Student Projects

Back to the Future: The What Ifs of the 2020 Election

A group of motivated students organized a remote event to break down key points and the high stakes of the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. Highlighted speakers included both professors and students, and gave space for attendees to openly discuss their concerns about the current state of U.S. politics.

"It was my job to tell families their time was up. I heard their stories and shared their tears. I witnessed atrocities that highlighted the unnatural character of their separation. And, contrastingly, I saw examples of people coming together as a community and being driven by hope and determination to change the course of history”

Gabriel Fernandes

Standing in the Middle: ‘Hugs Not Walls’ and Mestiza Consciousness

A woman and man hugging with great emotion

Gabriel Fernandes got to be part of history as it was being written. For four hours on October 26 in El Paso, Texas, the border between the United States and Mexico came under the control of the community as the Border Network for Human Rights (BNHR) organized its seventh “Hugs Not Walls” event. Gabriel was a volunteer standing halfway across the mostly dry Rio Grande, as more than 250 families separated by U.S. immigration policies came together for a three-minute embrace.