The first Hands Across the Border ceremony to take place on Gateway International Bridge between Brownsville and Matamoros since 2020 was accompanied Friday morning by temperatures in the mid-40s, a cutting north wind and occasional drizzle.
The show must go on, however, and the many dignitaries, spectators and assorted participants seemed to enjoy themselves anyway, even if everyone was shivering and some portion getting a bit wet.
“This will be the shortest speech I have ever given in my life,” said Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino Jr. upon taking the podium.
Recognizing 2022 Mr. Amigo Bianca Marroquin, a celebrated Broadway star who grew up between Brownsville and Matamoros, Trevino said he was proud to have a “local native” named Mr. Amigo this year.
“How much more native can you be, from Matamoros and Brownsville, to be our Mr. Amigo for 2022?” he said. “We wanted to make you feel at home, so we made sure that the weather was exactly like it is in New York, where you now live.”
Put on each year during by the Mr. Amigo Association during Charro Days, Hands Across the Border was first held on Gateway Bridge in 1987, though last year’s event was canceled due to the pandemic.
According to Master of Ceremonies and Mr. Amigo Association board member Graciela Salazar, the event was inspired by Hands Across America, which took place in 1986 when between 5 million and 6.5 million people joined hands for 15 minutes across the contiguous United States.
The continuing celebration of Hands Across the Border is made possible by the Mr. Amigo Association, the Brownsville and Matamoros chambers of commerce, the Mexican consulate in Brownsville, the U.S. consulate in Matamoros, Cameron County, the Department of Homeland Security and the cities of Brownsville and Matamoros.
Also among the dignitaries delivering remarks were Brownsville Mayor Trey Mendez, who said Hands Across the Border is his favorite event in Brownsville’s Charro Days, and Matamoros Mayor Mario Lopez Hernandez, who celebrated the enduring bond between the sister cities. Also part of the event were official color guards from both cities, singing of the U.S. and Mexican national anthems, and gift exchanges among the dignitaries — the ornately embroidered, long-fringed Tamaulipan cuera jackets being a particular favorite.
Pegging the needle on the cuteness meter during Friday’s event, as it does every year, was the exchange of national flags and goodwill gift bags between little girls and boys from both sides of the border in traditional costume, the one feature of the program guaranteed never to go quite right, to the obvious delight of onlookers.
Friday’s grand finale was the release of 15 white doves to symbolize peace.
“Our shared mission is to celebrate the shared culture, friendship and family that unite the border cities of Brownsville, Texas, and Matamoros, Mexico, and to enjoy the traditions and history that unite them, bringing the Rio Grande Valley and La Frontera closer together, serving as an example for the two nations,” Salazar said.
To see more photos of the ceremony, view Brownsville Herald Miguel Roberts’ full photo gallery here:
