Summer comes alive – Summerfest and local grower’s markets
In Memoriam – Remembering healthcare champion Pelatia Trujillo
and so much more!
The UpLift Chronicles is available in digital form on the NMBLC website. You can also subscribe to the UpLift Chronicles and have the latest digital edition delivered to your inbox.
Colson Whitehead, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and bestselling author of “Harlem Shuffle” and “The Underground Railroad”, will be in conversation with Albuquerque poet Hakim Bellamy at the KiMo, July 27, 2023.
Local independent bookstore Bookworks is bringing back its signature “A Word with Writers” this year with two time Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead. Colson Whitehead will be in conversation with Albuquerque’s own inaugural Albuquerque Poet Laureate Hakim Bellamy. It’s all happening July 27th, 7pm at the KiMo Theatre downtown. “A Word with Writers” is a nearly decade-long fundraiser for Albuquerque Public Libraries. It first launched in 2014 with George RR Martin, author of the highly popular Game of Thrones series. Colson Whitehead in conversation with Hakim Bellamy marks the return of this series since 2019. The 2020 event was canceled due to the pandemic, and subsequent events were virtual.
Colson Whitehead is the bestselling and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of books featuring Black life and culture. His book The Underground Railroad was a #1 New York Times bestseller and won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the Carnegie Medal for Fiction. It was made into an Amazon Prime series produced and directed by Barry Jenkins, who won the Academy Award for Best Picture with Moonlight. Whitehead won his second Pulitzer for The Nickel Boys, a novel inspired by the notorious Florida’s Dozier School for Boys.
Colson Whitehead’s trip to Albuquerque is part of his book tour for the latest book in his Harlem Trilogy. The first book, Harlem Shuffle, takes place in early 1960s New York City. It’s a family saga, a crime novel, and a love letter to Harlem. The second book, Crook Manifesto, is coming out July 18, 2023 and continues the story of furniture salesman and ex-fence Ray Carney in 1971 Harlem.
Bookworks co-owner Shannon Guinn-Collins noted that Albuquerque often gets passed over for the big book tours. Yet with the 2023 relaunch of “A Word With Writers,” Albuquerque’s one of the cities in just over a dozen states to be part of Colson Whitehead’s U.S. book tour. Guinn-Collins is excited to help bring the literary scene to Albuquerque. “Having a partnership with the library is crucial to support the city and literacy. It’s one of the ways we’re giving back to the community.”
See a nationally recognized Black author, support a local bookstore, and help fund Albuquerque’s libraries all at the same time. Keep reading for details.
A Word with Writers: Colson Whitehead, Crook Manifesto
When: Thursday, July 27, 2023 at 7pm. Doors open at 6pm.
Two-time Pulitzer Prize winning Colson Whitehead will be in conversation with inaugural Albuquerque Poet Laureate, Hakim Bellamy
Two ticket types are available:
Individual ticket: Includes general admission for one person, a pre-signed hardcover of Crook Manifesto, and a donation to the Albuquerque Public Library Foundation. The books will be available for pickup at the event. Price is $34.00
Bring a Friend: This additional ticket includes general admission for two people, and a donation to the Albuquerque Public Library Foundation. Price is $19.50, and must be purchased in addition to an individual ticket.
Other books by Colson Whitehead, as well as books by Hakim Bellamy, will be available for sale at the event.
Don’t miss the chance to see Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead in conversation with inaugural Albuquerque Poet Laureate Hakim Bellamy at the KiMo July 27, 2023.
The 2023 Roots Summer Leadership Academy free youth summer camp registration is now open.
Summer is here and that means it’s time for Roots Summer Leadership Academy (RSLA) youth summer camp. RSLA is the New Mexico Black Leadership Council’s signature summer camp program that’s been running every year since 2012. It’s an arts and science based camp for youth ages 8 – 16. RSLA utilizes visual arts, movement, voice, and drama to teach STEAM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Arts, Math) skills. At the same time, students learn social-emotional concepts to help them thrive in everything they do.
The theme for this year’s camp is Tayari. Tayari means “I’m prepared, I’m ready” in Swahili.
RSLA youth summer camp is FREE for all students. The deadline to register is June 30, 2023. Keep scrolling for all the details on RSLA and register here.
Watch the Roots Summer Leadership Academy sizzle reel for the RSLA class of 2022.
Roots Summer Leadership Academy Class 2022 Sizzle Reel
Roots Summer Leadership Academy 2023
When: Sunday, July 9 – Friday, July 28 2023, 9:00am – 4:00pm daily.
