Uplift Chronicle February 2023 Beyond the Chair Edition

LET US BE CHANGE AGENTS

ICYMI

THE ANNUAL MLK BREAKFAST STIRRED GUESTS INTO ACTION

It’s a venerable annual tradition for Black New Mexicans to come together for the Dr. King Commemorative Celebration. Organized by the Grant Chapel AME Church, the breakfast was super charged this year as its speakers encouraged us all to seek justice, equity, and community. Keynote speaker Dr. Karissa Culbreath’s sermon delivered a rallying cry of solidarity and perseverance. Rep. Pamelya Herndon was pleased with this year’s sold-out event, saying, “Every person should aspire to be the change agent Dr. Culbreath described. She inspired me to remember not to dwell on problems, but to focus on a plan that leads to change.”

Grant Chapel’s Vision ABQ scholarships were given out to students who briefly joined Mayor Tim Keller, Judge Shammara Henderson,

WOMAN ON FIRE

Dr. Karissa Culbreath was keynote speaker at this year’s MLK breakfast and she lit the room on fire. The audience was truly ignited by her passion and forthrightness. Woe to those who had to follow her! By her own admission, her time at the mic was “a full realization of all of the parts of myself,” like an anthem or thesis of her work.

She wanted the breakfast guests to “really think about what it takes to make a healthy and vibrant community.” That starts with rethinking health equity in every single area of our lives; redefining what a healthy community looks like; and “working in all the systems to make sure that we can achieve that.”

Born and raised here in Albuquerque, Culbreath got her undergraduate degree—and her husband

Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury, and Sheriff John Allen on the dais.

John Rencher, attending for the first time, appreciated the chance to network, noting, “Gatherings like these are important, especially in New Mexico, because for an underrepresented community like ours, it’s imperative to stay united, and it makes me want to be more involved in helping the community flourish.”

And Africana Studies Professor Marsha Hardeman was part of the morning’s resounding choir and spoke to Black history’s importance, stating, “We have so much more to learn about our forebears, and should honor them, continually, to do justice to their posterity and our collective legacy as a Black people, strong, unsinkable, and ever-victorious in our faith and hope for a righteous justice.”

THE SERMON THAT BLEW THE ROOF OFF THE BREAKFAST

Brian—at Fisk University, then earned her PhD in microbiology and immunology at Vanderbilt. She wears a few hats: as medical director for infectious disease at TriCore; as associate pastor at New Covenant Worship Center in Rio Rancho; and as that city’s first Black city councilor. Her children are her biggest influence because they catalyze change in her and light that fire we all saw at breakfast. They awaken her curiosity, which is necessary right now, “because all of these issues we’re facing are not that new.” Culbreath believes we have to stand up and say, “We must be counted, we will be counted.” Black folk make significant impacts in this community and are not, she argues, “statistically insignificant.”

CELEBRATE / FIGHT / REST / LOVE

A Q&A WITH AJA

Have you met Aja Brooks yet? You should. She’s president of the New Mexico Black Lawyers Association and is a UNM School of Law grad just named Executive Assistant United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico. She’s married to lawyer John Osborn and they have a 3-year-old named Emerson. When she’s stressed, her family lifts her spirits with impromptu dance parties. Aja’s on a meteoric trajectory, so we wanted to catch up with all her goings-on.

Who’s inspired you recently?

Barbara Brown Simmons, the first Black woman to graduate from [UNM Law]. I’m reminded of the great strides she made to ensure that others followed in her footsteps. I am indebted to her and others like her for being able to pursue higher education in my home state.

What do you do in the US Attorney’s office?

I assist with hiring, training, recruitment, programs, DEIA measures, and community outreach and engagement. I am lucky to be doing the things that I love.

What’s up with the NMBLA?

Last year, we celebrated our 40th anniversary, holding events in honor of our founding by retired Judge Tommy Jewell [and others]. We help provide opportunities for Black students entering the legal profession.

What’s on your mind this Black History Month?

My heart is broken as the list of those taken from us [like Tyre Nichols] keeps growing; there’s so much work to do. At the same time, my 40th birthday [happened] and I’m celebrating just being alive and breathing. Going into Black History Month, I hope to continue to fight, but also to take time to rest and love myself as well.

