The Trans-Border Institute, in partnership with Casa Cornelia Law Center and with co-sponsorship by the Center for Community Service-Learning (CSL), hosted its 17th Annual Sister Sally Furay Lecture on May 9, 2013, at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice. This year’s Sister Sally Furay Lecture, “For the Voices That Have Not Been Heard,” gave voice to undocumented immigrants, victims of cross-border trafficking, and others along the U.S.-Mexico border who face serious human and civil rights violations without access to justice. The event featured a screening of the Academy Award winning documentary Inocente, a lecture by Representative Juan Vargas of California’s 51st Congressional District, and a panel discussion featuring local experts in the fields of immigration law, advocacy, and legal protections for children and victims of trafficking, domestic violence, and other serious crimes. Read more about the event. 

In collaboration with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and the Museum of Photographic Arts, the Trans-Border Institute hosted its first Re-Imagining Borders Photography Contest, an exhibition for high school and college students aimed at stimulating young audiences to develop greater awareness, think creatively, and exchange ideas about the meaning and impact of borders. Participants were encouraged to use photography to explore the theme of borders in a variety of forms and imagine new ways of overcoming barriers. On April 11, 2013, the contest culminated with a lecture by photojournalist Jon Lowenstein of NOOR Images and award ceremony where the 20 Best in Show contest winners were announced and acknowledged. Read more about the contest, view Best in Show winning images, and watch full videos of the lecture and award ceremony.