Tag: Civic Engagement

by Shannon Yvonne Moreau Does the president of the United States have the power to do whatever he wants? Not according to the U.S. Constitution. After the Revolutionary War, the Founding Fathers were not trying to have another King George III taxation-without-representation situation. The Articles of the Constitution spell out a system designed to prevent…

by Kristin Satterlee The City of Albuquerque has passed its largest-ever city budget: 1.5 billion dollars for the coming fiscal year (FY26). The names of the top five spending items have been widely publicized—but what are they, and how does this spending match the city’s top stated goals? What do these spending priorities say about…

From The Director’s Desk by Cathryn McGillNMBLC Founder & Director  Who’s The Antagonist? (The Villain)  I live, work, and play in Albuquerque’s International District—a neighborhood that feels like the city’s unofficial containment zone for homelessness. In one way it reminds me of Wicked (one of my favs), the Broadway musical that flips the script on who…

By Shannon Yvonne Moreau  New Mexico’s 60-day legislative session for 2025 wrapped on March 22. Bills not acted on by the Governor by April 11 were pocket-vetoed. Bills signed by Governor Lujan Grisham go into effect June 20.   Some proposals—such as HJR 11 to amend the anti-donation clause and SJR 1 to pay legislators a…

By Shannon Yvonne Moreau New Mexico’s 60-day legislative session for 2025 wrapped on March 22. New Mexico Black Leadership Council followed a few key bills closely, especially those addressing housing and internet accessibility. Here’s the status of those bills as of print time. In the next issue, we’ll tell you how they ultimately fared. CC…

From the Director’s Desk     By Cathryn McGill, NMBLC Founder & Director Success As a Journey I remember an important song from my childhood at Mt. Calvary Baptist Church in Muskogee, Okla., a testament to perseverance: “I wouldn’t take nothin’ for my journey now.” The deacons and deaconesses sang with their voices steeped in faith, resilience,…

by Kai Warrior City Councilor Nichole Rogers has brought Albuquerque into the world of Participatory Budgeting, a.k.a. PB. Participatory Budgeting started in 1989 in Porto Alegre, Brazil when its Leftist working-class party asked everyday people to decide how some city money should be spent. This Democratic, community-led process can now be found across the globe…

by Samantha Anne Carrillo What does “diversity” mean? Often associated with disability, ethnicity, gender identity, race, religion, and sexual orientation, the term means so much more. It also represents diversity of belief and opinion. As the first Black Republican to be elected to the New Mexico State Senate, Sen. Anthony L. Thornton, traveled an unconventional…

by Rudolfo Carrillo The 2024 Election is over but the project of attaining diverse representation within our democracy is ongoing. “No taxation without representation” is a foundational tenet of American society but achieving meaningful political representation takes initiative, hard work and community support. Results of state and local races confirm what a lot of us…

by Shannon Yvonne Moreau The 2024 general election is coming up soon. Early voting runs Oct. 8 through Nov. 2 and Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. New Mexico Black Voters Collaborative Launches GOTV Campaign On Sept. 10, 2024, the New Mexico Black Voters Collaborative (NMBVC) held a press conference at New Mexico Black Leadership…

by Kristin Satterlee Put bluntly, disinformation is lies. Joe Cardillo, Disinformation Defense Director at ProgressNow New Mexico, says, “Disinformation is just patently false.” Why would someone spout lies like that? Cardillo says there are three major reasons: to get your money, to get you to do something (like vote a certain way), or to get…