someday there's going to be more funds invested into communities like East Los Angeles, because a lot of great people come out of there, and I'm not talking about myself, but there's just a lot of good people, good hearted people, that really like to help their neighbor and others. When   Michael Hingson ** 13:10 I was selling in New York, when still living in California, and would go back and spend days at a time, I stayed at a particular hotel in midtown Manhattan, Near Time Square, and if I went out at night, every so often, somebody would come up and he would say, I'm one of the guardian angels. You're familiar with them? Yes. And he said, I'm with guardian angels. I want to walk with you. And I said, you know, you don't need to. And he said, I want to. And I didn't mind, but what I always felt and and experienced was if I treated people right, if I treated people like people, if I was I was treated like someone, and I didn't really need to fear any of the other kinds of things. Now, I'm sure there were crazies around, but in general, I really do think that if we would be a little bit more open to just accepting and not fear so much those things that we don't understand, or those kinds of communities that we're not as knowledgeable about, and I'm not so much thinking of the gangs, but just all the other communities, like East LA and watts and so on, we would be a whole lot better off, and we would learn to get along with people better.   Armando Contreras ** 14:31 I totally agree with that. I think it's building relationships, right, and getting to help and getting to know, you know, folks from different ethnicities, people with different abilities, right? It all comes together. Here is that, knowing them, respecting them, listening for understanding, and then building a friendship, right? And collaborating together. Um. For the betterment of humanity. That's what I believe, where it's at, and everybody has an opportunity to do that.   Michael Hingson ** 15:08 Yeah, and I just think that we, we, we somehow also need to get the politics out of providing the funds. And I don't know, it's just people have locked themselves into some very hard political decisions sometimes that that don't help the process at all.   Armando Contreras ** 15:26 Yeah? Michael, so yes, yes. Part of it is yes, taking out the politics, but the other part of it is bringing in the politics right? Is letting our our representatives, our public officials, and on the local level, on the municipality level, state level, on the federal level, to bring them in and know what the issues are, because we're all part of the fabric of society. Yeah, all somehow we do give, and we do contribute, and I don't, I don't care what ethnicity, what religion you are, if you if you have a disability, if you don't have a disability, we're all part of the society, and I believe that our representatives really need to know that and how we contribute in a very big way.   Michael Hingson ** 16:16 I think the biggest part is they need to be open to listening to hear that some do, some don't. And I am a firm believer in the fact that over time, all the issues that we need to deal with will get dealt with.   Armando Contreras ** 16:30 I believe so too, and I think those that those that don't listen to communities, for whatever reason it is that eventually somebody in their family or them may end up in that situation themselves, and then, you know, they'll begin to have that lived experience. But while they've had a chance to make a difference, and if they ignore it, then there was a window of opportunity for them to do something.   Michael Hingson ** 17:01 Yeah, well, and, and if they choose to ignore that again, I believe that things will will happen to deal with that, whatever it is, and hopefully it it doesn't a negative, horrible thing that has to happen to make them realize it. But I think in some cases, that has been what has occurred. But I have a lot of faith in the human race. Yes, so do I. Well, so you, what was your degree in from USC?   Armando Contreras ** 17:29 It was in business administration.   Michael Hingson ** 17:32 Ah. And did you go to any football games?   Armando Contreras ** 17:35 I did, yeah, good   Michael Hingson ** 17:36 for you. My wife did too. Yeah.   Armando Contreras ** 17:38 And, and most recently, most recently, I've gone to the last two USC UCLA games. So last year, it was great. It was fantastic. We were at the Rose Bowl at, you know, in UCLA territory this year, not so good. We were so good, not so good. We were at home at the Coliseum. And, you know, it didn't, it didn't work at a while, but it was a fun game. I   Michael Hingson ** 18:04 don't know, what do you think of the coach?   Armando Contreras ** 18:07 Um, I think that he's good, and I think that he will continue to be successful this year, this next year. I think it will be better this year. Yeah, I think so. And they got this young, this young man that showed up at the at the bowl game. I'm trying to remember Miller. I think it was Miller, and it was his name, and he showed up. He was a he, he did a fantastic job. And I do see a great future for him at USC and perhaps in in the in the NFL.   Michael Hingson ** 18:40 Well, it'll be fun. I know they got a new defensive coordinator and that they needed, so we'll, we'll see how it goes. But we won't bore everyone with football and our likes, but it's nevertheless, it's part of the world. So there you go, but then you went on to the University of San Francisco, right?   Armando Contreras ** 19:01 I did. So that was a few years later, and I graduated, I believe, in 2004 and I it was, it was something that drew me, and it was an opportunity for me to get a degree in Theology at a Jesuit university. So at that time, I was working for a faith based Catholic organization, a national organization called the National Catholic council for Hispanic ministry. And what we looked at overall in the United States were the issues of upper mobility for Hispanic Catholics for immigrants, or for our sisters and brothers that are immigrants, the issues that are happening with Hispanic families, education was a huge thing. You know, how do we how do we move, you know, our children that from, you know, grammar school to. Catholic high schools and perhaps Catholic universities were, yeah, unfortunate. Unfortunately, I have to say, is that there's not a whole lot of access, and we're the backbone of the Catholic Church, right? Because it's so expensive. So those were the things that that we were part of, and one of the opportunities that came about was attending the University of San Francisco and and I received, you know, I earned a degree in theology, master's degree, yes,   Michael Hingson ** 20:32 well, let's go back a little bit. So you graduated from SC then what did you do?   Armando Contreras ** 20:37 Well, then I had several jobs after that. I worked for a nonprofit in Los Angeles that helped people get jobs. And then after that, I believe, I went into a construction company as a contract administrator. I was here for maybe a year and a half or so, and then I went on for whatever reason I was interested in real estate. So then I worked for a corporation that did mortgage loans. And in that I met a gentleman who had his own real estate company, and then we decided to start our own real estate company. So I did that for about seven, seven years, and then I I got hired to work with this nonprofit, the National Catholic council that I just mentioned a little bit ago. I was there for about 10 and a half years. So I had I had a chance to travel around the nation and to meet with Hispanic Catholic leaders, lay leaders. I got to meet with religious orders of men and women from Jesuits, Franciscans, many other different orders. So it was, it was really a insightful time for me in those 10 and a half years about our church. And then after that, we moved from Los Angeles to Phoenix. And shortly after that, I got hired. Let's see here. I'm trying to remember the I got hired by governor Janet Napolitano, but I was her small business advocate, and in about 11 months, I moved into being a deputy director of a one of her departments, the Arizona register of contractors, and soon after that, I was on her cabinet. So I was honored to serve under Janet Napolitano when she moved to Washington, DC, because President Barack Obama appointed her as Secretary of Homeland Security. Then I moved on to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, here Arizona, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. And then about a year later, then that's where I had folks come to me and said, there's an organization here that is the United Cerebral Palsy association of central Arizona. And I said, Well, I'm going to maybe put the word out and see who might be interested in that position, which was a CEO position. And then they said, No, we're looking for somebody like you. So to make a long story short, I got hired. And that was really a beginning of of a lot of things. I got hired not because I had the clinical background, or the researcher background, or that I had been involved with disabilities. I got hired so then I can take take that organization to another level, where they wanted to increase the revenues, they wanted to increase their brand awareness. They wanted to make sure that we had stronger collaborations in the community in Arizona, in in Phoenix, and that's why I got hired, to make sure that we enhance that to benefit the children and adults that we were serving.   Michael Hingson ** 24:05 Well. So what do you think about the differences since you've been in a position to have done both working in the for profit corporate kind of world, as opposed to working in the the nonprofit sector? That's,   Armando Contreras ** 24:21 that's Michael. That's a really interesting question, because there are similarities,   Michael Hingson ** 24:27 I know, and I've done the same thing. I've worked for both as well. Well,   Armando Contreras ** 24:31 look, you know, I'm working for a nonprofit, and those that are going to be listening to this, that are CEOs are working in development for both for profits and nonprofits. There's not a whole there's not a big difference there. Because we strive to be sustainable, like a for profit. We strive to look at years to come, because we want to be around and help people in the next 1015, 75, Years which we we're celebrating this year, our 75th anniversary. So part of our responsibility as a leader, as a president and CEO, is really looking beyond the years that you're going to be there. You can, you can serve for one year, 10 years, 20 years, 30 years. But really the i i truly believe that the test is, once you leave, will that organization continue to survive because of what you put together? So to answer your question, a lot of similarities between a for profit and a non profit. However, at the end of the day, the mission for us is to not make a profit, but to be sustainable so we can continue our life saving work   Michael Hingson ** 25:49 and for not, not for profits. Nonprofits generally tend to work more in an arena where they're trying to make a social difference. And although they're they're still selling products. The products are different. They're oftentimes less tangible, although a lot of the services that that they provide, like UCB, UCP provides and so on, end up being very tangible, but still there's there's an intangibility, but still, I agree with you that the reality is that they're very similar. Development is extremely similar to what a for profit company does. And in reality, when you're in development, you're in sales, and when you're in sales, you're in development, it's just that people have come up with two words for the same thing, but they're so similar in what you ultimately are trying to get from them, and ultimately, how you present to people who you want to be your customers or your donors, is so much the same as well.   Armando Contreras ** 27:00 Yeah, I agree with you, Michael, so in development, because I also have a background in fundraising, it's aligning with the folks that have the same vision and that would want to contribute for an impact that's happening in society. So with United Cerebral Palsy and our affiliates are providing direct services to children and adults with cerebral palsy and many other conditions. So there are people that are very, very generous, but I have to say that in the world of philanthropy now, donors are becoming a lot more informed, and they want to make sure that the dollar that they're going to donate, that it's going to go a long way. Yeah, so obviously they're looking at at administrative costs versus your program program costs, right? And that's a good thing. I encourage the philanthropic community to do that, to do their research and to pick those nonprofits in the United States or maybe around the world that are really making a huge impact. Michael, we we serve 100 and approximately 155,000 children and adults on an annual basis, and this is our affiliates that are working day in and day out to provide those services, vital services, life saving services, and services that maybe other organizations don't or people don't want to do. So those are the things that that people that are going to invest their return is really what's happening in the lives of 1000s and hundreds of 1000s of people. Many,   Michael Hingson ** 28:45 many years ago, I remember watching a little bit of a telethon. It was actually on Channel 13 out here, kcop, and it was back in what had to be the early to mid 80s, I think, and it was a telethon put on by the Society for the Prevention of blindness, which I don't even know whether they're around anymore, but at the end of the telethon, they had raised, I think, like $200,000 it was a local, Just independent television station doing it. But what we learned was that 95% of the cost of the telethon went to pay for it, and that the organization only ended up with about 5% of that $200,000 which is, of course, a real problem.   Armando Contreras ** 29:39 It is so like I mentioned before, is that today you're having more informed donors, right, that are looking at that ratio, right? Yeah, how much of their dollar is going to go to actual services, right? Versus cost for putting on a. For putting like you mentioned, a telethon today, there's not a whole lot of telethons going on. Have a million channels, but back in the day, I remember the channels 13, 574, and maybe 11 nine. Yeah, 11 nine. So there was a few more today. What do you have? 234, 100, and then more and all of that. There's other ways that I certainly believe that that can be as impactful and less expensive than the telethons. But sure, you bring up a really good point, is that if you're going to, if you're a donor, if you're a philanthropist, if you really want to have your money change people's lives, they have to do some homework. Yeah, they have to look at that nonprofit and to make sure that 90% of your dollars not going into it, and 90% is not going into it, administrative expenses. It   Michael Hingson ** 30:55 may well be that that 90% works or maybe a little bit less. You're spending a little bit more money on administration, if you can justify it, to say, but look out of that we are able to reach more people and thus get more money. But I do think it's, it's a it's a tight rope.   Armando Contreras ** 31:20 Yeah, I definitely agree with that, that you have to be strategic when you're out fundraising and your your case statement really has to be where it's so compelling that and then showing the data and and and bringing children and adults to tell their story, right of how their lives have been changed. Those are the storytelling is really part, one part, or a major part, of development and fundraising.   Michael Hingson ** 31:56 Well, tell us a little bit about UCP, the history and so on, if you would to inform more people about it.   Armando Contreras ** 32:02 Well, one, you know, I'm, I'm so excited to share with everybody that we're celebrating our 75th anniversary, right? Uh, 75 years of providing vital services, right? 75 years of having our direct service professionals, the folks that are working at home, under the home community based services. We have we have pre Ks, the different therapies that are out there. We have group homes, we have transportation, we have employment. There's so many things that we're bringing to the community. But it started in 1949 right? It started with concerned citizens and concerned parents, that they felt that in that time, which was a totally different world for people with disabilities, that they felt that something more had to happen, that no more can society or the doctors or people in authority can say, would your kids have to go to an institution no matter if they had Down syndrome? Well, maybe autism wasn't. Were so prevalent back then, maybe not as prevalent, but cerebral palsy, spinal bifid, all of that that their kids suddenly were taken away from their home.   Michael Hingson ** 33:22 Well, my parents were told by our doctors that they should send me to a home when it was discovered I was blind, and my parents rejected that, which was very fortunate, but   Armando Contreras ** 33:32 yeah, and good for your parents. And that's how it started, right? I think, I think a lot of nonprofits started in that way, but back in 1949 that's when a group of parents got together and said, we have to do something more right. Then today, we've evolved where we're in the disability world, there's greater access than there was before, there's more inclusion than there was before, right? We're trying at least that used because UCP national and our affiliates, we're trying to help people be more independent, if it's through legislation, research, therapies, everything that we're trying to do. And we're very we're very centric to those issues that are out there, and we're trying to make a huge difference. So what I'm looking at is, I'm looking at another 75 years and that United Cerebral Palsy. One we're trying to in here. Four goals. One is brand awareness. Also let folks know about our 75th year anniversary. But one of the bigger things Michael that is the challenge for us is that United Cerebral Palsy serves children and adults with cerebral palsy and other conditions, so we're trying to bring that message out. And figuring out, how can we let the community know that if your child has Down syndrome autism, that we are there providing vital services for for them as well. The next goal is development, or what we just spoke about, connecting with the philanthropic community, because we, while a lot of our affiliates rely on government funding and reimbursement, I believe that there's another level that we have to engage with, and that's the philanthropic community right. There are millions and millions of dollars. Michael, I go to this to a an event called the heckling event in Orlando, I've been going there for now five years, and those professionals that are working with Planned Giving, some of them will come to me and say that their clients don't know where to give their money to. That's why we're present there, and that's why other profits are there too, as well. Is that we need to educate the community that that you can actually invest in something that's going to bring back this return of investment, but more of a humanity return, and something that's going to be great for society. The other goal that we have is advocacy. So we're known throughout the federal government, the Biden administration, as well as the Trump administration community, communicated with us, especially during COVID So we had communications with the White House. We still do. We're engaged at the Congress and Senate level with various representatives and senators to make sure that they create legislation that's going to be beneficial for our for the for the disability community, and that we don't ever go back to the institutions that that would be their only option. Unfortunately, Michael, today, there's still institutions that exist, not as many as before, but there's still institution the last goal we have is to grow our footprint, not only nationally, but but internationally. So we're having discussions locally, in places that were not present, to grow our footprint, to see how we can collaborate. We're also having, I'm having conversations with people on the global level, like the International cerebral palsy society, like aacpdm, the Academy for cerebral palsy. I've been invited twice, once, well, I got invited last year to the International Congress on cerebral palsy in Mexico City, I got invited again. I was their president, and I gave a speech. And I got invited again this year, in March, I'll be in medida Yucatan at an international congress again, and that brings a lot of awareness for us, brand awareness, and the main thing is really collaboration. So I kind of touched upon some of the some of the goals, Michael, and some of the things that important things and vital things that our affiliates are doing. So if there's, if there's something else that you want me to elaborate, I'd be glad, more than glad to do. So how are   Michael Hingson ** 38:19 you working toward creating more and better brand awareness to the general population?   Armando Contreras ** 38:27 Well, one of the things that we're doing, given that we have this window of opportunity that we're celebrating our 75th year, and that begins in that started in February, and we'll go all the way through January 31 is that one, we have a lot of partners out there that are doing things like you're doing access to be right, that invited me on this program. And that's one of the beautiful things that in social media, it's not it's not very expensive for us to be out there. So we're using the media vehicles such as LinkedIn, Facebook and the others that are out there. And we're also using YouTube to spread the message out there. So we're we're also sharing the stories of our affiliates and their accomplishments and the people that are being served, the parents and their children, so they can share those great stories that sometimes are miracle stories because of the people that are serving them and providing quality services, care and love. So that's one vehicle. The other one is that I I was on 26 I traveled to 26 locations last year, so I'm also providing that message out there. And then within our affiliate network, they're also doing marketing, and they're doing. Brand awareness as well. So it's a whole it's really this whole core nation that we want, not only the nation, no, but globally. Let the people know who is you at UCP and United Cerebral Palsy,   Michael Hingson ** 40:16 what caused UCP to add in as part of the services that are provided, services for people with downs and autism, as opposed to just UCP   Armando Contreras ** 40:32 or UCP. Yeah, so if I go back to when I was at the local United Cerebral Palsy the UC central Arizona. It just happened to be that the programs, the same programs that were provided for children and adults with cerebral palsy, also were beneficial to other conditions. I'm not a researcher, but when there's a breakthrough in cerebral palsy or in autism or in a different condition, they try to see if that same breakthrough will help people with different conditions. What we do know is that the therapies that are being offered to children and adults with cerebral palsy, those same types of therapies are also impactful to other conditions. So what was happening is that, then parents started to to, I guess, the word went out, and what we have across the board in the United States is that we have a high percentage of non cerebral palsy clients, or we'll call them family members, that are are getting services because that's much needed. One Michael is like respite, like respite care. You know any, any family can use that rest, that respite care, no matter what the condition is. So if you're offering that, then you can offer it to the disability community, a broad range of of people that have various conditions,   Michael Hingson ** 42:13 which makes perfect sense, because a lot of the care that needs to be provided is very similar. Well, or is the same? Yes, well, you know, you, I understand, had a an involvement with cancer, and you survived that. How has that affected you and in your attitude? Because, clearly, you're a very sensitive person and very much involved in community and family and helping people. But what, what was the whole situation with you in cancer?   Armando Contreras ** 42:42 You know, I think it's that. I think that's, it's the experience that all people go through when they first hear that you have cancer, right? First thought is, are you going to survive? You know, the first, first thing that comes to you is that it's, it's terminal, right? You're not going to get through it. You know this when you hear news like that, and you know, maybe it's the same as parents hearing that their child has cerebral palsy or disability, you know, you just, you just, it's a scary moment. It's a scary time. So what? Yeah, it was a difficult time for me and for my family, especially, I think my family knowing that I had transitional carcinoma, high grade, and it was a it was a tumor in my bladder that was nine and a half centimeters. I haven't really talked about it a lot, but it's been 10 years. So February, when I had seen that as a suggestion, like you want to talk about that, my first thought was, No, I think I'm going to skip it. But a few seconds later, I said, maybe it's time for me to share with the community, because it's been 10 years since I was diagnosed so and I'll try to make this short, I got diagnosed huge tumor. They had asked me if I wanted that tumor to be taken out, otherwise I could die. And I said, of course. So they took out the tumor. I had a brilliant surgeon that did that. And then after that, they basically said to me that if I don't, if I don't do radical surgery, taking out my bladder, taking out some lymph nodes, my prostate, that I wouldn't live very long, that I had really, like a 35% chance or less to live. So I had said that I wanted to put a pause on this rush, and that perhaps there's an option out there, perhaps there was another way, because I knew that billions of dollars have been raised for cancer. And maybe because this is a whole new journey for me, that the cure was somewhere out there. Well, after going to five different doctors for second opinions, they all said the same to me, that I only had one choice, and that choice radical surgery. And even after that, even after that, I was still I was confused, I was scared, but I was still. There was a pause that I felt that maybe there was something out there. So thanks to my sister, she really saved my life. She connected me with the scientists that she was researching, and that scientist said, you know, I only, I've only done lab studies on this particular oil called frankincense oil. I haven't done any clinical studies, and today, Michael, there's still no clinical studies on frankincense oil. So I started doing that three months after they they took the tumor out. I had 20 more tumors come back in my bladder. But they were small. They were lesions. So I just asked them to scrape, scrape them. The doctors were furious with me. I get it. I mean, that was, that was a protocol. I totally get it, you know. But something, people say that I had a lot of courage. I'm not sure if it was, like just something, it could have been something was telling you. I mean, I definitely there was a lot of prayer during that time. Yeah, a lot of prayer happening at that time. I just couldn't see myself dying, and I didn't want that to happen. So just to kind of, like, kind of close on this is that when those 20 tumors came back, they scraped them. They were supposed to be a lot more coming back, or it was going to invade my body. Three months later, I had nothing, absolutely nothing. Three months after that, I had six lesions come back, and that was March of 2015, so it's been nine years since the last reoccurrence. It's been 10 years since I was diagnosed, and I get checked very often. Once a year in the beginning, I would go in and get checked every three months. So it's been quite the miracle. But I have to say, this is that one I changed. I had changed my diet at the time for about four and a half years, I was strictly doing a lot of juicing, no sugar, a lot of prayer, a lot of family love, a lot of support. I did the frankincense oil. So I think in a comprehensive way, that helped me, and that gave me another option. And I'm very grateful for that, and I'm very grateful that every day I wake up and I say to God, thank you for sparing me. But on the advocacy side, Michael, I just didn't leave it there. I've had conversations with with the with the University of Arizona, with the Arizona State University, with Cancer Centers of America, with St Joseph's Hospital, with my alma mater, USC, and the last conversation I had was with Georgetown University, and these were top CEOs. And I was sharing my documentation, because I have it all there. But sadly, I have to say that they're not interested. They're not interested in a cure, and I'll continue to pursue it when the opportunity continues on, but it's only my story, and I didn't want to leave it where. Well, Lord, thank you so much. You know it never came back, so thank you. No, I have a responsibility to figure out some ways, somehow, that my my story, can turn into a clinical study, and that someday, and maybe not in my my time, that there's going to be an option for millions of people that will contract cancers. So that's my story in a nutshell. Thank you for asking.   