Pink Seesaws Unite Kids in 2 Countries

Children from US, Mexico play together on 'Teetertotter Wall'
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 30, 2019 12:17 PM CDT
At Border Fence, Seesaws Span Two Countries
Children play on a seesaw installed between the border fence that divides Mexico from the United States in Ciudad de Juarez, Mexico, on Sunday.   (AP Photo/Christian Chavez)

Children on opposite sides of the US-Mexico border were able to play together Monday, despite the bars between them. That's thanks to two California professors who erected three bright-pink seesaws through a section of steel border fence separating El Paso, Texas, from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, reports the Guardian. Ronald Rael, an architecture professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and Virginia San Fratello, an associate professor of design at San Jose State University, came up with the design for the "Teetertotter Wall," per People. It's meant as a sign of unity, with the border wall acting as "a literal fulcrum," Rael wrote on Instagram, where he shared drone footage showing children and adults playing on either side of the border. The professor called it "one of the most incredible experiences" of his career.

It was an event "filled with joy, excitement, and togetherness," Rael wrote. The seesaws were built first in Sunland Park, New Mexico, before being transferred to the border, according to the University of California. It notes there was "no advance planning for participants on the Mexico side of the fence," meaning children took part in the fun spontaneously. "The symbolism ... is just magical. A #Border fence will not keep us from our neighbors," tweeted a member of Beto O'Rourke's presidential campaign. The installation was also celebrated by the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services. "We are all connected," it said, per Newsweek. "We are all one." (More border wall stories.)

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