Get vaccinated against COVID-19 at the New Mexico Black Leadership Council office and receive a Target gift card.
The Albuquerque branch of the NAACP has partnered with Presbyterian, the New Mexico Black Leadership Council (NMBLC), Vizionz Sankofa, and KWH Law Center to hold a COVID-19 vaccine drive through clinic in the International District of Albuquerque. The vaccine event is on Saturday, June 26, from 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM. It’s happening at the NMBLC office location of 1258 Ortiz SE, Albuquerque, NM 87108. No insurance is needed. Vaccines are FREE. Just bring a form of identification and your mask. After you get your vaccine, receive your Target gift card!
Pamelya Herndon, Vice President of the Albuquerque NAACP, is spearheading the vaccine event. She encourages everyone to get vaccinated. New Mexico is inching towards a 60% vaccination rate, the goal set by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to fully reopen the state on July 1st. The higher the vaccination rate, the lower the COVID-19 spread rate and the closer our community gets to herd immunity. Herd immunity means that enough of the population is immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely.
The health of all our communities depends on everyone getting vaccinated.
—Pamelya Herndon, VP, NAACP ABQ
Keep scrolling to find out everything you need to know to get vaccinated this Saturday.
COVID-19 Vaccine Event – What to Know Before You Go
No appointment is required. Drive-ins are accepted.
If you’d like to make an appointment for a certain time, call (505) 923-2696 and use the event code ORTIZ.If you need to cancel, call the same number to let them know.
Vaccines are FREE.
No insurance is required.
The vaccine you’ll be given is Pfizer. The Pfizer vaccine requires a booster shot in a few weeks (more details below).
Bring a form of identification.
Wear your mask.
Recipients age 12–17 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
COVID-19 Vaccine Event – What to Expect
The vaccine event is on Saturday, June 26, 2021, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
The clinic location is at the NMBLC Office, 1258 Ortiz SE, Albuquerque, NM 87108. Drive into the parking lot. Shots will be administered by Presbyterian staff while you are in your car.
After your shot, wait 15–30 minutes in the dirt lot across the street from the NMBLC offices. Drinks and light snacks will be available.
Wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth at all times.
Target gift cards will be handed out to those who get the vaccine!
COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shots
The vaccine you’ll be given at the drive-thru clinic is Pfizer and requires a booster shot. Get your Pfizer booster shot on Saturday, July 24, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM at the same location.
Enter the Vax 2 the Max Sweepstakes
To encourage vaccination, the New Mexico Department of Health launched the Vax 2 the Max Sweepstakes program. Sign up at https://www.vax2themaxnm.org/ for your chance to be entered to win the weekly drawing of $250,000 or a grand prize of $5 million in August!
Black Political Engagement Forum is part of the New Mexico Black Thought Expo virtual event programming.
The New Mexico Office of African American Affairs (OAAA) has been hosting the NM Black Expo since 2003. A celebration of the history and culture of the Black community in New Mexico, the event features food stands, vendor booths, live musical performances, and dance demonstrations. This year the NM Black Expo is a month long virtual event to keep everyone safe as the state continues to emerge from the pandemic.
“We’re out here as the New Mexico Black Voters Collaborative and we’re focused around uplifting the person of color communities.”
— Mason Graham, NMBVC
On June 21st, the New Mexico Black Voters Collaborative (NMBVC) will join the OAAA for a forum on Black political engagement. The events of the past year demonstrate the ongoing need for racial justice, and robust political involvement among the Black/BIPOC citizenry is key to this progress. The NMBVC responded to this need by building a coalition to engage in voter outreach, education, and action. Past initiatives to get out the vote include the “Why I Vote” video series, debate roundtable discussions, an early voting kickoff, and the recent New Mexico Congressional District One Forum.
The virtual Black Political Engagement Forum is happening June 21, 2021 from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM. To register for the event, click here.
On the Horizon – Mental Health and Black Women
Don’t miss the upcoming Strong Black Woman’s Schema: Approach to Treating Trauma in Black Women. NMBLC’s health and wellness event for June features Dr. Angela Neal-Barnett, Ph.D., Kent State University. She’ll break down culturally competent approaches to understanding and treating trauma in Black women. The Black Woman’s Schema is coming up on June 24th. The workshop specifically for mental health providers is from 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM. CEUs are available. The workshop for the community is from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
For more information on the Strong Black Woman’s Schema, click here.
To register for the Strong Black Woman’s Schema, click here.
Celebrate Black history in New Mexico with events in health and wellness, cultural vibrancy, and positive youth development.
Here at the New Mexico Black Leadership Council, we believe Black history is not something that happens just once a year in February and then goes away. In New Mexico, we celebrate Black history all year with ongoing events designed to inspire and enlighten. From the Black health and wellness townhall through the visionary Roots Summer Leadership Academy, we build partnerships and band the community.
Invisibility Syndrome: A psychological experience where a person feels that their personal identity and ability are undermined by racism
Tuesday, April 27, 2021
The New Mexico Black Leadership Council is proud to have hosted the Invisibility Syndrome Workshop, presented by the concept’s creator, Dr. Anderson J. Franklin. “Invisibility Syndrome” is defined by Dr. Franklin as a psychological experience where a person feels that their personal identity and ability are undermined by racism in ways big and small.
“This was a very valuable presentation, really appreciated the breakout sessions to hear everyone’s thoughts as well. NM is a multicultural state!”
— Invisibility Syndrome Workshop Attendee
Two tracks were offered: one for mental health providers, with CEUs available, and the other for the community.
The programming was supported by NM Bernalillo County Behavioral Health Initiatives, Behavioral Health Training and Education Services Grant.
We are excited to bring more innovative workshops centered on mental health in the future.