Michael Hingson ** 49:04 So what did the frankincense oil actually do? I assume that you feel it was a very significant part of your ability to deal with it.   Armando Contreras ** 49:12 Yeah, it's a good question, because medically, I can't tell you, because we haven't done right? Yeah, we haven't done clinical studies. And I've been, I've been asking these universities and these hospitals and these cancer firms, you know that are out there, and said, Why don't we do the clinical studies so you can so you can see exactly what it did. I can't tell you that what it did. The only thing I can tell you is that is that as they, as they as they took samples of the cancerous tumors. So you had the big tumor, and then the 20 small tumors, and then you had the six lesions that, according to the scientists, dr, dr Lynn, HK Lynn, what he did see is that the cancer cells were becoming less aggressive. And at the end, some of the cancer cells actually turn into good cells. Now, you know, people can believe that or not. I'm I'm okay with that. Sure, only thing I'm saying, Michael is that there should be, there should be clinical studies on this, because I believe it would save hundreds of 1000s of lives. What was it? We don't know. Was it the combination? Is it the combination of me juicing on a daily basis for four and a half years? Was it that, as a Catholic, you know, I was going through all the different sacraments, prayers and healing masses? So I believe there was a holistic healing process. And then my family that was supporting me during a very difficult time,   Michael Hingson ** 50:49 sounds to me like it's time to write a book.   Armando Contreras ** 50:54 I've I've been asked many times, and I think when I think, when, when I feel that, that when I'm ready for that, that, yeah, that's that will happen.   Michael Hingson ** 51:03 Yes, you've got to, you've got to feel ready and feel that it's the right time. But that might be one way to bring visibility to it. Yes, well, you know, you you value family a lot. I understand that there are music connections in your family, has music always been a part of your life or   Armando Contreras ** 51:24 or, yeah, I think I think so. I think that. Well, I know so, because when I was the trumpet player, young trumpet player at St Lucy's Catholic Church, a few years later, my lovely wife, Norma, joined the choir. I didn't know she was married, but she joined the choir. And you know, we have this thing that she doesn't agree with me, but I say, hey, when I when I met you, when I seen you, was love at first sight. And and I said, but not for you. It took a while. And she says, no, no, but so So music, I was playing trumpet, normal was singing. And then later we got married, and then we had our first child. Was Andrea, Andrea Michelle, our daughter, our beautiful daughter, who's with child today, her and her husband, Fabian. So she knew that in our home there was a lot of music happening, and if it was church or at home. And then our second child, Armando, Michael, he started catching on a little bit, but we started to notice that he started to sing and sing right in tune. And then we said, hey, maybe there's something here. So his first recital in Los Angeles, he's saying pop by the Sailor Man and over the rainbow. And he did pretty good. So later he joined as a as a young child, you know, five years old, he joined the choir at St Lucy's. And then we moved. We moved from, we moved from Los Angeles over to Phoenix, Arizona, which was a great blessing being here. And we then were exploring how we can continue to support his talent. And he joined the Grammy Award winning Phoenix boys choir, and that's where he began to sing. Got to meet some wonderful people. They had wonderful directors there, and had a great experience. That experience led him to fall in love with the classics. Oh, there he began to be part of some of the local, local opera performances. So to make a long story short, Norma, my wife and I supported him. He went to the Cleveland Institute of Music, from there in vocals, and then from there, he went to the University of Missouri in Kansas City for his masters. And today he's a professional opera singer. He's a baritone. So it's it's been amazing. All our kids are amazing. I also have to mention that our youngest Andrew, Matthew. He went to Gonzaga University and then graduated from Lewis and Clark in clinical psychology. He's worked with a lot of kids with disabilities. He's a drummer and he's a guitar player. So yes, music is a big part of our family.   Michael Hingson ** 54:28 Well, it is getting to be that time of the year that Gonzaga will become visible again as we get back down to march madness. I actually, I actually had the pleasure of going up there once to speak and and I hadn't really known a lot about Gonzaga at the time, and they were the ones who told me, however, one always said, Where is Gonzaga? You know what? What kind of a place is it? And so I've kept up with it ever since, but it is kind of funny that their basketball team is good. Yeah.   Armando Contreras ** 54:59 Yeah, it's a, it's a beautiful place. It's a great Jesuit university. We, I, you know, he had a great experience. This is Andrew. He had a great experience out there. So, yes, I totally agree. Yeah, we had a chance to go out to Bob, trying to remember the city here. Spokane, yeah, yeah, yeah. Spokane, various times with him,   Michael Hingson ** 55:25 that's pretty cool. Well, so is he professionally doing music now? No, so,   Armando Contreras ** 55:30 So Andrew, our youngest, he's professionally now a clinical psychologist. Ah, yeah, now and now. Armando, Michael, he is a professional opera singer, right? And that's what he does. So, you know, his, his, one of his dreams, is going to be singing at the Metropolitan Ooh, we do see that perhaps happening within a year or two, because they he'll be, right? He'll be auditioning for that, probably very soon, and he's very young. He's just 34 years old.   Michael Hingson ** 56:03 So that'd be super What would you like people to know about the disability community in general, when we think about disabilities, you know, when there's so many prejudices, what would you like people to know and in terms of disabilities and how to maybe change attitudes, yeah,   Armando Contreras ** 56:23 well, they're definitely part of the fabric of society, and we, nobody, not me, or anybody else in in any organization, can speak for them. We need to allow for them and give them that opportunity and space to voice their concerns, to voice whatever joy they have, to voice things that we need to hear in our community. We have to provide while we're here in the United States, and there's been laws that have been enacted, enacted that laws now have to be updated. We have antiquated laws that do not even pay people with disabilities even minimum wage, right? So, so that we really have to be conscious of a community that is part of our society. We need to engage. Furthermore, we have to collaborate. We need them as public, public officials. They need to run for office, right? Some of them do. They have to be part of the decision making, decisions that are being made from all levels of government, all levels of corporation, all levels of nonprofits. And that's the way, that's the way I really see it. Is that, and we also have to have breakthroughs in research, right? What are some of the things that that we can do so we can those lives can be more that they would have more of a more access, right? That even if you go to certain states in the United States that I've been, there's not even accessibility for wheelchairs. And just speak about the airlines, right? How, how and why are people thinking in those corporations that a person that has a disability can easily go into their bathrooms. There's no way, right flying, especially if it's a long flight. So no, there's, there's been some great things Michael that have, that have evolved and happened through a collaboration of a lot of advocates, and a lot of them are self advocates, but we still have a long way to go.   Michael Hingson ** 59:08 Yeah, and I think that's absolutely true. So what is UCP Inc doing to celebrate its 75th anniversary? What kinds of plans do you have and where do you go from here?   Armando Contreras ** 59:19 Well, we do have a an annual conference coming up in Orlando, and this year in April. So that's a good thing for us, you know. But the bigger thing for us is to celebrate is really bringing that education, bringing that awareness of what we're doing, not only in here in the United States, but we also have affiliates in Canada. So as we celebrate, part of our celebration is educating the society about exactly what we do and please, you know, knock on our door for for help. So that's that's really part of it. The other part of it is acknowledge. Gene, the folks that started UCP back in 1949 right? Like the, like the golden sins, and also the housemans and many others that that have helped us get through the 75 years.   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:18 Yeah, well, it's, a great milestone to be able to celebrate 75 years, and I am sure that you, with your background, is very concerned about making sure that there is great sustainability for the future, which is really important and cool that you're thinking about that, because it's something that always needs to be with us in whatever we're doing. That's a good thing. Any kind of last thoughts that you have that you want to convey to people who are listening or watching us.   Armando Contreras ** 1:00:51 Yes, one is first, I want to share my gratitude for inviting me, Michael. And then second, please reach out to us the disability community. Please find us@ucp.org we may be in your backyard. If there are organizations out there that want to become an affiliate of United Cerebral Palsy, please reach out to us as well. We are here. We want to continue to be here for the next 75 years, so that our community can be part and be an inclusive part of our society. That we can bring that help, bring that independence, but we can continue to see those miracles, that children that we're told, and families that were told that they would never walk. I've seen them walk, and were physicians that said to a mom and dad that their child would never move or never speak, and I've seen them hug their parents and tell them that they love them, right? And we want to continue to make those miracles happen through therapies, through early detection, through early intervention, all these forms of of of a reach that we have through United Cerebral Palsy in the United States and Canada and and watched for us in the near future as we begin to go global, and that's really a vision that that I have. But and also, again, is that it's important to know that we know that I know that, Michael, you know that is that everybody is a fabric at society, some way, somehow, no matter their abilities. And that's really important, important message for people to know.   Michael Hingson ** 1:02:43 I agree. Well, I want to thank you for being here with us and conveying all this information, and I hope people will take it to heart and that they'll support UCP and and reach out and learn more about the organization and that you are doing, and will continue to do a lot to just help people in general, with disabilities, which is cool. I appreciate that, and I want to thank Go ahead. No, no.   Armando Contreras ** 1:03:10 I just wanted to thank and I also want to thank accessibe, right? That's how we got here. So I really thank them for what they're doing and providing. I love their model that they have. They have a for profit, a for profit model. However, the services that they, that they provide for nonprofits, are free, and that's that's amazing. So we're really happy with the services, the access services for websites, the accessibility that they're providing for people in the disability community to have that access. Well,   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:48 thank you, and we're excited about the time ahead and and I think that's that's a good thing, and we'll all work to make it happen. Well, I want to thank everyone who was listening and watching today. We really appreciate it. I hope that you'll give us a five star rating wherever you're observing our podcast. We value that. Love it. If you'd reach out to me, give me your thoughts, your opinions and Armando for you and for all of our guests, our listeners and so on today, if you know of anyone else who ought to be a guest on unstoppable mindset, please let us know. Provide introductions. We're always looking for guests. You can reach out to me directly at Michael H, i@accessibe.com that's m, I, C, H, A, E, L, H, I at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S, I, B, e.com, or go to our podcast page, www dot Michael hinkson.com/podcast, and Michael Hinkson is spelled M, I C, H, A, E, L, H, I N, G, S o, n.com/podcast, so we really do value all the thoughts and and information and suggestions that people provide. Yeah, as I think I've mentioned to many of you before, I also do travel and speak, especially after September 11, 2001 if anyone needs a speaker, please reach out. You can get me easiest at speaker at Michael hingson.com but however you do it, you've got all sorts of ways to reach out to me. Love to hear from you. And you know, once again, Armando, I want to thank you very much for being here, and thank you for all of your time today.   Armando Contreras ** 1:05:24 Michael, thank you many blessings to you and your family, and many blessings to everybody out there who is going to listen to this podcast interview.   Michael Hingson ** 1:05:39 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