BROOKS OF THE US ATTORNEYS OFFICE ALWAYS ON

THE FOUNDER OF 99.9 THE BEAT IS DOING

Byron Powdrell is a natural storyteller and that’s undoubtedly how he keeps customers and business associates. He’s expanding 99.9 The Beat, the first Black-owned radio station in New Mexico. He’s also an APD liaison to the Community Policing Councils, trying “to find ways to mend that fence between the community and the police.”

Powdrell started in radio in the ’80s at KANW. He moved to KOAT, then AMG in the ’90s. Around 2000 he thought, “I’m gonna start my own radio station,” quit Wild 106, read everything he could about the FCC online, and applied for his license. In 2013, the FCC was like, you’re on. “I had 30 days to become a nonprofit. Man, I was scrambling.”

Powdrell went to the Black community for support, but not money. Straightway, he invited friends over for his family’s famous barbecue; they put up his 70-foot antennae and The Beat went live on July 4, 2014. Having a Black-owned station in Albuquerque is important “because it gives us a Black voice,” which the other stations aren’t doing.

Next, Powdrell’s moving to public TV and eventually a streaming service. His pragmatic outlook is key. “Every network started with one station—NBC, CBS—and look what they’ve become. That’s where I’m headed; we’re gonna do it all.”

BIG THINGS

IF WE ALL WORK TOGETHER…

APRIL SEALY HAS COME UP & DIDN’T GET THERE ALONE

“Make a decision today that your future will thank you for later. That’s something that’s been sticking with me the last couple months.” That’s what April Sealy confidently states with her notable Georgian accent during her interview. She’s owner of A Touch of Class Hair Studio at the edge of Albuquerque and Corrales on the Westside. And she’s been taking her own advice about being decisive and making moves. “This year, I’ve been on self-care.”

April arrived in the Land of Enchantment in 2006 when husband Ramon was stationed at Kirtland AFB. The couple has a 12-year-old son, Jaylen and a 5-year-old daughter, Joanna. April built her business up the last decade after getting her license in 2010 and she manages the other salon suites in the building she works out of. Her studio is the culmination of one of two lifelong dreams. “Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a stylist and a teacher because I come from a family of educators. I was able to check off the hair stylist part [but] not the educator part yet.”

April specializes in natural hair care, extensions, and braids. “I saw there was a need for more African American and biracial hairstylists [in Albuquerque] because, let’s be real, the African American population is growing, but it’s not like it is back in Georgia for me.”

April loves seeing people come into the studio and be transformed. “They may come in down and out, but when they leave, it’s like they’re a whole different person.” It’s what she would observe while joining her mother, grandmother, and three aunts all day at their salon when she was little. She started braiding on her own at 6 years old.

Once April got her license, she was off to the races. Someone she knew in the local Black community put her onto Kamaria Creations, where she expanded her skills, and then took a job at JC Penney’s at the Cottonwood Mall. Word of mouth traveled

fast talking with church friends like Beverly Gaines of the MLK Commission, and influenced by mentor Nina Farrow, to whom she sends a shout out. April chose to open A Touch of Class near Cottonwood because “location is key with any business,” and she didn’t want to lose her already budding customer base.

Beyond her focus on styling, April and Ramon are serious about having multiple streams of income, so the entrepreneurial couple opened a jewelry company and a car rental business. Given the help she received on the come-up, April says that the Black communities in Albuquerque can adopt an “each one, teach one” mentality. She encourages others to “help a person get to the next level because we have a small African American population here and it would work a lot better if we all work together.”

“Help a person“ get to the next level because we have a small African American population here and it would work a lot better if we all ”work together.”

Ronnie Wallace and Adolphe Pierre-Louis enriched the photographic landscape of the people, places, and events in and around Albuquerque. Their time, talent, and treasure can’t be fully measured.

As they both shutter their illustrious careers, we are still going to need people to be our stories’ caretakers. The challenge for us to continue to record and share our history in photos and stories reminds us of the myth of Anansi, the West African trickster god. He’s known as the world’s master storyteller but he didn’t earn that mantle easily. He had to beg Nyan the sky god to share his wealth of

OUR STORIES TO KEEP SHINING THE LIGHT

stories and the sky god made him endure terrible tests to prove himself. Anansi eventually completed Nyan’s challenges and earned the right to catalogue and share the world’s stories.

