UpLift Chronicles International District Edition March 2024 v3i1

GAME CHANGERS: WHO’S SHAPING OUR ’HOOD?

SENATOR HAROLD POPE, JR.

New Mexico Senate, District 23

Passed The Crown Act, which prohibits discrimination in schools based on hairstyle or cultural or religious headdress

REP. JANELLE ANYANONU

New Mexico House of Representatives, District 16 Represents Albuquerque’s International District

Primary concerns include housing stability

REP. PAMELYA HERNDON

New Mexico House of Representatives, District 28 KWH Law Center for Social Justice and Change Passed the Bennie Hargrove Gun Safe Storage Act that requires firearms be stored safely and out of the reach of minors

“NO ONE REALLY KNOWS HOW THE GAME IS PLAYED THE ART OF THE TRADE HOW THE SAUSAGE GETS MADE WE JUST ASSUME THAT IT HAPPENS BUT NO ONE ELSE IS IN THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENS”

—excerpted from “The Room Where It Happens,” Hamilton

by Cathryn McGill

Politics is often described as a game. In some instances, it is a blood sport. For most people, the rules of the game are unfathomable. Who benefits? Who pays? Who sets the agenda and makes the decisions? For Black/African Americans in the state of New Mexico, the rules of engagement have been almost impossible to decipher, and representation in the political arena has been elusive. To paraphrase Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash hit “The Room Where It Happens,” most laypeople don’t know how the sausage gets made, and most of us haven’t ever been in the rooms where the game is played.

In the heart of New Mexico’s political landscape, however, three trailblazers—Rep. Pamelya Herndon, Rep. Janelle Anyanonu, and Senator Harold Pope Jr.—are redefining that narrative. Their journey reflects the transformative power of being at the forefront of decision-making, where history is crafted,

and futures are shaped. In this arena, they stand out as game-changers, navigating the intricate dance of politics with the resolve to bring forth change that echoes the diverse voices of their communities. In essence, they are shaping our hood…

The UpLift Chronicles had an opportunity to sit down with these officials during New Mexico’s 2024 legislative session, and they all talked about their determination to ensure that all New Mexicans gain a better understanding of the political process. Specifically, each of them wants the public to know about key deadlines, how legislation gets moved through the House and the Senate, and how HB 2, the state budget—and we’d say its moral compass—is planned for and enacted. They want to ensure people understand how to start planning an agenda now and deciding what could and should be debated in next year’s session. Stay tuned on our website, nmblc.org, and to these pages for a post-session 2024 wrap-up and a ramp-up for 2025 in-person and virtual meetings.

Adolphe Pierre-Louis

VITALITY VIBES: PROMOTING WELLNESS IN OUR COMMUNITY

The World Health Organization describes health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease,” and the org defines wellness as “the optimal state of health of individuals and groups,” expressed as “a positive approach to living.”

This month, New Mexico Black Leadership Council is focused on promoting wellness through community access to services and resources that can help us all thrive. In the post-pandemic landscape, we believe that means health care both physical and mental.

During cold weather, the human body is more susceptible to opportunistic infections so it’s no surprise that New Mexico is experiencing higher levels of COVID-19, flu, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) this winter. In addition to taking common sense precautions against infection masking up when in crowded places and washing your hands regularly vaccines are now available for COVID19, flu, and RSV.

Visit New Mexico Department of Health’s vaccine portal at vaccine.doh.nm.gov to find out where to get COVID-19, flu, or RSV vaccines, whether you’re insured or not. If someone in your household has a compromised immune system, getting your vaccinations can help safeguard them from contracting an infection their body might not be as well equipped able to fend off.

Mind and body are connected and taking care of your mental health is just as important. From everyday stress to chronic anxiety, depression or substance use, there are evidence-based treatments that can help. Whether you’re interested in talk therapy, medication or a combination of the two, it is possible to improve your mental and emotional wellness.

Albuquerque Community Safety (ACS), the newest arm of the city’s first responder network, are specially trained to assist individuals who are experiencing mental health, housing, substance use, and other non-violent crises. In addition to providing immediate help, ACS can link clients up with ongoing programs and resources to support their journey toward personal safety and wellness. Call ACS at 911 for emergencies or via 311 for situations that are less urgent.

NEW MEXICO MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES

988 Crisis & Suicide Lifeline: 988 (24-hour hotline), 988lifeline.org

Agora Crisis Center: 505-277-3013 or 866-HELP-1-NM, agoracares.org

Crisis Text Line: Text HO ME to 741741, crisistextline.org

Domestic Violence Resource Center: 505-266-7711 (24-hour hotline), dvrcnm.org

New Mexico Crisis and Access Line: 505-266-7711 (24-hour hotline), nmcrisisline.com

Rape Crisis Center of Central New Mexico: 505-266-7711(24-hour hotline), rapecrisiscnm.org

UNM Psychiatric Center: 505-272-2920 (24-hour hotline)

Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860 (Monday-Friday, 11am-7pm), translifeline.org

The Trevor Project: 866-488-7386 (24-hour hotline), thetrevorproject.org

Mind and body are connected and taking care of your mental health is just as important.