According to the Department of Justice's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, at least 70 percent of firearms found in crime scenes in Mexico can be traced back to the neighbors to the north.Some 250,000 people crossed the southern border into the U.S. in December of last year. The majority of those were people from Mexico.And survey data pulled by Reuters from the Kino Border Initiative, a large migrant shelter in Nogales, Mexico, shows that violence, not economic factors, is forcing many families to leave Mexico.We discuss what work is being done to stop the flow of guns into Mexico. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Earlier this season, it was our pleasure to welcome Joanna Williams, the Executive Director of the Kino Border Initiative (KBI), onto the podcast. KBI is a binational program in the border cities of Nogales, Sonora and Nogales, Arizona, which includes a shelter and soup kitchen for migrants, education and encounter programs, along with advocacy outreach in both the U.S. and Mexico. If you enjoyed hearing from her in Episode 2, here is the full interview. Joanna shares the story of what brought her to KBI in 2011 and the stories that continue to inspire her work. She reflects on how her migrant ministry is truly a vocation, and how that ministry has been enhanced and deepened through her own motherhood since the recent birth of her daughter. The full interview includes stories of the many artistic talents she's encountered among migrants, from a now “semi-famous” painter to many talented singers. She also reflects on persistence in the midst of adversity and offers her take on reframing migration in a more positive light through insights drawn from Catholic theology.

