The creation of borders is unnatural and violent. In light of a resurgence of American nativism and anti-immigrant sentiment, this exhibit exposes the strategic and intentional construction of national borders and the forces that police them. With a focus on the U.S.-Mexico border, this digital exhibit uplifts silenced narratives and interrogates injustices that threaten the humanity of those affected by the borderlands. The U.S.-Mexico border has racialized immigrant populations, whose exclusion remains central to the crafting of American identity. We urge readers and visitors who frequent this exhibit to take these broader themes of physical, social, and political borders to better understand the strategic, state-sponsored relationship between immigration, surveillance, and exclusion.

Despite its distance from the U.S.-Mexico border, Brown University surrounds itself with gates. These iron walls create borders that restrict physical and social movement, mirroring the divisive strategies and actions of border policing. We call on Brown University to uphold its mission statement by acknowledging the ways in which histories of borders impact the daily lives of members of the Brown community. Students, faculty, staff, and administrators should collaborate to confront the injustices that threaten to eclipse the humanity of those living in the borderlands and in its shadow.