COMMUNITY IN THE CLASSROOM

Even for those who haven’t been inside a classroom since they were students, public schools are a community venture. Community and schools are intertwined in big ways— like the recent call for input into the search for a new Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) superintendent—and small, like donating a pack of crayons to a school-supply drive. Community schools build on this connection to foster strong students, families, and communities by recognizing the school as an important hub of the community. In this time when we have few community resources to rally around, that focus is something we all need.

In fact, as of January 2023, 39% of APS schools were officially community schools. According to the Albuquerque Teachers Federation, “a community school is both a place and a set of partnerships between the school and other community resources.” These schools receive extra support from the community to help students and families succeed. In return, their buildings become community hubs for networking, services, and partnerships. Whittier Elementary School Community Counselor (CSC) Brianna Hernandez Casas adds, “Many people who have not stepped in a school in years have no idea how much schools do for our students.”

Each community school has a dedicated Community School Counselor (CSC) like Casas. CSCs help actualize “family and community engagement,” a pillar value of community schools. They connect families to support structures within the school system and in the wider community. According to Casas, “Involving and educating the community helps our students to not only succeed in school, but to succeed in life!”

It’s not just students who benefit. Helping kids grow into their own strength and values makes our whole community stronger in the long run. NMBLC’s ReAgents, for instance, is an arts-based program designed to help middle schoolers become “change agents” in their schools and communities. Shawna Brown, the program lead, explains, “Students will leave the program with more clarity about their personal values. For example, if they value safety and community, they may be less prone to being a bully and may stand up for students who are being bullied.” It will be an asset to all of us to have these kids in our communities as they grow into strong adults.

There are more immediate benefits as well: Whittier Elementary, for example, serves as a food hub for the International District, with distributions of food, clothes, and meals twice a month.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

But if you are one of those folks who haven’t stepped inside a school in years, how can you dip your toe in? Use the APS website to find the CSC at your school (aps.edu/ schools) or to volunteer directly (aps.edu/community/volunteer-with-aps). Or pitch in with a community organization like Justice Code, which partners New Mexico kids with other kids globally to learn about science and technology (justicecode.org)—or here at NMBLC, where community members can provide support for kids in the ReAgents program.

IT’S NOT JUST STUDENTS WHO BENEFIT. HELPING KIDS GROW INTO THEIR OWN STRENGTH AND VALUES MAKES OUR WHOLE COMMUNITY STRONGER IN THE LONG RUN.

VOLUNTEER AT A COMMUNITY SCHOOL

Katerina Holmes via pexels.com

FOR THE SOUL OF OUR COMMUNITY:

BLACK HISTORY LIVES ON

While February is the official Black History Month in the United States, we at New Mexico Black Leadership Council know that Black history in America is always and forever. That’s why we’ve shifted our focus from putting on a Black history festival of events for the month of February alone to advocating for Black influence, culture, and contributions all year long.

Our goal has always been to build and strengthen Black communities across the state “from the inside out” with the knowledge that doing so serves to help all communities thrive. A strong and vibrant New Mexico starts with embracing and promoting true multiculturalism in the state.

In 2024, New Mexico Black Leadership Council embraces “Nafsi Kujali,” a Swahili phrase that translates to “caring for the soul.” This theme resonates deeply with our mission, embodying a commitment to nurture, uplift, and heal the souls within our community. Whether expressed as “Nafsi Kujali” or in its reverse “Kujali Nafsi” (soul care), our focus remains steadfast on being caring souls, dedicated to supporting and enriching the lives we touch. This year, our work ventures into ensuring that our actions, initiatives, and presence become a sanctuary for soulful healing and growth. In every endeavor, we strive to embody care, compassion, and community, resonating the true essence and purpose of “Nafsi Kujali.” Each activity that we present throughout this year will be infused with you in mind.

Here’s a sampling of highlights to look forward to in 2024!

TRUE NEW MEXICO YOUTH ART EXHIBIT

NMBLC’s annual youth-centered, arts-based anti-racism project in collaboration with New Mexico Asian Family Center (NMAFC) continues. This spring, a cohort of young Black/African American and Asian American, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian (AAPINH) artists will exhibit original self-portraits answering the question: “What’s your True New Mexican story?” (truenm.com)

JITNEY - AN AUGUST WILSON PLAY AT THE VORTEX

This March, The Vortex Theatre presents the August Wilson play Jitney, running March 8-24, 2024. Jitney tells a tale of a group of Black taxi drivers providing vital services to their communities. The story brims with family conflict, battles against addiction, and confronting the ever-present specter of racism in the shadow of Vietnam

Showtimes are Thu-Sat 7:30pm; Sun 2pm.

Ticket prices are $24, $19, and $12 with a special pay-what-you-will option on Sunday, March 10.

The show on Sunday, March 17 will include a talkback segment.

BLACK IS ENOUGH SYMPOSIUM

The Juneteenth Renaissance Institute presents the Black Is Enough Symposium Pt. 2 on March 29th at the GAAR facility. Come together to build unity, community, and financial freedom. It’s a FREE, all-ages event. Registration is required.

ROOTS SUMMER LEADERSHIP ACADEMY (RSLA)

Registration for NMBLC’s annual summer youth camp opens in May 2024. The program is a fun-filled and engaging blend of S.T.E.A.M. learning activities featuring art, music, and dance. Open to youth ages 8-16, this July camp is popular with students and their families alike.

Stay up to date with happenings throughout the year with the NMBLC events calendar:

LEGISLATIVE ROUNDUP

– HOUSE –

HB 25

A proposed amendment to the New Mexico Human Rights Act, adding discrimination on the basis of source of income of a prospective renter or buyer to the list of unlawful housing discrimination practices. The proposed amendment defines “source of income” as “a lawful and verifiable source of money used to pay for housing.” This proposed legislation was tabled by a 6-5 vote of the Commerce and Economic Development Committee on Jan. 29.

HB 195

A proposed Act to create a revolving fund administered by the New Mexico Finance Authority to provide housing development loans to businesses and nonprofit organizations. The loans are designated for the purpose of developing “workforce housing,” defined by the Act as “residential real estate development project that involves the purchase, planning, designing, building, surveying, improving, operating, furnishing, equipping or maintaining of land, buildings or infrastructure that provides housing, including housing that provides the option of home ownership”. Passed by the New Mexico House of Representatives 50-16 on Feb. 6, Senate Finance Committee reported the act with a Do Pass recommendation to the Senate Health & Public Affairs Committee.

HB 260

A proposed Act to commission a study executed by the Mortgage Finance Authority to determine locations in the state where affordable housing is needed, vacancies in state- and locally owned properties, state- and locally owned land that could be used for housing development and the necessity of creating a fund to provide funding for building infrastructure. $500,000 is to be appropriated for this purpose. Currently before the Health and Human Services Committee.

HB 293

The committee substitute for HB 293 establishes the Creditworthiness Grant Program to be administered by the Mortgage Finance Authority, creating a revolving fund to cosign rent for low-income and low-credit renters and provide tenant readiness education, appropriating $250,000 for the creation of the fund. Committee substitute was reported by the Health and Human Services Committee with a Do Pass recommendation on Feb. 6.

SB 71

– SENATE –

A proposed Act to create an Office of Housing attached to the Department of Finance and Administration in order to coordinate statewide housing and homelessness efforts, with a director appointed by the governor. Failed to pass in the Senate Public Affairs Committee. Referred to the Senate Finance Committee without a recommendation on Feb. 7.

SB 216

A proposed Act to amend the New Mexico Finance Authority Act to expand its grant-making authority to affordable housing projects. Reported with a Do Pass recommendation by the Senate Political Affairs Committee, with non-substantive amendments.

Check out NMBLC’s EQ Blog for a post-session wrap-up of the 2024 New Mexico legislative session.

WITH NICHOLE ROGERS, DISTRICT 6’S FIRST BLACK CITY COUNCILOR Q&A

Congratulations to Nichole Rogers, the first Black woman to be elected to the Albuquerque City Council. Rogers represents District 6. Below is our Q&A. Answers have been condensed for clarity and length.

What motivated you to run for City Council?

I always preach about being the change you want to see. When I looked at who was running, I didn’t feel represented in the candidates. I had to take my own hard advice that if you want to be that change, then you kinda gotta step up yourself.

I had gotten into Emerge New Mexico [an org that recruits and trains Democratic women to run for office]. I applied because Secretary Deb Haaland suggested that I learn more. Emerge New Mexico gave me the confidence and provided a network of women that pushed to say . . . why not you?

My grandma was the final person that asked me. She basically was the one that [said] “You need to do this. You always talk about your purpose. This is you walking into your purpose.” And she, at the time, was on hospice already. She told me, “I’m waiting for you to win ‘cause I know you’re gonna win.” To the day, she died the day I took oath at the City Clerk’s office.

What barriers did you overcome to run for office?

It’s not safe for us [Black folks] to do the things that we need to do in order to win an election, like knock on doors. I knew that 80 percent of people will vote for you if you knock on their door, so I knew my strategy was to outwork every single candidate by knocking on more doors than them. But I also knew it’s not safe for our people in certain parts of our city to knock on doors. That was a hard reality. It wasn’t safe for me to do that, but I have to do it. I’m the candidate, I gotta do it. The anti-Blackness that exists still in the state was something we overcame.

What advice would you give to anyone who’s a “first”?

What’s important to me in being the first is to represent well. Because I think they expect that we’re going to fail. We heard it all during the election. They don’t just look at it as me, Nichole. They look at it as all Black people as a whole. That is not a privilege that we are afforded, that we can be individuals.

I also am very mindful of wanting to pull up others to work in the Black community, to build our political power, and build infrastructures so that we can move across the whole spectrum, because we don’t have that right now. We’ve worked really hard to set up our institutions within government and we need that. But we also need coalition-building outside of the government. We have the New Mexico Office of African American Affairs (NMOAAA), we have the MLK, Jr. Commission, the [City] Office of Black Community Engagement. But we also need entities like [NMBLC], working outside of government, pushing the government to do better. We need strategy groups that are for profit that are getting these contracts with these government agencies, that are working on the work that needs to be done in the community.

Teaching each other about these things as we learn them, that’s one of the things I’m definitely going to be focused on.

Meet Councilor Rogers in person at the first in a series of monthly pop-ups on Thursday, March 7, 4-6pm at Frank’s Famous Chicken and Waffles on 400 Washington St SE, 87108.

CONNECT WITH NICHOLE ROGERS

CABQ page: cabq.gov/council/find-your-councilor/district-6 Facebook: facebook.com/nicholerogers4council/

Instagram: instagram.com/nicholerogersdistrict6

CONNECT WITH ALBUQUERQUE CITY COUNCIL:

Website: cabq.gov/council

YouTube: t.ly/loay4

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/city-of-albuquerque/

Instagram: instagram.com/oneabq/

X (formerly Twitter): twitter.com/cabq

ADDITIONAL PRESS AND REFERENCES

KUNM story: t.ly/WZTL2

Albuquerque Journal story: t.ly/t7zXm

Find your Councilor: cabq.gov/council/find-your-councilor/district-6 Secretary of State: doi.gov/secretary-deb-haaland

NM Office of African American Affairs: oaaa.state.nm.us

NM MLK Commission: nmmlksc.org/

CABQ Office of Community Engagement: Emerge New Mexico: nm.emergeamerica.org

Frank’s Famous Chicken and Waffles: franksfamouschickenandwaffles.com

Kim Jew

TRY THE TRADES ON: THINKING BEYOND THE FOUR-YEAR DEGREE PATH

As historical and sociologist W.E.B. Dubois once noted, “Education and work are the levers to uplift a people.” From both an individual and collective standpoint, this notion is still as true today as it was in Dubois’ time. That said, the idea that earning a traditional four-year bachelor’s degree is the only or best educational path to creating our future is misleading.

A number of industries are thriving in present-day New Mexico. From familiar career paths like cosmetologist, mechanic, paralegal, teacher and so on to emerging professions in the state’s flourishing film and brewing industries, work in the so-called trades can prove as or more fulfilling and lucrative as any career requiring the standard four-year college path.

Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) is a natural jumping off point for learning more about these educational paths. Founded in 1963 as Technical Vocational Institute, CNM offers several subsets of Career Technical Education programs: Advanced Technical Trades; Business, Computers & Office Technology; Construction & Manufacturing Trades; Culinary & Hospitality; Education & Childcare; Health & Diagnostics; Law & Public Safety; STEM Programs; and Transportation. Explore your options at bit.ly/cnmtrades.

According to the New Mexico Higher Education Department, trade certifications and programs are eligible for the Opportunity Scholarship if they’re provided as credit-bearing credentials at a New Mexico public college or university. Private trade schools, however, aren’t eligible for Opportunity Scholarship funding.

Apprenticeships are another option for landing a career in the trades. According to the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, apprenticeships and Career Pathway Programs are offered here in a number of trades and occupations. Visit bit.ly/nmtrades to dive into information about these occupations, including minimum qualifications, average salary, steps to becoming an apprentice and contact information for program sponsors.

The State Apprenticeship Council works in conjunction with the New Mexico State Apprenticeship Office to encourage development and assist in the establishment of voluntary apprenticeship opportunities. Visit bit.ly/nmappship or call 505-841-8565 to explore your options.

UPLIFT CHRONICLES: INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT EDITION: VOL 3, ISSUE 1, MARCH 2024 8 © 2024 New Mexico Black Leadership Council

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