We’re leaving a mural behind in PHX

More than 6,000 people have lost their lives crossing the U.S.-Mexico border since 1998, and there are more than 900 unidentified bodies in Pima County alone. These lives lost are those of children, parents and loved ones—many fleeing violence at home and seeking to reunite with their families.

During Netroots Nation, a group of artists from the JustSeeds Artist Co-operative will paint a mural in Phoenix in support of the work done by the Colibrí Center for Human Rights, which assists families in their search for missing loved ones and brings closure to those suffering a devastating loss.

Artists Mata Ruda, Jess X. Chen, Jetsonorama and Thea Gahr have designed beautiful murals featuringcolibrí (the Spanish word for hummingbird), an indigenous symbol for safe passing. They soar as messengers between life and death, and their hundreds of species have been found migrating across the U.S./Mexico border for thousands of years similarly to how thousands of humans have migrated. JustSeeds paints hummingbirds to honor the undefeatable spirits of the migrants who lost their lives during the journey.

We need to raise about $2900 to purchase paint and supplies, rent a lift and make this happen. Click here to donate today.

Murals can last for 10 years or more. So long after Netroots Nation is over, these pieces will serve as a reminder of the humanitarian crisis happening within our own borders and the journey that thousands of immigrants started but tragically did not finish.

This action is a part of our #AZDispatch campaign, which aims to expose some of the most unjust practices in our current immigration system and to elevate the stories and voices of local activists fighting back against those practices.