Like Anansi, our community will have to work hard to continue in Ronnie and Adolphe’s footsteps. If we don’t devote our resources to recording our community’s achievements and hardships, our memories will evaporate when these creatives retire. We need to encourage and cultivate a new generation of photographers to share our future experiences and stories.

THE LEADERS WHO INSPIRE BLACK HISTORY MONTH

It’s February! Time to kick off Black History Month. As American history, Black history should be celebrated year round. NMBLC’s 2023 New Mexico Black History Festival runs from February through September. So, let’s shine a light on three people who inspire the celebration of Black heritage. As we acknowledge these African American pioneers, we honor our Black heritage and history.

CARTER G. WOODSON, THE “FATHER OF BLACK HISTORY”

“What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but the history of the world void of national bias, race hate, and religious prejudice.”

It all started in 1924 with a week-long celebration by Woodson’s fraternity, Omega Psi Phi. Woodson pushed to expand Black History to a month-long, national celebration.

ELLA JO BAKER, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST

“Give light and people will find the way.”

Baker is the OG of community-based activism. She held key roles in the NAACP, Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Like many, she espoused voting as a key to freedom.

SHIRLEY CHISHOLM, FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN CONGRESSWOMAN

“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.”

These words are the inspiration for NMBLC’s Chisholm Table and leadership conference. The Chisholm Table creates a space for Black volunteer organizations to forge alliances that further their service to Black communities.

Ronnie Wallace Adolphe Pierre-Louis

New Mexico Black History Events Voting

Chisholm Table Chisholm Table microgrants

IT’S IMPORTANT TO

CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY ALL YEAR LONG

For a decade, the New Mexico Black Leadership Council has themed its Black history festivals. This year, Tayari, Swahili for “I’m prepared, I’m ready,” is our guiding principle. Three or four years ago, the NMBLC started deleting “month” from what we did with the festival. So, now it’s the New Mexico Black History Festival & Events and we announce celebrations happening throughout the year.

Black History Month as a “set-aside” will always be important. We are so grateful to have it. However, there are those who think February is the only time we need to talk about Black American matters. In many cases, they don’t know why February was dedicated, nor who Carter G. Woodson is. Which tells us, there isn’t enough education about how Black history is American history.

Celebrating our stories and people outside of February isn’t exotic or unusual. We want people to understand this history belongs to all of us, the good parts and the bad; the totality of the American experience.

In the spirit of Tayari, NMBLC’s forthcoming events include our Roots Summer Leadership Academy, the One New Mexico Gospel Concert, the Pamoja 5k Fun Run, and a leadership conference. We also want to serve a complementary role with our civic brothers and sisters—including the African American Performing Arts Center, the Office of African American Affairs, the Martin Luther King, Jr. State Commission, UNM’s African American Student Services, and the City’s Office of Black Community Engagement. We’re ready to celebrate all year long!

THANK YOU FOR SHOWING US OURSELVES

The Asante Awards have been a part of the New Mexico Black History Festival for years. Asante means “thank you” in Swahili. With this award, we thank those making great contributions to the community in New Mexico. This year, we’re honoring Black photographers, and spotlighting two dedicated photojournalists: Ronnie Wallace and Adolphe Pierre-Louis. With their talent, cameras, and love, they document the people, places and things that would otherwise be lost to time and indifference.

Ronnie Wallace, editor of Perspectives magazine, is called “Mr. Albuquerque” by those who know him. Like photography giant Gordon Parks, Ronnie has made it his mission to document the lives and culture of Black people. If something’s happening in the Black community, Ronnie’s there, camera in hand. He’s produced and preserved documents and content for over 40 primarily volunteer-led Black organizations in New Mexico. He’s also written for The Statewide Focus on the state of Black New Mexico.

Albuquerque Journal photographer Adolphe Pierre-Louis routinely wins regional and state journalism contests. One first-place photo captured the aftermath of the shooting during the Oñate statue

protest, and another showed the heartbreaking toll of the COVID-19 pandemic through the face of a woman celebrating her 100th birthday behind a window. Adolphe’s commitment to justice is illustrated by his agreement with the state after a frightening incident with a police officer. As part of his settlement, he speaks to cadets at the police academy on unconscious bias.

Join us for the 2023 Asante Awards. Keep an eye on www.NMBLC.org for more details!

