What borders divide, solidarity connects.
In 1999, Mexican women maquiladora workers (obreras) came to Austin to share their struggles for labor rights and dignity. Their voices helped spark what would become Austin Tan Cerca de la Frontera, a lasting commitment to solidarity across borders.
More than 25 years later, we carry that compromiso forward through acompañamiento: listening, learning, and standing alongside communities organizing for justice. Because the struggles that connect us don't end at the border.
Our Programs / Nuestros Programas
Solidarity in practice.
Our work takes many forms, but it begins with people: the workers who welcome us into their communities, the artisans sharing their craft, and the neighbors who come together to learn and lend a hand.
Border Delegations
Travel to northern Mexico to meet maquiladora workers and grassroots organizers, hear firsthand about their struggles for labor rights, and build relationships that continue beyond the visit.
Explore Delegations
Women & Fair Trade
Meet women artisans and cooperatives through our annual festival, where handmade textiles, art, and goods carry stories of cultural tradition, economic independence, and fairer ways of trading.
Explore Women & Fair Trade
Border Talks
Gather with organizers, educators, and neighbors for conversations and popular education workshops that connect lived experiences with reflection, shared knowledge, and collective action.
Explore Border Talks
School Supplies Drive
Work alongside our partners at Comité Fronterizo de Obrer@s to collect school supplies for children in Mexican border communities, responding to everyday needs through an ongoing relationship of solidarity.
Explore School Supplies DriveDe Corazón, Pero Con Acción.
Justice isn't built by one person, one organization, or one community alone. It grows when we recognize that the struggles faced by workers and communities across borders are connected to our own. Through listening, learning, and standing alongside one another, we turn shared responsibility into collective action. There's a place for you in this work.
La justicia no se construye por una sola persona, organización o comunidad. Se construye cuando reconocemos que las luchas de las y los trabajadores y de las comunidades al otro lado de la frontera también están conectadas con las nuestras. Al escuchar, aprender y acompañarnos mutuamente, convertimos nuestra responsabilidad compartida en acción colectiva. Tú también tienes un lugar en esta lucha.
Our Story
Celebrating 26 years of transnational solidarity, worker justice, and bottom-up power!
