WHO’S REPPIN’ YOU?

Last year, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the “Stop Woke Act.” It regulates how race is taught in schools, colleges, and trainings. Rutgers University historian and The 1619 Project contributor Leslie Alexander speaks to such legislation’s impact:

“They are critical of the very concept of being awake…What they would prefer is a generation and a society composed of people who are asleep and ignorant, because people who are asleep, ignorant, and ill-informed are much easier to control than people who are awake, informed, educated, and critically engaged.”

Staying informed often feels overwhelming. But the UpLift Initiative can help make it easier for you to find out who your reps are and see if their solutions align with your values. You can start local and build from there.

SO LET’S DO THAT:

The Albuquerque City Council has nine councilors representing Albuquerque’s various districts.

Recently, the council voted to pilot a free bus fare program, easing a financial burden for many folks who need public transit. The council also considered legislation to address the city’s exploding housing crisis. Councilor Tammy

Fiebelkorn’s bill would have prevented unfair and deceptive rental practices, but four councilors voted in favor and five voted against. These are the types of actions your city councilor can do or fail to do for you. This November, four city council seats will be up for election, so you gotta learn who’s running in your district and scope out their platforms. Then, by the time election day comes around, you’ll be ready to cast your vote!

AND NOW, AT THE STATE LEVEL:

The New Mexico legislative session is held every year beginning in January. New Mexico’s elected state representatives and senators work on legislation for things like housing, gun laws, healthcare, civil rights, and education. For a bill to become law, it has to pass both the House and Senate and be signed by the governor. In the 2023 legislative session, Rep. Pamelya Herndon sponsored HB 9 in response to the tragic killing of young Bennie Hargrove. The bill makes it a crime to negligently allow a minor access to a firearm, and it went into effect in June. Some other bills that passed the session are: free menstrual products in public school bathrooms; automatic voter registration when getting a driver’s license; and protections for reproductive and gender-affirming medical care.

Who we vote for locally can actually affect lives nationally. In late May, the NAACP and other civil rights groups issued a travel advisory for Florida, warning that the state’s recent laws are hostile toward people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals. The Human Rights Campaign declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ Americans because of the spike in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation passed in several states across the country. Our state’s laws can mitigate the effect of federal laws on New Mexican residents. On the flip side, people elected to local and state positions can go on to run for Congress or president of the United States.

So, remember to ask yourself, who’s representing you?

Who’s Running for City Council?

Register to Vote

Find New Mexico Legislation

“Governor signs House Bill 9, the Bennie Hargrove Gun Safety Act”

“Albuquerque will eliminate bus fares for riders in 2022”

“Civil rights groups warn tourists about Florida in wake of ‘hostile’