We are excited to welcome Joanna Williams, the Executive Director of the Kino Border Initiative (KBI). KBI is a binational program that includes a shelter and soup kitchen for migrants in Nogales, Senora, and education and encounter programs, along with advocacy outreach in both the U.S. and Mexico. Joanna shares the story of what brought her to KBI in 2011 and the stories that continue to inspire her work. She reflects on how her migrant ministry is truly a vocation, and how that ministry has been enhanced and deepened through her own motherhood since the recent birth of her daughter. Louie and Brian share the story of Pilar's vocation as a father, and the sacrifices he's made to support his family on their journey north from Honduras. They also share their own vocational calls to minister at the border. Brian's was a call born out of living in Nicaragua, spending a summer at KBI, and focusing on migration in theology studies. Louie's was a phone call from the provincial that came by surprise!

Pedro De Velasco joins Mike to discuss the issues at the southern border and his thoughts on asylum claim policies.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Advent challenges us to better prepare ourselves for the arrival of Jesus in our world. And this call to transformation resonates especially with the issue of immigration in the United States. Immigration reform has long eluded advocates seeking better policies for how the United States responds to the needs of more than 10 million people in the country without legal status, as well as the many people seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. Rep. Norma Torres of California discusses H.R. 8433, a bill that would use a small update in current immigration law to create transformative change in the lives of many people. And Sister Tracey Horan, S.P. shares her experiences ministering to people through the Kino Border Initiative. You can learn more about immigration policy, the Kino Border Initiative, and this episode's guests in these links. Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929 https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8433 NETWORK's support for updating the immigration registry date https://networklobby.org/news/catholic-lobby-backs-updating-immigration-provisions-of-the-immigration-act/ Biography of Rep. Norma Torres https://torres.house.gov/about/full-biography Kino Border Initiative https://www.kinoborderinitiative.org/ Biography of Sister Tracey Horan, S.P. https://spsmw.org/sister-profile/tracey-horan/ NETWORK's advocacy against Title 42 https://networklobby.org/news/80-catholic-sisters-and-activists-hold-prayer-vigil-outside-white-house-calling-on-president-biden-to-rescind-title-42-and-end-mpp/ Just Politics is sponsored by Loyola Press. https://www.loyolapress.com/ 

