FRIENDSHIP OVER FEAR – Unprecedented Cross-Border Demonstrations Unite U.S., Canada, Mexico on Aug. 16
Organized by Friends Across Borders, 40 same-day events will take place across North America, including 22 at cross-border locations. Large crowds are expected at anchor sites San Diego AND Tijuana, Tucson AND Nogales, Laredo AND Nuevo Laredo, Washington AND British Columbia, Quebec AND Vermont. (A complete event site map is located here.)
All demonstrations will bring together people from all walks of life including artists, faith leaders, immigrant rights advocates and environmental defenders for peaceful demonstrations of dignity and human connection.
“Friendship is much stronger than fear, and unites us with our neighbors across borders,” said Rev. John Fanestil, Friends Across Borders co-founder, Rhodes scholar, and author. “We reject efforts to turn neighbors into enemies and to militarize our borders. On August 16, we’ll demonstrate that international friendship is the right antidote to the harmful politics of the Trump Administration.”
Roughly 30 million people live in U.S. counties and Mexican municipios that touch the US–Mexico border, and some two-thirds of Canada’s 40 million residents live within 100 km of the United States’ northern border.
“We won’t let people peddling fear define our border communities,” Fanestil said. “They are not battlegrounds — they’re crossroads of culture, where people are forging a shared future rooted in dignity and human connection.”
Four Key Border Gatherings Gaining Momentum
While celebrations will occur along the length of both borders, four locations have emerged as focal points for turnout, visuals, and media coverage:
San Diego, CA / Tijuana, MX
- Central San Diego (11 am local) — Gathering on the “Federal Lawns” in Balboa Park with music, poetry, and solidarity activities, concluding in an interactive art build.
- Tijuana, MX (11 am local) — All-day, family-friendly festival at “Friendship Park” featuring an opening Kumeyaay blessing, live music, workshops, food stands, and interactive activities from local grassroots groups.
Laredo, TX / Nuevo Laredo, MX (9 am local)Ceremony on the Gateway to the Americas bridge, a kayak paddle down the Rio Grande under the bridge, and evening community festivals in both cities.
Washington State / British Columbia, Canada (11 am local)Celebration at the Peace Arch with speakers, music, and the world-famous friendship hockey handshake beneath the arch.
Vermont / Quebec, Canada (11 am local)Large cross-border gathering in Frelighsburg, Quebec, and Berkshire, Vermont, forming a human chain to symbolize the defense of fundamental rights threatened by fear-based politics.
For a list of spokespersons throughout North America, please visit the Friends Across Borders Speakers Circle.
The Friendship Pledge
At the heart of each gathering is a public recitation of the Friendship Pledge, affirming unity, mutual respect, and a rejection of disinformation, coercion, and violence as political tools. It calls on elected officials to join in treating North American neighbors as friends and allies in pursuit of a shared future rooted in dignity, security, and prosperity for all.
Why Now
The Day of International Friendship takes place in stark contrast to the Trump administration’s militarization of Washington DC, and when immigration, border militarization, trade disputes, and fear-based rhetoric dominate the 2025 political agenda. Friends Across Borders sees this as an urgent opportunity to reframe the meaning of borders — from places of separation and exclusion to places of human connection and friendship.
About Friends Across BordersFriends Across Borders is a coalition of individuals, organizations, and elected officials committed to demonstrating the simple truth that the peoples of North America are not enemies, but friends. Together, we are building a movement across the continent linking our common interests. A Day of International Friendship is the coalition’s first collective action, uniting communities along the U.S.–Mexico and U.S.–Canada borders through acts of peace, connection, and radical friendship.
MEDIA RSVP:Stacey Doss, [email protected]