Where: First Unitarian Church, 3701 Carlisle Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110 (corner of Carlisle/Comanche)
What else:
Mandatory parent/caretaker orientation is Sunday, July 9, 2023, 4pm.
Camp drop off time is no earlier than 7:30am and pick up time is no later than 5:30pm daily.
Last day of camp is a Harambee performance and celebration on Friday, July 28, 2023, 11:30am
The New Mexico Black Leadership Council has the rundown on 2023 Juneteenth events in New Mexico.
It’s time for 2023 Juneteenth celebrations! Juneteenth events by various community members and organizations are happening all around New Mexico. Whether you’re joining the crowds at Albuquerque Civic Plaza, heading to the Jazz Festival in Las Cruces, giving thanks at church, or hanging out with your family and friends at the backyard cookout, you’ll be commemorating something special on June 19.
Also referred to as “Jubilee Day,” Juneteenth memorializes the month and day when enslaved people in Texas were finally informed that the Civil War was over and that they had, in fact, been freed by the Emancipation Proclamation two years prior. African Americans have been commemorating the postbellum era ever since, even though Juneteenth’s only been considered official since 2021, when congress made it the first federal holiday added to the list since Dr. King’s birthday in 1983.
As the Black communities have been saying since the Albuquerque Journal featured the Summer of Resistance 2020, Juneteenth is another sign to America that African Americans are deserving of the freedoms afforded everyone else. Our work toward equity and healthfulness in body, mind, and spirit is not about a mere moment, but is part of an enduring movement.
The NMBLC events calendar has a wealth of community Juneteenth celebrations hosted by groups throughout New Mexico. Keep scrolling for the Juneteenth events rundown. NMBLC will have a table at the NM Juneteenth at Civic Plaza on Saturday, June 17 with activities for everyone (more information below). Keep checking back here or at our events calendar as more 2023 Juneteenth celebrations get added.
2023 Juneteenth Events in New Mexico
Albuquerque/Rio Rancho
Juneteenth Women & Wealth Wednesday: My Way to Financial Freedom
Three local creatives share what’s coming up in Albuquerque New Mexico’s LGBTQ+ communities of color and what’s going down during June Pride Month.
In honor of Pride month, NMBLC talked to three local creatives about what PRIDE means to LGBTQ+ communities of color. “How Our BlaQ Pride Shows” first appeared in the May/June 2023 edition of NMBLC’s monthly newspaper, the UpLift Chronicles. For more great articles about the people, places, and happenings of Albuquerque’s Black communities, subscribe to the UpLift Chronicles.
The following piece was written by Sean Cardinalli.
How Our BlaQ Pride Shows – What does PRIDE mean to queer folks of color in New Mexico?
Below, some proud local creatives share on what’s coming up for themselves and what’s going down during June Pride Month…
J Gourdin, Multihyphenate Creative & UNM Advisor
“Joy is so real and powerful. I want to bring attention to the ways queer community finds motivation to keep sharing our light. In the face of so much vitriol about how people live their lives, queer people find each other and affirm the differences other communities cast shade on.”
J Gourdin
“I have the pleasure of advising the newly-chartered student organization at UNM, True Colors… bringing together Black queers to create refuge from stigma and judgement. True Colors imparts lessons of communal responsibility and challenges preconceived ideas of a solely cis-heterosexual Blackness. It is pivotal that Black queer and trans students be represented as a student organization of African American Student Services to reflect the ‘invisible’ tether that connects some of UNM’s brightest students.”
Dyonne Dahl, Drag Artist & Performance Art Curator
“I would like to highlight how our community came together to support and attend the first all-Black cast show, [called] The Chocolate Factory, at the Albuquerque Social Club. The energy and enthusiasm I felt at that show was like no other.”
“LGBTQ+ are getting represented and having safe spaces to go. I still think we need to focus on expanding that welcome and not focus solely on the L and G in our community as much. There are a lot of letters under our flag, and all of them need equal representation and to feel welcome. It’s [also] nice to know that we are living in a state that is a safe haven not only for our LGBTQ+ community but also for women’s rights.”
Avery Martini and Dyonne Dahl
Avery Martini, Drag Artist & Black/Queer Businessowner
“[I’m celebrating that] we are no longer waiting for brands or businesses to lead the fight or organize our events for us. There is a fire in ourselves to provide the visibility we deserve.”
