Migrantes Valientes
Railroad Days - Black Butte and Dunsmuir
June 13-15, 2025
Migrantes Valientes Art Show, Presentation, and Music
For our traditional Railroad Days celebration this year we are planning another exciting event - this one focused on the theme of migration and the role railroads have long played in facilitating the movement of people in transit to new opportunities and lives. Dunsmuir and Black Butte have been part of a migratory corridor as long as the railroads have existed. BBCRC views migration as a human right - the freedom to travel is at the core of what we value about our country. At a time when this right is imperiled by national and international policies, we are presenting a counter-narrative, celebrating and promoting migration and trains.
As a core part of this event, we have invited a Mexico City-based project, MIGRANTES VALIENTES to participate with an art show, presentation, and book release. MVS combines photography and street art with outreach and advocacy for migrants. This has included documentation of migrants riding freight trains in Mexico and has more recently expanded to engagement on migration issues globally. The MVS presentations will be accompanied by music all weekend in Dunsmuir and in the boxcar! It is going to be a fun and inspiring weekend and we hope you can attend!
BBCRC appreciates the suppprt of The Ford Family Foundation (www.tfff.org) to help make this event happen!
For more info on the schedule of events and Migrantes Valientes see below:
Note: BBCRC will be open for visitors all weekend.
Friday, June 13th
5pm to 9pm - Milepost 322 sponsored music show at BEE KIND BAKERY on Sacramento Avenue.
Bee Kind has a nice back courtyard which worked great for music at Railroad Days last year. List of confirmed musicians will be added here shortly - stay tuned!
5pm to 9pm - "Migration" - photos by North Bank Fred at Al's Depot and Emporium, Pine Street, Dunsmuir.
For more than two decades, North Bank Fred photographed and hung out with hobos, tramps, and migratory workers traveling through Dunsmuir and Black Butte by train. This retrospective series of photographs, most taken from the late 1980s through the mid-2000s, highlights the diverse community of train riders who passed through this area during a relatively recent yet bygone era.
10pm - It is likely we will have and after-party, with additional music later in the evening after the events in Dunsmuir, back up in the Black Butte boxcar.
Saturday, June 14th
Noon - Events in Dunsmuir kick off around noon with the Railroad Days parade. If you are in Dunsmuir there are several railroad-themed attractions to check out. BBCRC's Tunnel 13 train robbery historic panels will be on display at the Dunsmuir Depot Museum. Al's Depot will be open all day providing another opportunity to check out North Bank Fred's Migration photo collection.
Afternoon/Evening - Most Saturday BBCRC events will be up at Black Butte. We will have music, vendors, and displays open all afternoon and into the evening. A presentation/book release event will be held in the late afternoon. An art opening reception will take place in the early evening, followed by lots of music in the boxcar. The detailed schedule of events and list of musicians will be posted here once it is finalized.
Sunday, June 15th - BBCRC and the MIgrantes Valientes show will remain open and there will be informal opportunities for socializing.
Visit their website at migrantesvalientes.com and, if you are on Instatram, check out www.instagram.com/migrantes.valientes/.
"Migrantes Valientes: Stories of the South and North"This exhibition is a collection of photographs and narratives from the publication "Migrantes Valientes: Stories of the South and North" - a collection of 13 stories of survival and the promise of a better future coming from both Mexico and the United States of America.
In collaboration between Pablo Allison and Alfonso Vazquez founder of Chicanxs sin Fronteras, this publication and exhibition is a display of just a little under two years of conversations and planning, reminding us of the complex historical and cultural ties between Mexico and The United States from the viewpoint of migration.
"Migrantes Valientes" includes contributions by Vanessa Bustamante, Jeoffrey Guillemard, Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs, Luis J. Rodriguez, Shente, Adam Wiseman, and Magic.
These voices remind us that no human being is illegal and that we are all on the move.
Esta exposición es una colección de fotografias y narrativas de la publicación "Migrantes Valientes: Stories of the South and North", una selección de 13 historias tanto de México como de los Estados Unidos, que hablan sobre la supervivencia y la promesa de un futuro mejor.
En colaboración con Pablo Allison y Alfonso Vázquez, fundador de Chicanxs sin Fronteras, esta publicación y exposición es resultado de casi dos años de conversaciones y planificación, que nos permiten reconocer los complejos vinculos históricos y culturales entre México y Estados Unidos desde el punto de vista de la migración.
"Migrantes Valientes" incluye contribuciones de Vanessa Bustamante, Jeoffrey Guillemard, Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs, Luis J. Rodriguez, Shente, Adam Wiseman y Magic.
Estas voces nos recuerdan que ningún ser humano es ilegal y que todos estamos en movimiento.