We are excited to welcome Sr. Tracey Horan, SP, the Associate Director of Education and Advocacy for the Kino Border Initiative in Nogales, AZ. Kino is a bi-national program that includes a shelter and soup kitchen for migrants in Nogales, Senora, and education and encounter programs, along with advocacy outreach in both the U.S. and Mexico. Sr. Tracey shares the challenges and hopes from Kino's initiatives to advocate for immigration reform. She offers examples of how experiences of students coming to visit the border or hearing migrant's stories helps to humanize the migrant experience and reshape the way people think about the issue. We share our own joys and frustrations (mostly frustrations…only frustrations??) with our attempts at advocacy phone calls with the staff of our representatives in Congress. And we talk about what it's like to be surrounded by pregnant women in a migrant shelter demanding help. Not something a pair of young priests are used to facing! But they are their own best advocates!

On this episode, Yvette interviews Pedro Velasco the Director of Education and Advocacy at the Kino Border Initiative about the state of the border under the ongoing horrific deployment of Title 42. They discuss the uncertainties that asylum seekers face under the Title 42 policy, call out the differential treatment given to US citizens allowed to freely travel, and break down how Title 42 violates international and US asylum law.

It seems, at times, that there is no humanity on the border, but Tracey Horan, SP from Kino Border Initiative, shows everyone that God's love abounds even in the face of injustice. On this week's episode, Samantha sits down with Tracey Horan, SP as she discusses Title 42 and the cruelty that she has witnessed on the border, and how people of faith can walk with and welcome the stranger.

it's Tuesday, I know, I'm sorry! I promise today's episode is worth the wait though! Today I am joined by the wonderful Ned Flanagan to learn about how he's carried on as a gap year student and the leader of a million UVA orgs. We discuss the work he did with the Kino Border Initiative (ex: preventing PTSD in migrant populations, building trust with vulnerable groups, the toll this work had on his mental health, etc.), time management, which member of the Harry Potter cast he's related to, and more... enjoy!Check out KBI here: https://www.kinoborderinitiative.org/PS: happy 10th "carry-on" episode:)

"There's nothing that I wouldn't give to just tear that wall down."- Sister Tracey Horan Season 4, Episode 3 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. LISTEN HERE: IN THIS EPISODE: In this episode of Messy Jesus Business, Sister Julia Walsh talks with Sister Tracey Horan about her journey from being a teenager arguing in favor of a border wall, to an educator and minister working on the border who wants the wall torn down. They discuss the problems with Title 42 and the importance of restoring asylum protections for those who need them. They touch on the human rights of migrants and the harsh realities for people traveling at the U.S./Mexico border. "Holding that tension of these painful experiences, and also accompanying people who have that desire to claim that right is a really tough, messy space to live in," Sister Tracey explains. They also discuss how the dangers of organized crime affect the poor and vulnerable, and how to advocate for justice and comprehensive immigration reform. Lastly, they consider community, and how to build it by being authentically present to another and working together in the mess. In this episode, Tracey and Sister Julia reference this blog post on Messy Jesus Business. Since this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast was recorded, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention renewed Title 42, to remain in effect indefinitely. Contemplative moment is from Luke 18:1-8.   ABOUT THE GUEST: Tracey Horan, S.P., is a Sister of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, and Associate Director of Education and Advocacy for the Kino Border Initiative in Nogales, Sonora and Arizona, where she has lived and worked since 2019. Sister Tracey has ministered with Latinx migrant communities in a variety of contexts for over a decade. She previously worked as a teacher and then as a community organizer, and has grappled with the gifts and challenges of intentional community living in a variety of contexts, including with biological family, Catholic Worker companions, and vowed Catholic Sisters from a variety of backgrounds. This fall, Sister Tracey will celebrate seven years as a religious sister. You can connect with Tracey and the Sisters of Providence on several social media channels. Tracey Horan on Facebook: @horantrl Sisters of Providence Facebook: @SistersofProvidence Instagram: @spsmw Twitter: @spsmw MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is produced and hosted by Sister Julia Walsh, and edited by Charish Badzinski. Email us at messyjesusbusiness@gmail.com BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness https://www.instagram.com/messyjesusbusiness Twitter: @messyjesusbiz SUPPORT US: https://www.patreon.com/messyjesusbusiness

We get a call from Nogales, a flash point in the current immigration debate on our country's borders.  Joanna Williams, Executive Director of the Kino Border Initiative shares how they seek to wade into the mess to care for people in a very difficult situation.  Simplistic answers don't solve complex problems, but we are still called to love our neighbor. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A record number of people have been attempting to cross the US-Mexico border this year, many of them children. There are reports of a backlog of thousands of people willing to take a chance. And those turned back usually wait a bit in Mexico and try again. So how does the number of people attempting to cross the border this year compare to previous years? What are these individuals and families facing? And what approaches can we take immediately to start addressing these issues? This week, an on-the-ground look at the U.S.-Mexico border as we speak with Joanna Williams, Executive Director of the Kino Border Initiative, Linda Chavez, a former Reagan White House official and Danilo Zak, Policy & Advocacy Associate at the Forum.

Gaydos and Chad talked to Joanna Williams about how the Kino Border Initiative is helping migrants who are in need of aid at the Arizona-Mexico border.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joanna Williams has the kind of energy that sucks you in. Just talking to her is like getting a jolt of motivation. She’s passionate about social change and justice, but she’s also pragmatic. Williams recently became the executive director of Kino Border Initiative, a Jesuit-run ministry that accompanies migrants on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. She views her work at Kino like a global invitation. It’s not just her work—or the work of 22 staff members. Everyone has a responsibility, a share in the mission. On this episode of AMDG, Williams talks guest host MegAnne Liebsch about conditions at the border right now and how we can build a more welcoming society for migrants and asylum seekers. Learn more about KBI: https://www.kinoborderinitiative.org/ Join KBI's 100 Days Campaign here: bit.ly/kbileads Learn about migration advocacy at the Jesuit Conference: https://www.jesuits.org/our-work/justice-and-ecology/migration-and-immigration/

This month, Adam Isacson, WOLA's Director for Defense Oversight, interviews Francisco Cantú, author of The Line Becomes a River (2018) who spent four years in the Border Patrol. They discuss the often toxic culture of CBP and the current impact the agency has on the United States' approach to migration. Cantú currently lives in Arizona, is a full-time writer and teacher of creative writing, and that a volunteer with the Kino Border Initiative’s migrant accompaniment program, which provides support to asylum seekers detained in the ICE contracted/for-profit (CoreCivic) Eloy Detention Center. Beyond the Wall is a segment of the Latin America Today podcast, and a part of the Washington Office on Latin America's Beyond the Wall advocacy campaign. In the series, we will follow the thread of migration in the Americas beyond traditional barriers like language and borders. We will explore root causes of migration, the state of migrant rights in multiple countries and multiple borders and what we can do to protect human rights in one of the most pressing crises in our hemisphere. Sign up for updates here: https://www.wola.org/beyondthewall/signup-beyond-wall/ Music by Blue Dot Sessions and ericb399.

