The current U.S. president has been advocating for a wall for the entirety of his term. Not to mention, he has taken a large initiative to start deporting those from across the border back to their original country. The barrier between the two countries started back in 1994 and currently covers 649 miles (1,044.46 km) of the border.
In 2016, President Donald Trump built his supporting platform with "Build the wall and make Mexico pay for it". Since then, tensions between the two countries have been high.
Ronald Rael, the University of California architecture professor and San Jose State design associate professor Virginia San Fratello decided they wanted to connect the two countries in some way. They came up with their solution in 2009.
Looking at the border, several pink seesaws can be seen between the border with children on each side playing with one another. Many on social media have spoken on how the seesaw serves as a reminder that "we are connected… what happens on one side impacts the other."
The project, called the “teeter totter wall” came to fruition after Trump has put pressure over immigration and border policies.
Even Claudia Tristán, the Director of Latinx Messaging for 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke commented on the project saying it is “just magical”.
The symbolism of the seesaw is just magical. A #Border fence will not keep us from our neighbors. Que bella idea usar un subibajas para unir las comunidades de ambas naciones. https://t.co/iJTAj08vZB
— Claudia Tristán (@tristan_claudia) July 29, 2019
Sometimes, it’s the simple things that bring us together. In this case, it’s play.
Let us know your thoughts about this project in the comments.