“Thankfully, because of organizations in New Mexico like Equality New Mexico, Transgender Resource Center, and MPower with Planned Parenthood, we are one of the states that loves, affirms, and protects everyone including our queer and trans siblings! There are bills such as HB 207 being signed into law that will be the most expansive LGBTQIA protections in the nation. To see many of our allies stepping up to support us is extremely beneficial! I encourage everyone to continue to utilize their voices, speak with passion, move with purpose, and VOTE. Every voice matters and [whether] you’re a drag fan, a friend or family member to a queer individual, or a stranger to the cause, please speak up and show out!”
“I encourage everyone to continue to utilize their voices, speak with passion, move with purpose, and VOTE.”
— Avery Martini, Drag Artist & Black/Queer Businessowner
The following piece was written by Kristin Satterlee.
Famous By Nature – A beloved soul food spot attracts “a little bit of everybody”
When Frank Willis started delivering chicken and waffles out his sister’s kitchen in 2012, he had only $150 in his pocket. Just over a decade later, Frank’s Famous Chicken & Waffles has become an Albuquerque favorite with multigenerational appeal.
Willis was inspired by his love for the Los Angeles soul-food chain, Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles. “There was a void of the concept out here at the time,” he says. After a trip to the West Coast, he told his friends, “When we get back to Albuquerque, I’m going to open a chicken and waffles restaurant.” And he did.
Frank’s moved to its current location barely three months before the Covid-19 pandemic hit. “That was rough, because we were just gaining momentum… and it just all had to stop.” Frank’s survived on to-go orders only, reopening the dining room after a year.
Willis brings a second lifelong love to Burqueños through his restaurant. “My father was in a music group called Black Ice in the ’70s and ’80s. My love of music is probably just as strong as my love for food.” Frank’s hosts the band Nothing But Grooves to crowds Thursday night, with karaoke on Tuesdays. “We’re trying to get a little more nightlife going.”
Willis says Frank’s attracts “a little bit of everybody” with its food and welcoming atmosphere.
“We have grandmothers who come with their families, and when the grandmother or grandfather passes away, the family still comes… I just enjoy that we’re making people happy.”
— Frank Willis, owner, frank’s famous chicken & waffles
Visit Frank’s Famous Chicken & Waffles, located at
Subscribe to the UpLift Chronicles, a free monthly newspaper serving the folks, families, and business owners of the International District and Albuquerque’s Black communities.
The New Mexico Black Leadership Council (NMBLC) is proud to present its new publication, the UpLift Chronicles. The first issue came out in August of 2022, and with every monthly release, the UpLift Chronicles receives plenty of positive feedback. Distribution sites expand monthly to meet community demand. A wealth of archives is hosted digitally on NMBLC’s website. Keep reading to find out how you can stay in the know with the UpLift Chronicles.
Stay Connected. Be informed.
Subscribe to the UpLift Chronicles
What is the UpLift Chronicles?
The UpLift Chronicles is a free monthly newspaper serving the residents, families, and business owners of the International District and Black communities in Albuquerque. The UpLIft Chronicles is NMBLC’S editorial outlet for the Uplift Initiative. UpLift officially launched back on Tuesday, August 16, 2022. The UpLift Initiative serves New Mexico’s Black/African American communities and all residents of the International District.
Each month, the Chronicles covers what’s happening in the International District and Black communities. Each issue celebrates people and culture, and discusses events that directly impact residents. The UpLift Chronicles has two versions—the Beyond the Chair edition and the International District edition. The Beyond the Chair edition is distributed to Black owned-beauty salons and barber shops throughout the Albuquerque metro area. The International District edition is delivered to apartment complexes, businesses, and organizations in the southeast area of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
What Topics Are Covered in the UpLift Chronicles?
The Uplift Chronicles is full of information about events, opportunities, and resources.
Every month the NMBLC street team distributes papers to places throughout Albuquerque, such as
International District Library
Albuquerque City Hall
El Mezquite Market
State Office of African American Affairs
and many other shops and venues throughout the Burque metro area
The UpLift Chronicles is available in digital form on the NMBLC website. You can also subscribe to the UpLift Chronicles and have the latest digital edition delivered to your inbox.
With the Affordable Connectivity Program, some households might be able to get low cost or free internet service.
The Affordable Connectivity Program is a benefit program to help households afford an internet connection. Access to the internet has become critical to our everyday life. In a 2021 report, the United Nations (UN) declared that internet access should be considered a basic human right by 2030. A blog by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) says that internet access is a “super determinant” of health. This means that a person’s health is significantly impacted by their access to the internet.
We need the internet not only to get information, but to do school work, take advantage of job training, and receive assistance, benefits, employment, and medical care.