“Before determining what that person is like find out first hand who they are.”
— Invisibility Syndrome Workshop Attendee
True New Mexico Artwalk Pop-up
Friday, May 7, 2021, 5-9PM
A collection of self-portraits from young Black & AAPI New Mexicans
The True NM collaboration between the New Mexico Black Leadership Council (NMBLC) and the New Mexico Asian Family Center (NMAFC) brings together a collection of self-portraits from young Black & AAPI New Mexicans looking to dismantle the tricultural myth. The tricultural myth is the idea that Hispanics, Indigenous, and LatinX people live together in harmony. This false belief erases the reality of oppression that many New Mexicans still experience, and ignores the existence of Black and Asian American/Pacific Islander people in the state.
“Combating erasure can feel like an uphill battle, but it starts with teaching our history. It also starts with all marginalized New Mexicans being loudly and unapologetically ourselves. It starts with us learning about our culture, our history, and having conversations like these. We can only teach history if we learn it and care about it ourselves.”
— Raine F. (They/Them/Theirs), TRUE NM Artist
This evocative Photovoice project gives youth from the groups often overlooked as an integral part of the New Mexico citizenry a chance to speak up about their experiences. The digital exhibit was held on April 25th. In case you missed it, you can view photos of the artwork here: https://truenm.com/gallery
Meet the young artists in person and support their amazing work on May 7th at the pop-up happening as part of ABQ Artwalk. Stop by any time between 5-9PM at the Secret Gallery located at B Ruppe Drugstore on 807 4th Street SW.
Racial Reckoning: True Equity in Mental Health
Wednesday, May 26, 2021, 9AM – Noon
Take part in an opportunity to build a better and more inclusive mental health system in New Mexico and the United States. The New Mexico Black Leadership Council, with support from the Bernalillo County Behavioral Health Initiative, presents the “Racial Reckoning: True Equity in Mental Health Townhall” virtual event. We’re spearheading this convening about mental health in New Mexico from the Black and Indigenous People of Color perspective. Dr. Jamal Martin of the University of New Mexico will discuss current epidemiology and Dr. Michael Lindsey, NYU and editor of “Ring The Alarm: The Crisis of Black Suicide in America,” will be the Keynote Speaker. Participants will have the chance to delve deeper into this topic in panel discussions, as well as qualify for Continuing Education Credits (CEUs).
The Roots Summer Leadership Academy (RSLA) is NMBLC’s flagship 3-week summer learning program that uses the performing / visual arts and math integrated curriculum to engage youth during out of school time. In 2020, we created a hybrid online and in-person COVID-19 safe camp experience for 25 young people. We plan to do even bigger and better this year. RSLA recently expanded to an after-school program. In a partnership with Explora, Emerson Elementary students registered with the Boys & Girls Club can take part in the Roots Explorers Project (R.E.P.) for four weeks during the 2021 spring term.
The New Mexico Black Leadership Council says goodbye to Black icons who passed in 2020 and have now become ancestors.
This has been a year of many losses. Black icons who passed in 2020 include civil rights giants, sports legends, a mathematician who helped launch us into space, and our very own superhero. The Coronavirus ravaging the globe took some of our Black icons too early. As we prepare to send this year into antiquity, we bid farewell to those who inspired us, changed our world, and made our existence brighter.
Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers Basketball Star
Source: Wikimedia Commons
January 26, 2020, Age 41, Helicopter Crash
The Lakers legend and his daughter Gianna died along with seven other passengers in a helicopter crash in Calabasas. The news hit just hours before the airing of the 2020 Grammy awards, shrouding the ceremony in a pall of surreal sorrow and inspiring last minute tributes by Lizzo, Alicia Keys, and Boyz II Men. The 6-foot-6 guard made his pro debut in the 1996-97 season opener against Minnesota; at the time he was the youngest player to appear in an NBA game. Bryant and leading scorer Shaquille O’Neal quickly morphed into one of the most lethal scoring and defensive combinations in the league. Bryant retired in 2016 as a two-time Olympic gold medalist .
“Kobe was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act.”
B. Smith started off as one of the country’s first high-profile black models, becoming the second black model on the cover of Mademoiselle magazine in 1976. She went on to host a lifestyle show, “B. Smith With Style,” and was often dubbed the “Black Martha Stewart.”
“I’ve climbed a mountain of no’s to get one yes,” B. Smith once said.
She owned three restaurants and authored three cookbooks. Her loss was mourned by celebrities such as Viola Davis, Ava DuVernay, and Gabrielle Union.
“So supportive and so damn fly… she is, was, and forever will be an ICON”
Source: Science Photo Library via Albuquerque Library
February 24, 2020, Age 101, Natural Causes
Many people never heard of Katherine Johnson until Taraji P. Henson portrayed her in the 2016 hit movie Hidden Figures. Her calculations were critical to the success of the Apollo 11 moon landing. As one of a group of highly skilled mathematicians at NASA in the 1960s, Ms. Johnson and her cohorts were subjected to double segregation. As Black women, they were relegated to separate rooms and restrooms from their white female counterparts, who were in turn segregated from the male mathematicians and engineers.
A brilliant math student from youth, Johnson graduated summa cum laude with a double major in mathematics and French. In 1940, she became one of three black graduate students to integrate the all-white West Virginia University. She joined the NASA Flight Division in the early 1950’s and became part of the agency’s effort to put an astronaut into space.
In 1962, a few days before he was to orbit the Earth, John Glenn asked that Ms. Johnson, a flesh and blood human, double-check the orbital trajectory that had been calculated by a computer.
“If she says the numbers are good, I’m ready to go.”