One of the new pandemic phrases that has become ubiquitous over the past four months is essential workers. From health care to agriculture, these workers are helping to move society forward amid a pandemic that has brought much of the world to a halt. On this special episode of AMDG, guest host Caitlin-Marie Ward speaks with migrant essential workers, who tell stories of incredible sacrifice, courage and endurance. Facing harsh migration policies and increasing public health concerns, these migrants surmount extraordinary challenges and look with hope toward the future. As Honduran asylum seeker, Fredys likes to say, “Us immigrants, we came here for a purpose. God gave us the opportunity to be in this country. God has the final word.” This episode of AMDG is part of the Solidarity Across Borders Campaign, sponsored by the Jesuit Migration Network of Central and North America. To learn more about the campaign and the people featured in this episode, go to www.jesuits.org/migration. To help Jesuit ministries working with migrants, visit www.jesuits.org/donate2020. Special thanks to Holy Trinity Parish, Kino Border Initiative and Father Alfredo Zepeda and his colleagues at Radio Huaycoctla for conducting and sharing their interviews of some of the people featured in this episode. Host: Caitlin-Marie Ward Producer: MegAnne Liebsch Don’t forget to subscribe to AMDG wherever you listen to podcasts.

This month, Mario Moreno, WOLA's VP for Communications. interviewed Joanna Williams, the Director of Education and Advocacy at the Kino Border Initiative. The Kino Border Initiative (KBI) is a binational organization in Nogales, Arizona and Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. KBI works in the area of migration, providing direct humanitarian assistance and accompaniment with migrants. They discuss what is happening at the border, how shelters and service providers are adapting, and the repercussions of the virus and government actions on migrants and asylum seekers. Beyond the Wall is a bilingual segment of the Latin America Today podcast, and a part of the Washington Office on Latin America's Beyond the Wall advocacy campaign. In the series, we will follow the thread of migration in the Americas beyond traditional barriers like language and borders. We will explore root causes of migration, the state of migrant rights in multiple countries and multiple borders and what we can do to protect human rights in one of the most pressing crises in our hemisphere. Sign up for updates here: https://www.wola.org/beyondthewall/signup-beyond-wall/ Music by Blue Dot Sessions and ericb399. Transcripts are generated using a speech recognition software and may contain errors. Please check the corresponding audio before quoting in print.   TRANSCRIPT: Intro clips (00:01): The countries of the Northern triangle -- Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala -- are facing a set of conditions that are forcing many families and children to migrate from their community. They're saying "we're here in the shelter, I'm afraid to put my kids into school" Crimes, corruption, poverty and inequality. And they don't have a lot of hope because we know that most people get turned away. These issues are forcing many to seek protection and opportunities elsewhere. What do we project as a country with how we're treating these people, many of which are seeking protection? Barbed wire on the top of the fence...It looks like world war one out there. President Donald Trump (00:32): Someone at border crossing comes in, you say sorry, we're taking you back. That's if we're nice and I want to do that. WOLA Expert Quote (00:37): Say you've been kidnapped in a Mexican border town, you may feel so unsafe there that you're willing to run the risk of all the insecurities that led you to flee your home in the first place. But is that really a choice? Mario Moreno (00:49): Hi, my name is Mario Moreno. I'm the vice president for communications at the Washington Office on Latin America. On March 20th in response to rising concerns of the Covid-19 pandemic, the United States and Mexico agreed to temporarily shut down their shared border to all nonessential travel, a category that was determined to include all asylum seekers. This move fundamentally ends the right to asylum on the U.S.-Mexico border, but more importantly, it raises clear concerns for migrants who have already been waiting months in dangerous Mexican border towns to present their asylum claims or to attend their asylum hearings. This raises several key questions worth exploring. How will the closing of the border exacerbate the dangerous these migrants face and could this action put them at severe risk? Should covid-19 spread on the border to seek answers to these questions and explore these issues? I talked with Joanna Williams, the director of education and advocacy at the Kino border initiative, an organization that provides direct humanitarian assistance in accompaniment with migrants on the U.S.-Mexico border. Joanna Williams (01:59): So the Kino Border Initiative. We're a binational organization that is located in Nogales, Arizona, in Nogales, Mexico. And we work in three different areas. So the first area is humanitarian aid, the second is education. And the third is research and advocacy. The humanitarian aid that we do is all on the Mexican side of the border. So we're providing basic services like food, medical attention clothing to individuals who are in Nogales, Mexico; migrants specifically. And that means in part migrants who are being deported from the United States and increasingly has meant migrants who are seeking asylum in the U.S. And who are stranded in Nogales, Mexico. So that's, it's out of that day in and day out work that then we engage in education and advocacy. And we have the Kino Border Initiative have really seen shifting realities over the course of the last couple of years. And specifically I think in, in light of our current situation, what we've seen for the last year and a half, almost two years now are really systematic efforts to dismantle access to asylum at the border that has left people in more and more precarious situations. Joanna Williams (03:11): In Nogales, Mexico. So it's almost two years ago when metering started. Which metering means that people are, instead of being processed, when they arrive at the port of entry, they're told that they have to wait, that there's not capacity at the port of entry and they have to wait in Mexico for indefinite periods of time or for, for how long typically. So the, the instruction from the U.S. Side is essentially for an indefinite period of time. Then since metering began people, the on the Mexican side, there were certain systems are arranged of how to even have a list to organize people who are in line. When metering started, people were literally sleeping out at the port of entry, waiting for their turn. That became very unsustainable as people were waiting for many days or even weeks. Now even before last week's announcement people had been, who are metered in Nogales. We're waiting for over four months in most of the families who have been metered in Nogales, our Mexican families. So they're fleeing violence in Mexico and they're not able to escape from their own country to seek protection in the U.S. So this has been a worsening situation over the course of the last two years. And it's one example of how asylum has been dismantled. The other big policy that's affected us in Nogales is what's known as the Remain in Mexico policy or also known as MPP in which asylum seekers have to or return to Mexico and are then made to wait for their court dates in the United States. So they have to be in Mexico for many months over a year in order to wait for a, an asylum decision on the U S side of the border. And they don't have access to housing, to work, to medical care and certainly to good legal support in that time of limbo. Joanna Williams (05:04): So this is all the, the background to the current moment. And I think important to understand because of that systematic effort to dismantle asylum, now we see the administration taking advantage of this current pandemic to further that agenda of eliminating access to protection for people fleeing violence. And it has three different impacts on, on these different populations. So one, when we talk about the suspension of processing at the port of entry just to give an example, we have a family that fled from the state of Mexico several months ago. So they've already been waiting about three and a half months in Nogales there. The dad was actually shot and almost died. He was shot by organized crime. The family, even after that, tried to file a police report. They tried to stay. They said they were, they wanted to be able to stay in the place that they were at because they didn't want to displace their kids. Joanna Williams (06:04): But after filing the police report, then they got even more threats from organized crime for having dared to speak out. And eventually saw it is impossible and had to flee up to Nogales. They know that the organized crime group is still looking for them. They, their house was the, the criminals open entered their house and searched the, their belongings, not, they didn't steal anything. They just searched through all of the notebooks and any kind of information within the house. So they know that the group is looking for them and that they're still in danger. And in Nogales, they've been here for three months and now they're looking at being here indefinitely because they're no longer allowed to present at the port of entry to seek asylum. So that's one sample of the effect on this, of this suspension of port of entry processing. Joanna Williams (06:55): And the second area, which is the, the Remain in Mexico policy. As I mentioned, people have been returned to Mexico to wait for court dates in the U.S. In Nogales. The people who are returned here, their court dates are all the way in El Paso, which for those of you who aren't familiar with geography on this, in this part of the border, that means they have a essentially a 10 hour bus ride from Nogales, Mexico, all the way to what is in order to then present for their court dates. Because of Covid-19 MPP courts have been suspended. So all of the court dates for the next month have been canceled. But the U S government is still saying that people have to go all the way to the El Paso port of entry in order to get just a piece of paper with their notification of their new court date. Joanna Williams (07:40): And what the U S government is saying is if people don't do that, then they won't be allowed to present on their new court date. And this means, for example, we have two women who are with their children. They fled from Guatemala and they speak primarily mom. So it's very difficult for them to navigate in Mexico. A mom is an indigenous Guatemalan, language is very difficult for them to, to navigate in Mexico. One of the women has a court date on March 31st and she's at a loss of what to do because if she goes to what is and presents for her court date she then won't have anywhere to stay in. Is there any way to find where to stay? Most of the migrant shelters in the Northern borders aren't accepting new arrivals in light of this pandemic, trying to keep the folks that are currently sheltered, healthy. But that means she doesn't have any shelter options if she arrives to what is, and she doesn't know anybody in what is, but she can't, according to the U.S. Government, she can't just wait in Nogales where she's at least managed to rent an apartment and knows a couple of people. Because then she wouldn't, she won't be accepted when ever her next court date is, which is probably going to be in May. So it's putting everybody in a situation of vulnerability, but it's particularly affecting those indigenous language speakers who struggle to adjust. Joanna Williams (09:04): And then the third reality that we've seen in the last week or so is this what were announced as rapid expulsions, which goes to this U S government border shutdown. Just for, again, for geographical context, Nogales is one of the primary ports of deportation along the border. And we're one of the largest cities in this part of the border. So we're the largest city along the Arizona border. And all of the deportations of folks who have been detained in Arizona have for many years gone through Nogales. And because we're a place that with more services, we have the bus lines, we have systems in place. Well now with these rapid expulsions, people aren't being returned through Nogales. They're being pushed back in the smaller cities where they have much fewer access to services. So I was just hearing this morning, for example, that in the town of Sasabey, migrants are being rapidly expelled. Some of them are being brought over being received by group Obeta. Others are just walking into the Mexican side of the border really with no sense of what the next steps are. They're in complete legal limbo. Mario Moreno (10:16): So, you really painted a compelling picture there. So there's, there's really, the border shutdown has exacerbated, in your words, what had already been a fairly concerning situation. You had nearly 60,000 migrants and asylum seekers stranded on the U S Mexico on the Mexican side of the U.S.-Mexico border because of Remain in Mexico and metering. And because of the border shutdown, they've, there's, there's, you know, three additional challenges that migrants and asylum seekers face, which is fairly concerning. I guess the question then becomes, you know, what's the alternative part of the argument on the COVID-19 border shutdown, an announcement was that they were restricting travel for all non-essential travel. The argument is the argument that you're making sort of that asylum seekers and migrants should be considered a central travel. And if, so, is that legal obligations that a humanitarian application or is that just informed by what you're seeing on the ground of the impact that this policy could have on, on these populations? Joanna Williams (11:18): Exactly. So we, we argue that asylum seekers asylum is literally a matter of life and death. This, this dad that I mentioned from the state of Mexico, he has literally came within a few inches of death. And that's the experience of many asylum seekers. So their pursuit of life is an essential pursuit. It is essential travel far more essential to be honest than the travel that I make across the border, which I'm still considered an essential traveler even when these asylum seekers are not, which I think is a great injustice. Ubut, I still want to be able to go over it and provide meals, but just to put it in context, they're both essential travel, but asylum-seekers have been more essential travel. Uand I think what, what we forget sometimes is that we do have other ways to manage this reality,uin ways that have been successful in the past. Joanna Williams (12:16): So I was speaking with one, one woman who again has been stranded for several months under metering and she said if I was processed at the port, if I was allowed to enter the asylum process, I would be more than happy to go to my sister's house in the United States because many of the families that are stranded on the Mexican side of the border have relatives or or friends in the U S who are ready to receive them. She said, I will go to my sister's house and I will completely self quarantine for the next 14 days. Mario Moreno (12:50): They're even aware of the fact that there's a global pandemic and they're even willing to take public health precautions on their own if let into the country. Joanna Williams (12:57): Exactly. People are really aware of the health implications. They're very aware actually of how it's more likely that the pandemic is reaching Mexico from the United States than the other way around. But they're also want to be attentive to not being a carrier of coronavirus and to taking the necessary measures. So if we allowed people to go to their us sponsors and self quarantine there I think that could be a really a best practice because then people are in isolation. They're in a more stable place than the folks in this situation of instability on the Mexican border. And to your question about whether it is that legal or is that humanitarian? I would say it's legal. It's humanitarian and it's in the best interest of public health. So it's all three. We have an asylum law that has to be obeyed and that has been unfortunately discarded. We also should have humanitarian concern, but it's also, this is what's best, even if we're only acting from our self-interest, this is in the best interest of our public health, is to have people in isolated homes in which they can self quarantine in this time of social distancing. Mario Moreno (14:12): But in lieu of that happening, which, you know, as you said, we're in a very difficult moment with the Trump administration taking a series of actions over the, over the last several years to, to chip away at the right to asylum. And then with this, you know, temporary shutdown basically, and the right to asylum that the alternative, you know, sounds promising. And it is, it sounds like it's the right thing to do. But in lieu of that you know, the Mexican asylum system has been overwhelmed over the last couple of years because of remain in Mexico because of metering, because all of these actions that's one entire conversation that we could have. But the other side of the conversation now that you add in a complete shutdown on the Mexican border and you add in covid-19, a global pandemic that that you know, is spreading worldwide. How is the Mexican public health system equipped and ready to, to, to serve and protect the needs of migrant and asylum seeking populations on the US Mexico border? Joanna Williams (15:11): Unfortunately, we haven't seen evidence that the Mexican government is ready for this responsibility. And again, here we could have a longer conversation. I think it is important to note that these are policies that the Mexican government agreed to. So in their agreement to MPP the Mexican government said they would provide for health education and work and shelter for individuals who are returned. The Mexican government has assumed responsibilities that it simply doesn't have the capacity to carry out. And that means unfortunately that the, that migrants are going to be the last in line as a Mexican government is looking to respond and treat the effects of covid-19 in Mexico. And that's why I think it's particularly important that we see this as a shared responsibility, but we especially focus on the impact of, of us policy and putting people in this situation of vulnerability. Mario Moreno (16:07): So, so it sounds like really what winds up happening is that the responsibility of protecting and caring for the health and safety of these migrants oftentimes falls on shelters like the ones that, that the keynote border initiative in Sonata and Nogales. So, so I guess the question becomes, you know, how has your work shifted as a result of, of both the U S shutting down the border a week ago and, and you know, the Mexican government committing to all these steps but not quite delivering on any of them. How are you attempting to sort of deal with a population that had been stranded for a long time on the us Mexico border and who now also might face the risks of a public health pandemic that isn't being adequately addressed? Joanna Williams (16:58): I think you're precisely right. They didn't in the void of government and the void of Mexican and us government action. Ultimately it's the civil society groups and individuals that have to step up and are stepping up as the, as best as we can, but with far fewer resources and far less capacity than a government could have. So just to, at the keynote border initiative, we've been really conscious about, first of all, the absolute necessity of the food services that we provide. So we can't have people going hungry just because of Covid-19. And so that we say we have to maintain even as we scale back on other pieces. So we haven't, for example, been giving out as many clothing, as much clothing in recent weeks. Because of that's beyond our capacity at this moment as we try to just food and provide very limited medical services. Joanna Williams (17:54): The, we have volunteered nurses and doctors that used to come down to provide medical services. Some of them are in the high risk category and it's not advisable for them to be in contact with a large population. And some of them are providing medical services to respond in, in other institutions. So we essentially don't have those volunteers, nurses and doctors in the Red Cross here in Nogales is shut down for now. So we're doing the best that we can to provide the services that are possible and the medical side. And again, continuing with that absolutely essential service of providing food for people. What we've changed is we we exist in a space for, so w what used to happen is that we would bring people in to our space. We call it the comidor or dining room for meals. Joanna Williams (18:46): And then after that time provides several services within the space. In this, over the course of the last several months, we've had to do multiple rounds of meals because we have so many migrants who are stranded here relative to the capacity of our physical space. But in light of Covid-19, we've shifted all of our services to outside of the building. So we're providing all the food to go form and families. We're asking families that are able to, so unless they're a single mom to just send one representative of the family to come and get the, to go food for the whole rest of the family to reduce the amount of crowding as people are waiting for their food. Cause there are long lines as people wait for breakfast. So those are some of the ways that we're adapting and you know, trying to take the appropriate measures to protect staff and protect the migrants. And to the extent that in this long line people can stand six feet apart to try to encourage folks to do that as well. Right, Mario Moreno (19:46): Right. So I'm trying to, to understand sort of all this from the perspective of, of a migrant or an asylum seeker who you know, left their home country in search of, of, of a better future, but our life of safety, of, of, of a number of, for a number of different reasons was forced to stay on, in dangerous Mexican border towns and sort of figure out their way to, to stay safe while they awaited for their asylum hearing or they even just waited the chance to present a sound claim and now faces the additional risk of, of of, of a pandemic and of exposure to Covid-19. Do you have a sense of, of what options these, these individuals, what's next? What kind of options are they sort of trying to figure out in terms of the next actions that they want to take? Is it stay and try to stay as healthy as possible? Is it go back home? Is it something else? Joanna Williams (20:43): Yeah, that's what the several individuals are grappling with of whether to stay in Nogales in this prolonged limbo or whether to return to their home towns. What I'd say is that several w in the last week or two violence is flared up in really dramatic ways. And some of the hometowns of folks of the Mexican asylum seekers that we accompany so many of the Mexican asylum seekers are from Guirerro. And I've said that recently their houses have been burned. Other family members have been killed, that there's been a sudden spike in their communities. So some people are thinking about going home, not because they think it's safer, but because they left a family member there and they want to go and rescue that family member and try to find another alternative. So it's going home and staying isn't really a viable option for most individuals who've been displaced. But they don't have any viable options at this point either. Mario Moreno (21:42): That's yeah, I can't imagine being in that situation. One of the, one of the, one of the things that's really fascinating about KBI is, is that you have this really compelling and, and, and sort of unique view into the world. You know, we talk about us border policy being, you know, infringing on human rights. We talk about Mexico not living up to its commitments that it made in reaching agreements on Remain in Mexico metering and, and shutting down the, the border. We talk about all these big policies and systems, but on a day to day basis, all of you interact with migrants. So from that perspective and from the perspective that, that your organization is, is sort of nurtured by, by Catholic social teaching as an organizing principle, what's missing and in how we talk about this, about the, the issue of immigration in the media and the public writ large. Joanna Williams (22:42): I think the biggest missing piece in one that migrants here bring up on a constant basis. When I asked them, well, what do you want people in the larger public or folks in the United States to understand is that we have more that's in more in common than what separates the than what separates us. So there's more ways in which individuals in the United States can identify with migrants. And I have similarities to migrants than the differences that oftentimes are, are seen as are the most obvious. So just an example, I'd say, you know, what, mother and the United States would want their children to be in a dangerous situation. What mother wouldn't do it everything or sacrifice to be able to provide a better life for their children? Those are very similar desires. The desires of family, desires of safety and stability. Joanna Williams (23:38): There's so many ways in which we can identify with migrants at the border or in a general sense. And I think we ignore that whether, whether we ignore that from a perspective of a xenophobia of seeing people as the other or even from a perspective of so-called humanitarianism, of helping the poor migrants. What we ignore is the similarities as human beings and their own power and voice. And that's something that I've been really struck by in the last month or two. As I mentioned, Remain in Mexico's existed for a while along the border, but in Nogales was just implemented in starting in January. And I've had the opportunity to meet so many families that are so courageous and determined and speaking out against injustice and in believing that another world is possible. And it doesn't have to be that way. I, and that's the other vision. Joanna Williams (24:35): So, so listening to those voices, but also understanding that it doesn't have to be this way, that there are other ways we can manage migration and, and welcome people. There's a phrase from the Jesuit migration network of hospitality reminds us that another world is possible. And I think we have a lack of imagination at this moment as we become closed in by fear and we're really missing out on so many blessings and so much fruit. That's the Catholic perspective as well. So we miss out on the, on the opportunity to see God and receive God's graces when we are so entrenched in a mentality of rejection, of limitation and scarcity. Mario Moreno (25:19): So that was a really poignant and, and, and, and beautifully said statement on, on how we need to imagine a different outcome on the border and as it relates to migrants. So, so to all the listeners of the, Beyond the Wall podcast, who care about this issue deeply and, and who are looking for ways to, to stay involved in, into help in what is increasingly very desperate and hard times, what's your message to them? Joanna Williams (25:48): So I think there's two important realities or important ways to think about how to respond. The first is to recognize the power of individual actions. So if we're really going to construct this better world that is possible, then it does matter to call your congressperson, to write an editorial and submit it to your local paper, to speak to friends and neighbors even via virtually in these times of social distancing to help them understand the reality of migrants in the border and feel closer and identify more with them. So not, I think it's important that listeners not become overwhelmed by the context of policy and news and this constant flow of information, but recognize your own power in this moment to, to do good and be a part of transformation. And the second is that in that process the invitation is to incredible persistence. Joanna Williams (26:47): So I've think, and I'm constantly inspired by the women who I know who have crossed the border five or six times to try to reunite with their family members in the U S after being deported and separated from their kids. And the dad from who was deported from Las Vegas, who the other day said to me there's no way that I wouldn't go back to my daughter. And so that spirit of persistence is also the, what the invitation for us is in advocacy and in, in engagement and creating this other world individual action matters, but not just one individual action. Be as persistent as the migrants at the border are and allow that to propel you forward. Because only then will we be able to create transformation, Mario Moreno (27:34): Persistence, action, and imagination of a better world. I think those are three important words to keep in mind during this time. Joanna Williams, thank you for being with us today and keep up the important work down in Nogales. Joanna Williams (27:50): Thanks for the invitation and attention. And it's a blessing to be able to amplify folks' voices.  

