Msgr. Arturo Bañuelas led the prayer commemorating the dead. (Edwin Delgado/Borderzine.com)

Day of the Dead procession remembers recent casualties along the U.S.-Mexico border

By |

EL PASO – The Border Network for Human Rights held its eighth annual Day of the Dead Procession along the Cesar E. Chavez border highway on Nov. 1 to remember those who have perished while trying to enter the United States and show their support for comprehensive Immigration Reform. “As the Day of the Dead looms, we take this day to remember the immigrants who unfortunately lost their lives while crossing the border,” said BNHR director Fernando Garcia. “We should never forget them; we will be here honoring them every year because if we forget about them their deaths will be in vain and more people will lose their life.”

The non-profit BNHR, along with nearly 150 El Pasoans of all ages, marched from Bowie High School through Central El Paso and along the border highway that separates El Paso from Ciudad Juarez. Participants carried coffins made out of cardboard, religious crosses, lit candles and banners to express their support for immigration reform. Although the U.S. Senate passed a comprehensive immigration reform bill that grants a path to citizenship to undocumented residents last summer, the bill is currently stalled in the House of Representatives and unlikely to be discussed this year.

Members of the Baha’i student association participated in UTEP's International Day of Peace organized by the Religious Studies Program. (Edwin Delgado/Borderzine.com)

Religious groups set aside differences to emphasize the common goal of peace

By |

EL PASO – The world’s religions, often at bitter odds with each other, came together recently in a celebration of peace and in the spirit of doing good for humanity, at the University of Texas at El Paso. To attract different religions and even atheists the Religious Studies Program at UTEP needed to be creative. The academics brought the religious groups together to celebrate International Day of Peace, a theology they could all agree on. And they came – Catholics, Protestants, Baptists, Muslims and even atheists. “We had to choose an event that doesn’t favor anyone,” said Ann Branan Horak, director of the Religious Studies Program.