KBI May Announcements

Last month, the KBI released a statement on border security, signed by numerous southern Arizona organizations, hosted a live video conference and high school immersion experiences, and bid bon voyage to the Lourdes Kino Teens who set off for a visit to the Bay Area with Father Pete Neeley, S.J. This coming month, the Board of Directors holds their spring meeting.

• • Solidarity at the Border: The KBI joined 17 other southern Arizona groups in releasing a Statement on Border Security. It denounces the militarization at the border as a policy that is unsafe, ineffective, and unsupportive of humanity and the broader environment. Read the entire statement here: https://www.kinoborderinitiative.org/southern-arizona-statement-community-security/.
  • Live Video Conversations: On Tuesday, April 25, the KBI and the Ignatian Solidarity Network hosted an hour-long live video conference, entitled “Witness from the Border.” The live event featured KBI Director of Education and Advocacy Joanna Williams in conversation with Andrés, a migrant in Nogales, Sonora sharing his experience and St. Louis University students who has stepped up advocacy efforts since visiting the border. There will be more of these live conversations later this year, the next one scheduled for September. We’ll announce the date and time soon. And here is the video from the recent conversation:

• Kino Teens in the Bay Area: At the end of April, Father Pete Neeley, S.J. led a three-day trip to the Bay Area with the Lourdes Catholic School Kino Teens. The students visited their Kino Teens counterparts at St. Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco, and Presentation High School and Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose (who also sent students to the KBI for an immersion in April). Among the highlights, Lourdes Kino Teens met with past immersion participants, and Leadership Days students Yamelle González and Ana González gave presentations, prepared with the assistance of Teresita Scully, campus minister and theology teacher at Lourdes, about the migrant experience and immigrant advocacy to classes at Presentation.
• Immersion Experiences: This past month, high school students from both coasts joined the KBI for immersion experiences.

• Spring Board Meeting: Members of the KBI Board of Directors will meet on Thursday, May 25, in Nogales, Sonora, to discuss governance issues and review reports from various committees, including Advocacy, Development, Finance, Governance, and Ad Hoc Building.