Despite being pushed to the back burner of the 24 hour news cycle, the humanitarian crisis on the US-Mexican border is still dragging on and will likely make headlines before the end of the summer. The story hit critical mass last June when heart rending images of children being torn away from their families dominated headlines for weeks.
The human dimension of the problem was quickly downed out by political soundbites, heartless defences (looking at you Corey Lewandowski) and a barrage of disturbing images of children in cages. And while the story has been bumped down the totem pole to make room for presidential sex scandals, Russia, trade wars, annual summer forest fires and more Russia, recent events promise to push it back to the forefront of western attention.
Most of us felt helpless watching the story unfold on the nightly news. We watched with impotent rage and quiet tears, wondering what could we do to soften the cries of children and their mothers thousands of miles away?
Ottawa resident Amy Chambers decided against sitting around and put pen to paper. Or more accurately, she put brush to paper.
Last June, Amy began painting water colour flowers and selling them on her Instagram with all proceeds going to Raices, a foundation supporting the families caught up in the fiasco at the border (though Amy’s customers can choose any charity that assists affected families).
A young mother herself, Amy admits she’s the furthest thing from political. “I’m SO not political. I don’t pretend to understand any of it. I don’t watch the news, I don’t read the paper but this was something that hit me hard. I couldn’t believe it when I first saw an article in my Facebook news feed. I still can’t believe it’s happening. It’s not about politics. It’s simple. Families are having their children taken. Not just as a mother but as a HUMAN we cannot just let it happen. I may not have the power to change what’s happening but this, this I can do.”
“This isn’t political,” she adds. “It’s about decency. It’s about children. It’s about the needless separation of families.”
So what inspired her to choose flowers? “I love creating watercolour flowers!” she exclaims. “No two are never the same and yet they’re all beautiful. There’s room for imperfections and even though one may not turn out like you had imagined they never disappoint. The more I describe it the more it sounds kind of like a family don’t you think?”
“People have been so kind,” she says when asked about the response her efforts have received. “It’s incredibly humbling when someone not only wants to support the cause but is excited to proudly display their flower.
“This is the first time I’ve ever attempted something like this,” she reflects. “In this horrible, dark situation when I’m sitting alone with my watercolours after putting my little babe to bed, watching him gently snooze safely in the comfort of his bed…. I realize just how fortunate I am… and if even ONE flower makes the smallest difference it’ll all be worth it.”
And she has a very unambiguous message for people who can tolerate or even support this policy. “Anyone that can stand behind traumatizing children REGARDLESS of the situation… is not someone whose company I would like to keep.”
(Does anyone else get the feeling there were some other words she wanted to use on that last question?)
Make no mistake, this story will be front and centre once again, probably sooner rather than later. The court mandated deadline for reuniting families passed last week with hundreds of children still stranded and alone. Its feared hundreds of parents were already deported, making the process of reuniting those families nearly impossible. And stories of children suffering physical and even sexual abuse during their times in the camps have started to trickle out.
With pivotal mid-term elections looming this November, it’s only a matter of time before these stories and the faces attached to them take centre stage once more.
But Amy isn’t letting the grass grow beneath her feet. She’s planning on expanding her selection of artwork and products in the near future. In the meantime though, she has a simple message.
“As long as there are people in need, there will be flowers.”
For further information or if you’re interested in purchasing any of Amy’s flowers, check out her Flowers For Families page here.
Image Courtesy Amy Chambers
