For more than a year, Donald Trump has threatened building a wall to separate the United States and Mexico, an attempt at keeping Latin Americans out. He’s even gone as far as bragging that he’ll make Mexico pay for the wall by cutting the country off from remittances that help many get by. Despite running a xenophobic campaign, he’s set to be named the presidential nominee for the Republican Party next week. Outside of Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena, Mijente – an organization that fights for la gente and justicia – is hoping to give Trump a taste of his own medicine. The organization plans to build a hand-made wall to close off his hate, and they have started a IndieGoGo campaign, titled “Wall off Trump,” to fund it. “And it’s going to be beautiful,” the crowdfunding page reads. “It’s going to be the best wall you’ve ever seen. And yes Mexicanos (and Latinxs and the conscious people of the US) are going to pay for it.”
Although it’s impractical and unrealistic, Trump hasn’t stopped peddling his wall. And the same dangerous language he uses to describe it has found its way to our schools, social media, and society. Trump, a man who speaks almost entirely in catchphrases, has made “Make America Great Again” the cornerstone of his presidential campaign. Just like his wall, his catchphrase is meant to divide.
Though they are using his alienating wall as their inspiration, Mijente’s wall will be the complete opposite. They want to use it to portray the diversity of our country. Activists will hold up one section and resemble a physical wall. Another section will be made up of fabrics painted to look like a real wall. And then, there will be murals painted on homes and businesses around Cleveland. “Our wall won’t be the kind of wall that divides cultures and families,” Mijente’s campaign page reads. “But a wall that brings us together to fight for a better future for our children.”
Currently, the campaign is only nine percent funded, which means Mijente has a long way to go to reach its $15,000 goal. If you donate, you will not only be supporting the building of this symbolic wall, but you can also receive some cool prizes along the way, like the “Make America Mexico Again” hat or a Trump piñata (though it may not look exactly like the one pictured above).
The last day to donate to the “Wall off Trump” campaign is July 29.