Well, I tell you, this “hugs not walls” thing, it’s somethin’ else. People gatherin’, ya know? Like them folks down by that there Rio Grande river.
They call it a “community group,” these city folks with their fancy words. But what it boils down to is folks missin’ each other. Families, ya see? Split up by that border, like a fence through a cornfield. Only this fence ain’t made of wood, it’s made of rules and whatnot.
Heard tell they been doin’ this for a while now. Eleven years, they say. Call it “Hugs Not Walls”. Guess that name says it all, plain and simple. No need for big thinkin’ words.
- They build a little bridge, outta wood, just for a bit.
- Families come from both sides, Mexico side, America side.
- They hug. They cry. They talk, I reckon. For a few minutes, anyway.
Imagine that, huh? Not seein’ your own kin, your own flesh and blood. Then, just for a little while, you get to hold ’em tight. Must be powerful stuff, that huggin’. More powerful than any wall, I’d say.
Seen pictures, too. Folks wadin’ through the river, water up to their knees. Not carin’ about gettin’ wet, just wantin’ to reach out and touch someone they love. It ain’t right, this separatin’. Families belong together, that’s what I always say. Like chickens in a coop, gotta keep ’em close.
This Border Network for Human Rights, they’re the ones puttin’ this together, seems like. Good on ’em, I say. Someone’s gotta stand up for what’s right. Even if it’s just for a few minutes of huggin’. It’s somethin’, ain’t it? A little bit of hope in a world full of fences.
Over a hundred families they got together this time, they say. In that El Paso place and that other place, Ciudad Juarez, I think they called it. Sounds like a mouthful, those city names. Can’t keep up with all that fancy talk.
But the huggin’, that I understand. That’s somethin’ everyone gets, no matter where you come from or what kinda talk you speak. A hug is a hug. It says, “I love you,” it says, “I miss you,” it says, “I’m here for you.” All that without sayin’ a single word, most times.
This here Rio Grande, it’s just a river, when you get down to it. Water flowin’, same as any other river. But it’s become a symbol, I guess. A symbol of division. And these folks, they’re tryin’ to turn it into somethin’ else. A symbol of connection. Of love. Of family.
It ain’t easy, I know that much. Changin’ things, it takes time. Takes effort. Takes a whole lotta heart. But these folks, they got heart, I can tell. They ain’t givin’ up. They keep on huggin’, keep on buildin’ them little bridges, keep on fightin’ for what they believe in.
And maybe, just maybe, one day, them walls will come down. And all that’ll be left is the huggin’. That’s a world I’d like to see. A world where families ain’t separated by no river or no wall or nothin’. Just folks lovin’ folks. Plain and simple.
So, yeah, “Hugs Not Walls”. It’s a good thing. A real good thing. And I hope they keep on doin’ it, year after year. ‘Til there ain’t no more walls left to hug over.
Human rights, that’s what they call it, treatin’ folks decent like. Everyone deserves a hug now and then, wouldn’t you say?
Tags: [Hugs Not Walls, Rio Grande, Human Rights, Border, Family, El Paso, Ciudad Juarez, Community, Connection, Love]