
Lois Martin passed away in December 2020.
Her obituary can be found Here.
Upon retiring from teaching at Salem State College (now University), I moved into the Arizona sun. Aside from the sun, I was drawn to Tucson where I hoped to be able to delve heavily into Latin America activism—a continuation of the focus that had occupied my spare time for many years. In fact, I could not have made a better choice. Tucson is at the epicenter of the humanitarian crisis in the Sonoran Desert where the remains of more than two hundred migrants have been recovered annually for several years. We believe that as many more have also died, but their remains never found. Consequently, I work with Tucson based humanitarian organizations, particularly with Humane Borders and No More Deaths, on both sides of the border. Much of my time is spent in activities from walking migrant trails, putting out water and bandaging feet, to developing a national network to assist deported people and their families, lobbying, writing letters, etc. I wonder how I ever had time for a full-time job!
CIE memories are among my best and, during a recent visit east, I was glad to find DRE still anchoring the program. I urged him to let any CIE folks know that I would welcome contacts or visits from any CIE folks wanting to learn more about our border crisis. [12-10]
Email: loismarti@gmail.com