Her first book, Blanche on the Lam, won the Agatha Award, Anthony Award, and the Macavity Award for best first novel, which are three of the top literary prizes for mysteries and the Go on Girl! Award from Black Women’s Reading Club. As a social activist, she was director of Women for Economic Justice, a welfare reform advocacy group. She also taught prison inmates and fought violence against women. Her most well-known literary character, Blanche White, was a black maid who solved murders under cover of her invisible social status. Last December, she was named the Mystery Writers of America’s 2020 Grand Master.
“For all the chatelaine fantasies of some of the women for whom she worked, she really was her own boss, and her clients knew it. She ordered her employers’ lives, not the other way around.”
Reverend Lowery was a figure in several pivotal events during the Civil Rights Movement. He helped coordinate the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott, and led the delegation that delivered demands to segregationist Governor George Wallace in the 1965 voting rights march. He co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and stayed at the helm for two decades, restoring its financial health and pressuring businesses to boycott South Africa’s apartheid era regime. He was a staunch advocate for equal access to housing, employment, and healthcare. In his retirement, Lowery stayed at the forefront of social debates, being among the first old-guard civil rights figures to advocate for LGBTQ rights. Despite his life long fight for voting rights, he never imagined he would live to see a Black President of the United States.
In 2009, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama.
“I’ve never felt your ministry should be totally devoted to making a heavenly home. I thought it should also be devoted to making your home here heavenly.”
The three-time Grammy Award winner Bill Withers created gorgeous melodies, delivered with a voice that sounds like a sunny day and the promise of summer. His ability to convey complex emotions in a deceptively simple way has made him omnipresent in all things involving the range of human experience, from birthdays to weddings to heartbreak. His soulful songs such as “Lovely Day” and “Ain’t No Sunshine” are eternal, and the classic “Lean On Me” has been a source of solace and inspiration during the coronavirus pandemic, with health care workers, choirs, artists and more posting their own renditions of “Lean on Me” to help get through.
“Bill Withers is the closest thing black people have to a Bruce Springsteen.”
April 1, 2020, Age 85, Complications from Coronavirus
As the father of Wynton and Branford Marsalis, pianist Ellis Marsalis was the patriarch of a highly musical family. His music students included Terence Blanchard, Donald Harrison, Harry Connick Jr. and four of his sons: Wynton, Branford, Delfeayo and Jason Marsalis. He taught at the first full-time public arts high school in New Orleans, the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. He also had a standing gig at Snug Harbor in New Orleans up until his retirement a few months before he died.
“Like many parents, he sacrificed for us and made so much possible. Not only material things, but things of substance and beauty like the ability to hear complicated music and to read books; to see and to contemplate art; to be philosophical and kind, but to also understand that a time and place may require a pugilistic-minded expression of ignorance.”
Source: The Granger Collection via Albuquerque Library
May 9, 2020, Age 87, Bone Cancer
Born Richard Wayne Penniman, the singer & piano player cut a number of hits that set the template for rock ‘n’ roll: “Tutti Frutti,” “Long Tall Sally,” “Lucille,” and “Good Golly Miss Molly.” LIttle Richard came up with the iconic “a wop bob alu bob a wop bam boom” chorus while washing dishes at a Greyhound bus station in Macon, GA. His influence reaches musicians from Elton John to the Beatles to the Rolling Stones to Prince. Fellow rock icon Jerry Lee Lewis said in a statement following the news of Richard’s death: “He will live on always in my heart with his amazing talent and his friendship! He was one of a kind and I will miss him dearly.”
Master of the blues guitar, mentored by Willie Dixon, he recorded his first record when he was only five years old and appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson at the age of six. During his 50 year career as a professional musician, he toured and recorded such greats as Etta James, Bobby “Blue” Bland, and Little Milton.
Jimmy Cobb was the last surviving member of Miles Davis’ First Great Sextet. His playing on “Kind of Blue” contributed to its iconic status and undeniable bounce. He also played on canonical Davis albums like Sketches of Spain and In Person Friday and Saturday Nights at the Blackhawk. Cobb accompanied high profile acts such as Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington before joining forces with Miles Davis in the late 1950s.
On Friday, July 17, 2020, we lost two civil rights icons: Rev. C.T. Vivian and Congressman John Lewis. The proximity of their passing brings to light the startling correlation and commonalities between these two leaders and activists.
Both men were inspired by hearing Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and were galvanized to join the nonviolent civil rights movement of the ‘60s. They attended American Baptist College in Nashville, and Rev. Vivian became a minister.
Vivian was a field general for King and later became the national director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Lewis founded and led the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
They were warriors in the fight for racial equality, getting arrested and suffering blows and wounds multiple times over the course of their lives. They were beaten and spit on during freedom rides and lunch counter sit-ins. Vivian was punched in the face by Sheriff Clark outside the Selma courthouse during a voting rights drive. Lewis’s skull was cracked when he was struck by an Alabama state trooper at the March on Selma. Vivian was almost killed in St. Augustine during a peaceful protest. Lewis was left unconscious in a pool of his own blood outside the Greyhound Bus Terminal in Montgomery after an attack by hundreds of white people.
Vivian helped organize the 1963 March on Washington, and Lewis was one of the speakers.
Vivian received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2013. Lewis was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama in 2011.
“I am going to fight it and keep fighting for the Beloved Community. We still have many bridges to cross.”
July 25, 2020, Age 43, Complications from Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome
Though Lady Red was not chosen for Ru Paul’s Drag Race, her impact was unforgettable. She was selected to co-host the talk show “Hey Qween!” which rose in parallel with “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” A self-described transgender woman, other young drag performers looked up to her, earning her the nickname “Mother Hen.”