There are not many areas of the country that are discussed by more ill-informed talking heads than the US-Mexico border. But when guest Fr. Sean Carroll, SJ, talks about the region, everyone should listen. Fr. Carroll is a Jesuit priest and the executive director of the Kino Border Initiative (KBI), where he has worked for the past 11 years. KBI is a bi-national organization co-sponsored by the Jesuits and other Catholic collaborators that has facilities in Nogales, Arizona and Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, two cities that share a name and a national boundary. KBI serves immediate needs of migrants who are passing between the two countries, they advocate for more just immigration laws and policies, and they welcome groups from all over the United States to learn about the realities people are facing on the border. During his trip to Washington to meet with the acting secretary of homeland security earlier this month, Fr. Carroll told host Mike Jordan Laskey about how things have changed at the border over the past decade and how his vocation as a Jesuit priest fits perfectly into the mission of welcoming and supporting migrants. Kino Border Initiative: https://www.kinoborderinitiative.org/ Jesuits call for increased advocacy on behalf of migrants: http://jesuitmigrantsolidarity.org/

Connor Barchanowicz '20 and Pat Hyland '20 describe the trip they took to the US/Mexico border and the Kino Border Initiative. Produced by Robbie Klanac '20

This episode of CMSOnAir features an interview with Joanna Williams, director of education and advocacy for the Kino Border Initiative (KBI). KBI is a bi-national organization based in Nogales, Arizona and Nogales, Sonora, Mexico that works to “affirm the dignity of the human person and a spirit of bi-national solidarity” through: Direct humanitarian assistance and accompaniment with migrant; Social and pastoral education with communities on both sides of the US-Mexico border; and Participation in collaborative networks that engage in research and advocacy to transform local, regional, and national immigration policies. Williams serves as the primary coordinator of the educational and advocacy programs offered by KBI in the United States. She also helps develop and realize the organization’s advocacy policy and plan. In this episode, Williams details KBI’s efforts to provide humanitarian aid, education, and advocacy to deportees from the United States, migrants who have crossed the border without authorization, and Central American asylum-seekers. She recounts the impact of various changes by the Trump administration on KBI’s work and migrant communities, including the elimination of prosecutorial discretion and the implementation of policies (such as the Migrant Protection Protocols/Remain in Mexico policy) that force asylum seekers to wait in Mexico. Williams also discusses the recent report, “Communities in Crisis: Interior Removals and Their Human Consequences,” co-authored with CMS and the Jesuit Conference’s Office of Justice and Ecology. The study examines the characteristics of deportees and the effects of deportation, and places the findings in a broader policy context. Learn more about the Kino Border Initiative at www.kinoborderinitiative.org, and follow KBI on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. To download the Communities in Crisis report and get more information on CMS’s research, publications, and events, visit cmsny.org.

Fr. Sean Carroll, S.J., is the executive director of the Kino Border Initiative in Nogales, Mexico. He shared with us his experience and insight at our Civic Academy on February 28. Please take a listen to what he has to share, and if you would like to learn more and get involved with our Matthew 25 Project, visit stpatcc.org/matthew25

In the final episode of our three-part series on the Immigrant Church, we dive into the history of Latino immigration to America. We walk through the journey of Hispanic Catholics as they make their way to the United States, discuss the Church's response to the rising population, and what we can do to better serve our brothers and sisters. Music for today's episode: Letra inspirada en Mateo 25, 34–40 y la espiritualidad del V Encuentro. Letra y música © 2015, Javier Iván Díaz. Obra publicada por Spirit & Song®, a division of OCP. Derechos reservados. Exceeding Words and music by Shaun Garrison. © 2015 Shaun Garrison. As recorded on Exceeding. All rights reserved. Used by permission. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/mystery-manners/support

In April 2018, several students and faculty went to the US / Mexico border to hear the stories of people who have crossed the border. In the second part in this series, we hear from Mr. Strauss and Mr. DeWitt about more stories and border policy. More info on the Kino Border Initiative: https://www.kinoborderinitiative.org/ Produced by Ian Thompson '19

In April 2018, several students and faculty went to the US / Mexico border to hear the stories of people who have crossed the border. In the first part in this series, we hear from a handful of stories they brought back. More info on the Kino Border Initiative: https://www.kinoborderinitiative.org/ Produced by Ian Thompson '19