International Friendship Festival
Eagle Pass
Heading into its 63rd year, the International Friendship Festival fetes the connection between Eagle Pass and sister city Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico. The March festivities commence with the “abrazo,” or embrace, where one chosen resident from each side of the Rio Grande hugs the other on International Bridge 1. “It’s a showcase of the strength of our friendship,” Eagle Pass Marketing and Tourism Director Aide Castaño says. eaglepasstx.gov
Hugs Not Walls
El Paso
The Border Network for Human Rights organizes the Hugs Not Walls event to reunite families separated by the border. At these somewhat regular affairs, roughly 200 families are brought together, sometimes after years apart, and provided the opportunity to share a heartwarming bear hug. “It’s an act of love and care for our communities—communities that deserve to be treated with dignity, respect, and humanity,” BNHR Executive Director Fernando García says. bnhr.org
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