Charles Evers, Civil Rights Activist, Older Brother to Medgar Evers
Source: Wikimedia Commons
July 22, 2020, Age 97, Natural Causes
Charles Evers was very different from his brother Medgar. He was a small time numbers runner and bootlegger who got run out of Mississippi to continue operations in Chicago. It all changed when his civil rights activist brother was assassinated. Charles Evers quit the rackets and replaced Medgar as the Mississippi field director of the N.A.A.C.P. He went on to change the racial face of politics in the state by leading Mississippi’s first integrated delegation to the Democratic National Convention and becoming the state’s first Black mayor since Reconstruction.
“Had he been born another color or in a more rational age, Charles Evers might have become a celebrated tycoon. He has a star salesman’s glibness, a trailblazer’s tenacity and the chutzpah of a P.T. Barnum.”
Malik Abdul-Basit was best known as Malik B., an early member of The Roots. He joined Questlove and Black Thought in the early 1990s and worked on the first four albums. His final album as a member of The Roots, Things Fall Apart, was a high mark for the band, earning a Grammy for “You Got Me” and selling over 1 million in the U.S.
Randall Kenan’s award-winning fiction blended myth and magic, set in a small Southern town similar to the one he grew up in. He died just three weeks before his short story collection, “If I Had Two Wings,” was selected as one of 10 nominees for the National Book Award for fiction. He won the 1992 Lambda Literary Award for gay fiction. His other honors include a Guggenheim fellowship; a Whiting Award for emerging writers, in 1994; and, in 2002, the John Dos Passos Prize, given by Longwood University in Virginia.
The news came on a Friday night in August that Chadwick Boseman, iconic for his role as King T’Challa aka Black Panther, died after a four-year battle with cancer. The profound shock and sorrow that followed came not only from him being so young and in the peak of his career, but also because very few people knew he had cancer to begin with. His regal performance in Black Panther, a movie that had sold-out premieres and attendees showing up in theaters dressed in African garb, was filmed after his diagnosis. Boseman worked on several other films while privately undergoing severe health struggles, including two more Avengers movies and Spike Lee’s Da Five Bloods. He was lauded by many co-stars and industry colleagues for his down to earth generosity and impeccable work ethic. (Read our interview with a local Black entrepreneur who was so moved by Chadwick’s death, she created a jewelry line in his honor.)
“He was an artist. Someone who was willing to leave his vanity, his ego, everything at the door, and serve the character. He was absolutely one hundred percent a joy to work with,” said actress and co-star Viola Davis.
For his final on screen performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (just released on Netflix), he actually learned to play the trumpet.
“You can get a lot of actors working out to fit into a role. Yeah, they’re all into that. But to take the time to learn how to play the damn trumpet, get the fingerings right, that’s crazy.”
— Branford Marsalis on Chadwick Boseman’s dedication
John Thompson was the first Black coach to win an NCAA championship, and architect of the Georgetown Hoya’s men’s basketball team. Thompson recruited and mentored some of the most influential players of our time, including Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo, Patrick Ewing, and Allen Iverson—all of whom were selected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He finished his career with 596 NCAA wins.
September 11, 2020, Age 77, Complications from Coronavirus
Frederick “Toots” Hibbert was the lead singer and songwriter of Toots and the Maytals and one of reggae’s foundational figures. His versions of “I Can’t Stand the Rain” by Ann Peebles and “Country Road” by John Denver are beloved. He won the 2005 Grammy for best reggae album for True Love. He was considered a national treasure in Jamaica and conferred with the country’s fifth highest honor in 2012. On Aug. 28, 2020, Hibbert released the final album of his career, Got To Be Tough. Two days after its release, he was admitted to the hospital in Kingston.
September 16, 2020, Age 74, Health complications including Coronavirus
Stanly Crouch was a sometimes controversial yet always passionate critic of and writer on jazz music. Wynton Marsalis studied the texts of Stanley Crouch the way he did the music of Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong. Crouch’s many honors included a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant and a NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship. He was one of the more prominent guest speakers on the definitive Ken Burns PBS series Jazz.
September 23, 2020, Age 77, Complications from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease
Known as the “Kansas Comet,” Sayers was the youngest athlete to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977. He is described as one of the best running backs of all time and an extraordinary man who overcame great adversity in his career and in life. Sayers’s fame went outside the football field due to the Emmy Award-winning 1971 television movie “Brian’s Song,” which was based on his friendship with teammate Brian Piccolo, who died of cancer at 26.
“Sayers is the greatest halfback I ever saw.” —Ernie Accorsi, NFL Team Manager
Singer-songwriter and actor Johnny Nash was best known for his hit song “I Can See Clearly Now.” The song sold more than a million copies and reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972. It remained number one for four weeks.
Lucille Bridges, Mother of Civil Rights Activist Ruby Bridges
Source: Wikimedia Commons
November 10, 2020, Age 86, Cancer
Lucille Bridges walked with her then 6-year-old daughter past crowds of people screaming racial slurs as Ruby became the first Black student to integrate her all-white elementary school in 1960.
“Today our country lost a hero. Brave, progressive, a champion for change. She helped alter the course of so many lives by setting me out on my path as a six year old little girl. Our nation lost a Mother of the Civil Rights Movement today. And I lost my mom. I love you and am grateful for you. May you Rest In Peace.”
A barber’s son, David Dinkins became New York City’s first Black mayor in 1989. During a time when the city was racked with racial strife and violent crimes, Dinkins easily beat his incumbent in the primary and opponent Rudolph Giuliani in the November election. He lasted for one term. Due in part to his handling of the Crown Heights riots, voters favored Giuliani in the next election.
December 12, 2020, Age 86, Complications from Coronavirus
Though other Black country musicians preceded him, Charley Pride was country music’s first Black superstar. In 1971, just four years after releasing his first hit record “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin,” he won the Country Music Association’s entertainer of the year award — the genre’s highest honor.