Yet millions of households across the country cannot afford internet service at their homes. This is why the federal government started the Affordable Connectivity Program. If you meet one or more criteria, you might qualify for discounts on your home internet service. If you pair it with the Comcast Internet Essentials package, you could get your internet for free.
Image Credit: Maria from Pixabay
What is the Affordable Connectivity Program?
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) comes from the FCC (Federal Communications Commission). The purpose is to help families get internet access for work, school, healthcare and more. Those who qualify for this program can receive the following benefits:
Up to a $30/month discount on internet service
Up to a $75/month discount for households on qualifying Tribal lands
A one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, tablet, or desktop computer (with a co-payment of more than $10 but less than $50)
A low cost service plan that may be fully covered through the ACP
Are you Eligible for Lower Costs on Your Internet?
To qualify for the Affordable Connectivity Program, you must meet one or more criteria. If one or more items from the following list applies to you, you probably qualify for the Affordable Connectivity Program:
You or your dependent currently get assistance such as SNAP, Medicaid, Federal Public Housing Assistance, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), WIC, Veterans Pension or Survivor Benefits
You received a Federal Pell Grant this year
You are already participating in an existing low-income internet program
You live on Tribal lands and receive assistance such as Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Tribal TANF, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, Tribal Head Start
The AfroMundo Festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico celebrates Afro-Latinx music, dance, films, food, and more!
AfroMundo is hosting the second annual AfroMundo Festival in venues across Albuquerque, New Mexico. The festival runs from April 15 – 22, 2023. Spotlighting culture from Afro-Latinx and BIPOC peoples, the festival features music, dance, films, culinary feasts, panel discussions and more.
To top it off, all events are free.
Keep reading for the details on the AfroMundo Festival and plan your weekend festivities!
What is AfroMundo?
AfroMundo is an organization based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded by scholar and author Loida Maritza Pérez, it’s a multigenerational collective of storytellers, historians, artists, cultural specialists and humanities scholars. The mission of the organization is to nurture community and foster civic engagement, solidarity, and wellbeing among Afro-Latinx, Afro-Indigenous, Afro-Asian, and BIPOC peoples. This is accomplished through interactive arts and humanities programs.
Cuisine PLUS discussion with chefs Seiça Santana Carriaga of New Mexico, Gullah Geechee Chef Benjamin BJ Dennis from Netflix’s High on the Hog, and Garifuna Francesca Chaney whose vegan restaurant has been featured on GMA, Oprah, and Rachael Ray.
When: Wednesday, April 19, 4-6 and 7:30pm (see below)
Where: Three Sisters Kitchen and National Hispanic Cultural Center (see below)
What else:
Food pickup: 4-6 PM at Three Sisters Kitchen
Discussion with chefs: 7:30 PM at National Hispanic Cultural Center
Performance by Grammy nominees Charo Goyonehe, appointed Meritorious Person of Afro Peruvian Culture, and Rosa Guzmán, champion of Peru’s criolla music.
Students in grades K-12 who join the project to honor baseball legend Jackie Robinson will win four Reserved Level seats to the April 18, 2023 Isotopes game in Albuquerque, NM.
The Albuquerque Isotopes baseball team is holding a Jackie Robinson Celebration Art and Essay Project. Students from kindergarten through senior year of high school can submit an essay or art piece reflecting on Jackie Robinson. Jackie Robinson was the first African American to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball.
Students who submit a piece will get four (4) Reserved Level seats to the Isotopes Jackie Robinson Celebration Game on Tuesday, April 18 at 6:35pm. The submission can be either a written essay or a piece of artwork that answers one of three prompts. The deadline for submission is Friday, April 14, 2023. Read below for the details.
“I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me. All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.”
— Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson Celebration Art and Essay Project
When: Now through Friday, April 14, 2023. Submission deadline is Friday, April 14, 2023.
Where: Turn submissions in at the Isotopes Park Administrative Offices, located on the 2nd floor of RGCU Field, 1601 Avenida Cesar Chavez SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106.
What else:
Project is sponsored by the Albuquerque Isotopes
Who can enter: students grades K-12
Submissions can be either a written essay or work of art
Submissions must answer one of the following prompts:
Why was Jackie Robinson’s impact so important?
What inspiration can you draw from Jackie Robinson to break barriers we continue to face today?
Do you have a goal/desire to become the “first” to accomplish something in your life? If so, what is it and why?
Students who submit a piece will get four (4) Reserved Level seats to the Isotopes Jackie Robinson Celebration Game
