Kids on Both Sides of the Border Brought Together With Seesaws

Ten years ago, two California professors had an idea: What if they could find a way to connect children on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border with something fun?

Ronald Rael, an architect professor at the University of California Berkeley and Virginia San Fratello, an associate professor of design at San Jose State, went back and forth until they came up with the "Teetertotter Wall," in which a seesaw would be installed in between the slats of the border fence between the United States and Mexico in New Mexico.

The idea, Rael says, is for the Teetertotter wall to become a "literal fulcrum" between the two countries in which while people on both sides of the border were separated, they could interact with one another and have fun together.

Rael and Fratello got to see their concept come to life on Monday as workers installed bright pink seesaws on the border fence in Sunland Park, New Mexico, allowing children in the U.S. and Mexico swing up and down. The seesaws extend into Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. Video shared on Rael's account showed children on both sides of the border laughing and having fun with the re-purposed playground equipment, as they waved at one another through the steel slats. Another video shows people waving to the children in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.

"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," Rael wrote on his Instagram post.


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