He scored 52 Top 10 country hits, including 29 Number Ones, and was the first African-American performer to appear on the Grand Ole Opry stage since Deford Bailey made his debut in the 1920s. In 2000, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Just a month before his death, he was awarded the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award at the CMAs. On a sobering note, he contracted Coronavirus after performing at the CMAs. Unlike other recent awards shows, the CMAs contained an in person audience, most of whom were not wearing masks.
Jazz pianist Stanley Cowell worked with Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz, and Roy Haynes. His first album, released in 1969, contains elements of black history and pride. His 2015 album, “Juneteenth” featured original pieces inspired by the African-American struggle for empowerment and freedom.
In the wake of the seemingly insurmountable challenges faced by the Black community in 2020, the New Mexico Black Leadership Council reviews major successes and looks ahead to the new year.
The mission of the New Mexico Black Leadership Council is to create a hub that fosters a viable and sustainable social profit sector designed to serve the Black community in the state of New Mexico. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the resurgence of violent racist attacks, and the fear and vitriol surrounding the election show that the work of our organization is more necessary than ever. The horrifying events of this year heightened the need for flexibility, ingenuity, determination, and collaboration to rise to the occasion and accomplish the goals towards our vision. In the face of so many obstacles, our community-based advocacy, focus on inter-connectivity, and ongoing development proved to be a strong and sustainable methodology.
Launching a hub organization to serve New Mexico’s Black/African American community
New Mexico Black Leadership Council Open House
The New Mexico Black Leadership Council kicked off 2020 with a January 16th inaugural launch party at the newly expanded southeast heights location. Despite the afternoon snow storm, the community showed up strong for the open house. The space was filled to capacity as everyone listened to music, enjoyed refreshments, and toured the office. Attendees packed the conference room and lined the halls to hear the NMBLC leadership announce an exciting initiative: to create a viable and sustainable social profit sector for the Black community.
Leaders from the business, educational, legislative, and social sectors learned about NMBLC’s focus areas and affiliate organizations, including the New Mexico Black Mental Health Coalition, the New Mexico Black History Organizing Committee, Community Mentor Network, Young Black Professionals of Albuquerque, and The Syndicate ABQ. The celebration clearly presented an empowering change in how the New Mexico Black community will operate and flourish from that moment forward. Since the launch, NMBLC has become the largest Black led, non-governmental social profit in New Mexico, generating $500,000 in annual revenue. In October, NMBLC engaged a Black owned firm to transition from fiscal sponsorship to independent management.
“We are moving from a deficit mentality to an assets based strategy.”
—Shawna Brown, NMBLC Deputy Director
Illuminating mental health issues faced by Black New Mexicans
NMBLC Mental Health Conference
The second annual New Mexico Black Mental Health Conference was held on January 31 and February 1, 2020 at the University of New Mexico. The conference was sponsored by the New Mexico Black Leadership Council with practitioners from the NM Black Mental Health Coalition. The conference educates mental health providers, policy makers, consumers and supporters about primary mental health issues affecting Black New Mexicans. It also serves as a network and resource for people seeking Black mental health care professionals.
150 participants attended the two day conference. The two targeted tracks offered CEUs to both practitioners and community members. Attendees also took advantage of workshops facilitated by NMBMHC providers and interactive breakout sessions, all free of charge.
Nationally renowned speakers highlighted the theme of stereotypical burdens placed on Black people and the detrimental fallout of those societal pressures. Keynote speaker Dr. Angela Neal Barnett’s presentation “I’m Not Your SuperWoman: DeBunking the Myth/Trope of the Angry Black Woman” showed how the relentless defensive mask worn by Black women covers up deep fractures in their physical and mental health. In “John Henryism in the New Millenium: Black Men in America,” Dr. Napoleon Wells warned that the celebrated drive towards and expectation of Black excellence is, quite literally, lethal.
“The punchline is, you must perform exceptionally until you DIE.”
—Dr. Napoleon Wells on John Henryism and the Black obligation to overachieve.
Celebrating Black culture and contributions in New Mexico
New Mexico Black History Month Festival
The theme of the 2020 New Mexico Black History Month Festival was “And Justice for All.” In addition to the NM Black Mental Health Conference, the festival lineup included the One New Mexico Gospel Concert with Kelontae Gavin; the Omega Psi Phi Talent Hunt Competition, the Asante Awards and Kumbuka Celebration, and The Syndicate’s Blk Future Skate Night.
At the Talent Hunt Competition, 11 students were mentored by professional performing and visual artists. $2,000 in scholarships were awarded for winning youth.
NM Black History Organizing Committee presented this year’s Asante Awards to honored storytellers Linda Piper and Juba Clayton. Linda Piper is the founder and artistic director of Tapestry Players, a multicultural theatre company in Albuquerque. Juba Clayton employs stories to educate, empower, advocate, inspire, affirm and celebrate our communities.
The evening culminated in a free event for the community with soul-stirring performances by vocalists Cathy McGill, Josef Scott, Gene Corbin, Toni Morgan, Rebecca Arscott, and Michael Herndon; dancers Gabi Rojas, Rujeko Dumbutshena, Karen Price and Trey Pickett; and narrators Angela Littleton, Linda Piper, and Juba Clayton.
“BLK FUTURE SK8 NIGHT was filled with so much joy, laughter, love, and light. Thank you to everyone who came thru 🦋🖤🧚🏾♂️”
Compensating New Mexico musicians and spreading the word about the 2020 Census
Tiny Census Concerts
NMBLC teamed up with iCountNM to produce the Tiny Census Concert series. Inspired by NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts, this series of online concerts highlighted New Mexico’s favorite creatives in support of participation in the Census.
