Seesaws on US-Mexico border allows children from both countries to play together

Photo from: @rrael on Instagram

Seesaws installed at the United States-Mexico border wall let children from the two countries to play with each other.

Two professors in California were responsible for this installation. Ronald Rael, an architecture professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and Virginia San Fratello, an assistant professor at San José State University in California, had this idea called a “Teeter-Totter Wall” in 2009.

On Monday, their idea became a reality when three bright pink seesaws or teeter-totters were added to the giant steel border wall in Sunland Park, New Mexico.

Rael mentioned via a blog post that “Teeter-Totter Wall” coming to life as “one of the most incredible experiences of my and Virginia San Fratello’s career.”

He also shared a video on Instagram of children playing with the seesaws at the border.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

One of the most incredible experiences of my and @vasfsf’s career bringing to life the conceptual drawings of the Teetertotter Wall from 2009 in an event filled with joy, excitement, and togetherness at the borderwall. The wall became a literal fulcrum for U.S. – Mexico relations and children and adults were connected in meaningful ways on both sides with the recognition that the actions that take place on one side have a direct consequence on the other side. Amazing thanks to everyone who made this event possible like Omar Rios @colectivo.chopeke for collaborating with us, the guys at Taller Herrería in #CiudadJuarez for their fine craftsmanship, @anateresafernandez for encouragement and support, and everyone who showed up on both sides including the beautiful families from Colonia Anapra, and @kerrydoyle2010, @kateggreen , @ersela_kripa , @stphn_mllr , @wakawaffles, @chris_inabox and many others (you know who you are). #raelsanfratello #borderwallasarchitecture

A post shared by Ronald Rael (@rrael) on Jul 28, 2019 at 11:22pm PDT

He said, “The wall became a literal fulcrum for U.S.-Mexico relations and children and adults were connected in meaningful ways on both sides with the recognition that the actions that take place on one side have a direct consequence on the other side.”

President Donald Trump, who has spent years pushing for the construction of a border wall, was cleared Friday by the Supreme Court to tap into the Defense Department’s $2.5 billion counter-drug money to build more than 100 miles of the wall.

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