Adolphe Pierre-Louis’ work with the Albuquerque Journal

VISIBLE, VITAL & VALUABLE

WHY A BLACK NEW MEXICAN MUSEUM IS A NECESSITY

Back in 2002, Brenda Dabney (of the African American Catholic Community) and Rita Powdrell (of Mr. Powdrell’s Barbecue House) joined 60 invested folk to build the nonprofit African American Museum and Cultural Center of New Mexico. Its mission statement highlighted the need to increase awareness of Black New Mexicans’ many historical contributions. State Representatives Pamelya Herndon and Jane Powdrell-Culbert recently spurred momentum to get a brick-and-mortar building for the museum. Meanwhile, its traveling exhibits have been all around New Mexico under Brenda and Rita’s stewardship. Rita states plainly, “It’s important that our young people see themselves on the walls of museums throughout this state. We have been instrumental in New Mexico’s history, from Buffalo Soldiers, to the railroads, to mining. Often, we’re hit with, ‘Oh, you’re just 3%.’ But being 3%, this state in 1925 segregated its schools. So, obviously 3% was perceived as enough of a threat to separate us from the general population of New Mexico.”

“Our mantra was ‘visible, vital, and valuable,’” Brenda states. “Today, we’re in the same boat as this whole country. [Tyre Nichols’ recent death] touched all our souls. It’s 2023 and the Civil Rights Bill was signed in 1964. It’s an uphill fight but we haven’t been given the justice that we are due in this country. So, we are going to continue the fight.”

Learn more about our important museum with the QR code.

MOTHER MOORE

It’s a sunny, crisp afternoon at Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church. Mother Moore sits in the front pew. Linda Brown sits nearby under a high window. She’s like Mother’s own daughter and takes her on errands and to get her hair did. Linda introduces Mother as the eldest woman of the congregation, so “we call her the mother of the church.” It makes perfect sense to honor Mother with that title since, on February 10, she turned a glorious 103 years old.

Mother was born in Valliant, Oklahoma but raised in East Texas, down on Red River. She picked cotton starting at the age of 6 and unfondly recalls how the bolls would stick her hand. She called it “rotten cotton.” Her two sons joined the fields as young as she was when she started. She’s had two husbands, saying she married the first, Stanford Jackson, in 1936. Her second was Major Moore and both are deceased.

She lives with her surviving child, Patricia Campbell, and her son-in-law. Her extended family, now, is Morningstar, which reminds her of how the neighbors on Red River kept an eye on her and the other children. Everyone looked after everyone else.

Mother’s faith has kept her for years. “God made everything beautiful and true. And what got messed up was us thinking we knew everything.” With God, she says, “You have to walk by faith, not by sight,” and trust in Him daily. We wish Mother a happy belated birthday!

Brenda Dabney

Rita Powdrell

AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM AND CULTURAL CENTER OF NEW MEXICO

FOR OVER A CENTURY, THE MOTHER OF MORNING STAR HAS LIVED BY HER FAITH

THE NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN IS ONE OF OURS AFTER A SHORT RETIREMENT FROM

THE BCSO, SHERIFF JOHN ALLEN IS BACK TO SHAKE EVERYTHING UP

Not two months into his tenure and Sheriff John Allen, new head of the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, excitedly declares, “We are rolling. We’re everywhere. I told people, I hope you can keep up. There’s too much to do and everything going on.”

Allen knows what’s at stake: he’s the first Black sheriff ever; there are recruitment diversity issues; there’s community mistrust; and he’s just been invited to the Roundhouse to speak on use of force tactics in the wake of Tyre Nichols’ killing by Memphis police. Everyone’s got their eyes on what Allen’s gonna do next, but he thrives under the pressure and scrutiny.

He rearranged how the BCSO works, despite the discomfort it caused; everyone knows he’s a unique lawman. He lives with his beloved wife Athenea in the South Valley surrounded by people he arrested but who respect him because he always talked with them.

That from-left-field thinking brought Allen to the Roundhouse in the first place. “I’m an elected official and we need to have communication.” Besides,

he’s a master use of force instructor with case law and behavioral health training.

What he does, he calls engaged community policing. “How we interact with our community is so important to me. People are like, you’re done campaigning, but I’m like, then you’ll see me out in the community even more.”