Weekly Column: Border Communities Fight the Swine Flu Scare

The worst of times often brings out the best in people. And the same is true for communities.

The swine flu scare has gripped the nation’s attention. But in the small cities on the US-Mexico border, the community values of compassion, common sense and courage are helping keep people safe and communities together:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103632336

The article notes that “thousands of Mexicans and Americans criss-cross the border each day, providing unique challenges for communities where international travel is a daily event. In dozens of towns across the Southwest, it's a short walk from downtown on the U.S. side to their Mexican neighbors' el centro.”

Thus, these communities have to find ways to stay open for business. They can’t just shut down.

Yet on the surface level, it appears that the border cities are taking a hard hit from the swine flu scare. Economically, the statistics are staggering. According to the article, McAllen, Texas, population 100,000, is reeling:

“Steve Ahlenius, president of the McAllen Chamber of Commerce, said flu worries are having a devastating impact on local businesses. In the past seven to 10 days, the number of bus passengers from Mexico into the McAllen area has dropped 30 percent, and bridge traffic has fallen 17 percent, he said. McAllen, which is across the border from the Mexican city of Reynosa, is a popular shopping destination for Mexicans.”

Schools are taking a hit, too. Rio Grande City, population 11,000, had to close schools after a couple of students got sick.

But look beneath the surface of these headlines and there are stories of communities coming together and fighting back together. Government plays a role in this. Customs and Border Protection agents hand out masks and gloves to potential carriers. And churches are doing their part, too. Many still hold regular services, but simply discourage worshippers from holding hands. These are small steps that keep people safe but also keep the normal community life going.

But the biggest step of all is that the mid-sized cities on the border have refused to shut down and refused to change their unique brand of bicultural community. Many residents have family on both sides of the border; many families have members who work on both sides of the border. So when people talk about perhaps closing down the border, the communities in this area don’t want to hear about it.

As one church spokeswoman, Brenda Riojas, put it:

"’We have bridges that connect us to Matamoros and Reynosa.’ But, Riojas said, the populations on both sides of the border are also linked by family, work, school and culture. ‘We say, es un entre cambio — an interchange.’"

And so these communities insist on remaining as they are. Often, much is made of all that is wrong with America; but too little attention is paid to all that is right with America. The mid-sized cities of the US-Mexico border are showing that even in the face of a grave public health crisis, a community can fight back together. And in so doing they can grow closer and get stronger.