By Pat Desmond
Times Staff
8/14/08

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Harney has devoted much of his life to working to show the face of conflict in war zones all over the world.
Now he is walking 200 miles from Boston to New Haven, CT, to talk about the 13 million undocumented workers in this country. When he conceived the idea for the walk, he planned to travel from Boston to Washington, DC. But his illness, salivary gland cancer, has left him too weakened to keep to the original schedule. His cancer has spread to his lungs and head. He hasn’t been given much hope. He said his pain is nothing compared with the people he has met in his travels.
He tells one story after another, speaking softly and carrying his invisible cross.
The walk began at the State House in Boston on Aug. 5. He reached Milton Aug. 6
It’s his belief that people don’t understand the problem of what they call illegal immigration. He wants people to understand the problems the “free trade” agreements and globilization have caused. People in the villages of Latin and Central America cannot afford to buy enough food to keep their families alive and well.
“It’s about justice,” Harney said after walking from Boston to Milton in the chilly rain.
He stopped at the gazebo on the town green for a time.
For the past 30 years, he has spent part of his time in war zones, photographing people he calls the crucified, listening to their stories and bringing information back to the U.S. He first came to national attention as an antiwar protestor during the time of the Vietnam War as a member of the Milwaukee 14. On Sept. 14, 1968, 14 men walked into the Milwaukee Draft Board and filled bags they carried with draft records. They walked outside the building and burned the records.
He spent time in prison for being part of the action. These days he works at a nonprofit called Posibilidad that is based in Bangor, ME.
He has captured photos and information from El Salvador, Mexico, Argentina, Columbia and more recently Iraq.
A few years ago Harney met a man outside a shelter in Mexico. The man and 19 others had begun a journey from Columbia, heading to the U.S. where they hoped to find work. Harney described him as telling his story and wiping away tears with his T-shirt. The other 19 were dead. The man who hoped to find work said he couldn’t keep trying - he was returning to his own country.
“These people just want to be treated as human beings,” Harney said. “They come to the U.S. and people are dying - 1,000 a day - on the journey.”
He explained the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) plays a role in driving up the price of food in Central American countries.
“I want to make sure people understand these are human beings just trying to feed their families. I feel honored to walk in solidarity with people who were tortured as they tried to go on their journey.
“I am so fortunate.”
He said people don’t understand the problems the undocumented workers face.
“The more I can relate to the pain of others, the more mine diminishes,” he said.
He plans to speak in New Bedford in a week or so near the site where 300 workers were detained by federal immigration officials in March of last year.