The New Mexico Black Leadership Council's North Star Goals are promoting true multiculturalism, challenging the state's tri-cultural myth, and supporting thriving, vibrant communities. We envision a New Mexico that rises to the top of every good list and that reflects equity, inclusion, and excellence.
Find out more about the 2014 African American Economic Transformation Study (AACETS).
In 2011, the New Mexico Black History Organizing Committee, founded by Cathryn McGill, formed a coalition of like-minded individuals who understood that Blacks have been historically excluded from the political, social, and cultural landscape in New Mexico. Knowing we have the ability to create long-term community resiliency that’s about, by, and for all of us, a group of more than 20 organizations and over 100 volunteers worked to create the first annual New Mexico Black History Month Festival in 2012, as a means of bringing individuals and volunteer-led organizations together to build and strengthen our communities from the inside out. The 2014 African American Economic Transformation (AACETS) Study laid the groundwork for the creation of the New Mexico Black Leadership Council in 2019.
Our Focus
NMBLC focuses on five key areas of impact to achieve our overarching mission. This work relies on two core elements:
Our areas of impact, along with our communications infrastructure and collective impact organizing strategy, allows us to identify areas of shared interest for research and policy initiatives, as well as the development of and continued support of our vital, innovative programs and services.
By fostering informed participation and amplifying community voices, NMBLC works to address systemic inequities and promote sustainable change.
Our logo represents who we are as a Black-led organization in New Mexico. We are proud of the Zia Sun Symbol that represents the four cardinal directions, the four seasons of the year, the four periods of each day (morning, noon, evening, and night), and the four seasons of life (childhood, youth, middle age, and old age). The center of the sun symbol stands for life itself.
With the utmost respect for the Zia Pueblo and the indigenous peoples of New Mexico, our logo pays homage to the symbol and combines it with Adinkra symbols from Ghana.
Adinkra symbols reflect general truths and convey traditional wisdom, aspects of life, or the environment. The symbol used at the center of the New Mexico Black Leadership Council logo is Adinkrahene, the chief of all Adinkra symbols, meaning “to act in a leadership role and inspire others.”
And finally, to fulfill our desire to promote true multiculturalism in New Mexico, we use the dots around the symbol to represent the ripple effects that one individual or one organization can have when there is both leadership and service.
Meet the team
Our Board of Directors is comprised of community and national leaders with expertise in a wide range of areas. They contribute significant amounts of time, talent, and energy to ensure the growing vitality of NMBLC.
Your gift to New Mexico Black Leadership Council will be used to create inclusive opportunities, develop multicultural capacity, and cultivate progressive partnerships that support Black communities. Donations can support programs, innovation, and infrastructure required to deliver our programs.