Hosted by KNME’s Gene Grant, each concert featured up to 8 artists across multiple categories including musicians, dancers, spoken word artists, and visual artists. Between each performance, invited guests shared why a complete 2020 Census count truly matters. The series, sponsored by Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Complete Count Committee, was a big hit during the isolation of the early days of the pandemic, with over 17,000 views. It also provided much needed income for 37 New Mexican musicians and artists who abruptly found themselves out of work as gigs were cancelled at a 100% rate. For many of the artists who participated in the TCC, the $1000 compensation was some of the only money coming in and allowed them to pay rent and stock their refrigerators.
“This $1000 I’m getting paid by TCC means I get to keep my home and breathe a little easier for at least another month. I’ll use the money for rent and to get the books I need to study for my comprehensive exam and finish my doctorate.”
—Lazarus Letcher, Musician/Singer-songwriter
Building leadership and self-confidence in youth
Roots Summer Leadership Academy
As the pandemic swept the globe unabated, the NMBLC crew grappled with how or whether their signature summer camp could happen this year. During these unprecedented times, however, the power of collaboration and community made 2020 Roots Summer Leadership Academy unforgettable.
The format and logistics were modified to make the camp COVID-19 compliant, with a mix of socially-distanced outdoor activities and online offerings. For the kids and their parents, the camp was a critical panacea during the long, difficult summer of 2020. 100% of parents said that RSLA met their expectations and that they would recommend the program to others.
The fun-filled and engaging program of art, music, dance, and STEM projects proved that the spirit of teamwork and youth development is truly unstoppable.
“It felt like hope for three weeks. It shifted our whole household dynamic. It was amazing.”
— Kim Obregon, RSLA parent
Increasing voter participation and prioritizing voter protection
New Mexico Black Voters Collaborative
The New Mexico Black Voters Collaborative (NMBVC), a non-partisan collective of over 20 local Black-led organizations, debuted with the launch of NMBVC’s 2020 election initiative “Freedom Summer ‘20.” The goal: voter outreach, education, and mobilization.
NMBVC live streamed multiple nonpartisan roundtable discussions to amplify Black voices on election matters and collaborated with Comcast, 99.9 The Beat, and PBS to air PSAs consistently encouraging our community to Vote No Matter What and to share with the public why we vote.
“The more Black voters that the NMBVC gets to the ballot box, the more the Black community in New Mexico takes action toward representation and acting on the knowledge that our vote is our voice.” —Megan Bott, NMBVC
Through partnerships with Common Cause and the Secretary of State’s Office, the NMBVC prioritized voter safety messaging through the NMBVC and its partner’s social media platforms, and by recruitment of Election Protection volunteers to station at polling places. The NMBVC met with the City of Albuquerque’s Equity & Inclusion Department and Albuquerque Police Deputy Chief Mike Smathers to discuss what would be done at the polls to keep voters as well as any protesters safe the week of the election. NMBVC teamed up with Rude Boy Cookies to encourage the community to make the pledge to vote and in turn get a gift certificate for a free gourmet cookie.
The Collaborative distributed fact-checked information on both Republican and Democrat races. In partnership with Common Cause NM, the NMBVC placed Election Protection volunteers in zip codes with higher BIPOC populations. NMBVC created a one-stop voter resource with regularly distributed reliable voter information, educational resources, and information on get-out-the-vote events and campaigns tailored to the Black community.
Follow the NMBVC on social media for the most up to date information on Black civic engagement and voting in New Mexico:
NMBLC concluded the tumultuous year with the timely Racial Contract Lecture Series. Sponsored by Comcast, this three part, complimentary webinar series aims to help leaders of academic, government, and social profit (501c3) institutions who are invested in creating open, diverse workplaces.
Each lecture was presented by PhD professors from the University of New Mexico who have dedicated their work to addressing issues of systemic and institutional racism as well as providing strategies on how institutions can address and combat systems of oppression.
The series proved to be extremely popular. Initial registration capped out at 400 within a few days of the first announcement. The attendance rate for each lecture averaged 200 people, and around 80 people stayed on for the Q&A after each lecture. Institutions represented include UNM, APS, and various government and nonprofit organizations.
“I very much appreciate the effort to bring great sessions with great thinking to our communities and I hope for many more of these going forward.”
— Racial Contract Lecture Series Attendee
2021 Goals and Programs in the works
Chisholm Table
Named for Shirley Chisholm, the Chisholm Table initiative will convene leaders of Black organizations to change our community from the inside out.
“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.”
— Shirley Chisholm
In addition to bringing our own chairs, we are building a new table. The Black community has been invisible in the state of New Mexico for far too long. Help us build visibility in our state so that we can capture a full picture of the people and organizations that are doing the work to change our community from the inside out.
See Something, Do Something
The See Something, Do Something violence prevention and intervention program focuses on the International District.
The New Mexico Black Leadership Council is creating a spectrum of advocacy to engage landlords, residents, business owners, community benefit organizations, and neighborhood associations in addressing issues that are prevalent in the International District to promote community vibrancy and deal with root causes.
You Make it All Possible
The New Mexico Black Leadership Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and its work is made possible by sponsorships from forward-thinking organizations and by the generous support of community members like you. Thanks to you, the NMBLC officially launched and made huge strides in fulfilling its mission to serve the Black community in the areas of mental health, youth development, civic engagement, cultural vibrancy, and leadership development. Much work remains to be done, and you can help make that possible. Consider an end of year donation to the New Mexico Black Leadership, and join us on our continuing journey to create a space to thrive for all New Mexicans.
In September of 2019, Yvette Bell was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. The former Director of the New Mexico Office of African American Affairs and current official at Albuquerque Public Schools went through a life changing transformation in response to this traumatic experience. Now she is thriving as an author, leadership coach, small business owner of A Paradigm Shift Coaching, and ministry leader at Joylight Church.
Yvette is cancer free and just celebrated her birthday with the completion of her new book, Look Up and Live: Taking Dominion Over Diagnosis. Yvette shares her testimony and healing journey of how a life-threatening diagnosis reinvigorated her faith and forged her path toward healing. It’s available now for pre-order in honor of breast cancer awareness month. The print version will be released November 23rd. The eBook version will be ready by the 1st of November.
Yvette has dedicated her life to empowering women who want to transition out of old paradigms. With her testimony, she hopes to help others who may be going through similar traumas to learn how to gain victory over the mental, physical and spiritual challenges that will arise. Her book is dedicated to all those who have been diagnosed with, or have lost loved ones to, any form of cancer or chronic disease.
I had the opportunity to talk to Yvette over Zoom about how she went about publishing her book, what life changes she had to make in order to heal, and her experience with the health care system. Scroll down to read my interview with Yvette!
Call for Stories
Have you or someone you know been impacted by breast cancer? Do you have a story that you’d like to share about that experience? Email info@nmblc.org and we’ll feature your story in a future post!
Interview with Yvette Bell, Author of Look Up and Live: Taking Dominion Over Diagnosis
Note: Answers have been condensed and edited for length and clarity.
Shannon Moreau: Publishing a book is a big deal! How did you come up with the idea and go about making it happen?
Yvette Bell: I love to write. So when I was diagnosed in September of 2019, it was part of my healing journey to keep a journal. Also, I just knew—I’m a spiritual person, I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and I have a relationship with God—I just knew in getting to heal, that I had to balance my emotions, to get to a place of prayer, that I gotta know, am I going to live? I knew, being led by the Lord that I was going to have to write about it one day. So I would just keep this journal and lessons I’ve learned along the way that could help someone else if ever they had to encounter a traumatic situation. That’s what led me to write the book. It happened to come out on my 48th birthday. I wrote it in seven days.
SM: Happy belated birthday! Did you have a process or team to help you get the book from manuscript to finished book?
YB: I worked with Legacy Driven Consulting and Publishing. It’s amazing how this all happened. I got an inbox from this publishing company based out of Springfield, Massachusetts. Black owned. The cover picture for the book was taken by a Black owned business [Claire’s Photography], the person that worked with me on my clothes and makeup, that’s a Black owned business [Elle Naturalle, Beaute’ On A Be’Jit]. Legacy inboxed me and said “I believe the Lord needs you to write a book.” So they worked with me. They brought their cost down for me, they worked with me on the design, the cover, posting it to Amazon. I’m self-publishing. I met them [Legacy] a year prior at a conference here in Albuquerque, before COVID. We had no interaction in between. We weren’t networked or connected in any way, other than God telling her “she has a book she needs to get finished.” I said, “Let’s talk.” It was all in alignment with what God wanted, and I knew it. I would stay up till midnight, till two in the morning. I’m still up with this– I call it a baby. You have to birth it and bring it forth. It was a lot of long nights, cause I got off of work and went straight into it.
SM: You talk about a paradigm shift. What shift do you feel that you needed to make when you got your diagnosis?
YB: Mentally. Believing that I could conquer this. That it wasn’t a life-threatening diagnosis. Because of the imaging and messaging around cancer, the first thing we think is “death.” I did have some doctors that had me thinking that way, and I just had to switch doctors. I encourage people to align with the care team that’s going to empower you, and not make you feel like you don’t have a choice over your own health.
Yvette Bell, Author of Look Up and Live, a book about overcoming breast cancer
You have choices to be informed about the conditions, to do the research, to get two, three opinions from medical professionals. I went to see a nutritionist. They said go on your B vitamins, your D, your magnesium, antioxidants. Make sure you’re eating foods that are not inflammatory. Eat your fruits and veggies. I had to switch, and change that paradigm of all the cultural foods I love to eat. I had to change the way I look at food as for pleasure vs. to live. I eat to live now.
I also had to shift the way I thought about my life, I had to shift the way I receive messaging from other folks about who I was or who I was not. And just reaffirm who I was. Who am I? What do I love to do? What is it about Yvette that I can strengthen? What are the negative things I need to do away with? I had to change my environment. I had to surround myself with positive people who were not doubting that I could live. Folks that would encourage me to live, folks that spoke life into me. I feel like I am so different, I’m not the same Yvette I was pre-diagnosis. You look at your life and you have to reassess a lot of things. There were a lot of things I was engaged with, that I had to say, “Wait. Right now, the most important thing is that I live.” And if that means I can’t participate in the community which I love [tears up], which is my heart, and I miss my community, I really do. But I had to make a choice.
Every case is not a death sentence.
Yvette Bell, breast cancer overcomer
SM: Some of what you’ve talked about brings to mind a topic that is a big concern to everybody, particularly the African American community, and that’s available health care. Do you feel that the health care that was available to you supported you in your healing?
YB: I would say about 80%. There were times I felt like I didn’t have empowering physicians. There was even a time, in the radiation room, where I felt like this woman is really talking to me like I’m a little kid. Talking to you like you don’t own your body and your decisions. I did not appreciate that.
Through the years, my physicians knowing that cancer was on my mother’s side, they never sent me to hereditary testing. There’s an advocacy moment in that. Especially for communities of color. If I had known that this was a hereditary gene [BRCA gene], I could have done something much different earlier, and perhaps either put this off until many years later or avoided it altogether. As far as health insurance is concerned, that is an advocacy moment, when people tell you they have any kind of chronic disease that’s been in their family for generations, I think that we need to be go ahead and do the hereditary testing. That’s preventative health care.
The other thing I ran into: all these medicines. I had to continuously have the discussion with my physicians about not wanting all this medicine in my system. If there’s anything natural I can do, healthy eating, exercise, stress relief, whatever it is, that is what I want to do. That’s what I encourage the African American community, or any community of color—no matter what health insurance you have, don’t just accept the care that you’re given if you feel like it is not quality. Speak up. You have a right to speak up for yourself. You have a right to have an advocate with you in the room. I took my sister-in-law with me, my husband with me. I felt like I needed another pair of ears to hear what was being said so I could make the right assessments. I went and did my own research.
You have a right to speak up for yourself. You have a right to have an advocate with you in the room.
Yvette Bell on taking charge of your health care
At a point I felt like they [some physicians] were trying to force me to make a decision, and I just wouldn’t be forced. This is my body. For me, it was hanging out on the positive side of the statistics. They kept quoting statistics to me: “One in eight women will get breast cancer. For Black women the breast density makes it hard to find it early. 15% chance the cancer will come back in either breast. 1% percent chance it will get in your lymphatic system.” So I told them, it’s a 99% chance that it won’t get in my lymphatic system, and an 85% chance it won’t come back in either breast. So I’m going to hang out on the positive side. In the book I talk about taking dominion over diagnosis. Dominion means to legislate and govern. So you can govern your health care, your decisions, how it impacts you mentally, physically, spiritually. Emotionally. Relationally. You can make those decisions for yourself if you’re empowered to do so.
SM: How do you balance everything? Author, life coach, ministry leader, and school official?
YB: I really don’t know. [Laughs.] Coming out of the diagnosis, and now there’s no cancer cells in my body, I’m so excited about this healing journey and I get to rebuild the body. I try to just schedule everything out. I’m working [from home] during the day, the ministry, the book, the life coaching, I have to schedule those things. I plan my schedule out well in advance. And scheduling plenty of personal time, plenty of rest time, and my own hobbies. Knowing how to have that balance of everything. Not having everything in its own container, because you’re all of it. I’m a career woman, author, minister, a mother, a wife, and, most of all, I’m a woman. And I’m a Black woman. You have to balance all of that out. I enjoy it all. I’m learning to live my life in every way possible.
Most of all, I’m a woman. And I’m a Black woman.
Yvette Bell on life balance
SM: What are you looking forward to now? Any projects on the horizon?
YB: Well, we gotta launch the book, we have a virtual launch on November 23rd. A book signing in Clovis, my home town. Going to see my daughter for Christmas. Virtual book signings for North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Georgia, California. God called me to do Kingdom Women Speak #HerStory #GodsGlory on Facebook Live every Saturday morning at 10AM. These are women giving testimonials of how they came out of traumatic situations into the marketplace and the resources available to others who are going through the same thing.
I’m also launching another book at the beginning of 2021.
Were you inspired by Yvette’s story? Let us know how her testimony personally spoke to you and we might feature your response in a future post! Email us at info@nmblc.org.
Welcome to the New Mexico Black Leadership Council’s EQ Online. Check our blog weekly to stay up-to-date on arts, culture, issues, people, places, and things happening in the Black community in New Mexico.
Today’s blog post comes from guest contributor Duane Ross, M.D. Dr. Ross is a member of the New Mexico Black Leadership Council’s Physical Health subcommittee, and he is passionate about the committee’s goal to increase knowledge about the health concerns affecting the African American community. The focus area of this piece is colorectal cancer, otherwise known as colon cancer. The recent death of Chadwick Boseman makes raising awareness of colon cancer prevention more timely than ever. Read on to learn the important facts about colon cancer, how it affects members of the Black community, and the most effective methods of colon cancer prevention and treatment.
Colon cancer kills African Americans at a higher rate than other racial groups in the U.S. Here’s what you need to know.
By Duane Ross, M.D.
Like many, I was saddened to hear that Chadwick Boseman, a rising talent with so much left undone, had died. Another Black life gone too soon, not from violence or drugs, but another cruel inequity. Colon cancer, which took him from us, affects African Americans at a rate 20% higher than other racial groups in this country and kills us at a rate 40% higher. To be clear, African Americans have worse outcomes from many health issues, from hypertension to stroke to diabetes. While it is true that Blacks in this country often do not have the same access to healthcare as others it is also true that the care we do receive is often lower in quality. But much remains in our control if we know what to do.
Actor Chadwick Boseman died of colon cancer August 28, 2020
There are risk factors for colon cancer that we cannot change and risk factors we can. We cannot do anything about getting older, our family history, or our race; but there are so many other risk factors that we can modify. Risk factors that can be changed include smoking, being overweight, not being physically active, and having a diet high in red and processed meats. Changing these risk factors may not be easy, but they are within our control and any progress in those areas may reduce our risk of developing colon cancer. But doing all the right things does not mean you have eliminated any chance of getting colon cancer; that is why screening is so important.
Colon cancer usually starts out as a polyp (like a fleshy bump) in the lining of the large intestine. At this stage, there are typically no symptoms; the polyp is not big enough to be an obstruction and it usually does not bleed enough to be obvious. Over time (10 to 15 years), the polyp continues to change and grow until it becomes an actual cancer. At this stage, there may be symptoms such as a change in the stool, blood, weight loss, fatigue, even pain. The cancer may also have spread to other parts of the body. The chances for survival are greatest when doctors can find polyps through screening and remove them before they become cancer. In fact, the rate of colon cancer in people 55 years of age and older has declined largely due to screening. It is an uncomfortable topic, but colon cancer screening saves lives.
Colonoscopy is the gold standard for colon cancer screening. It is the only option that allows for removal of any polyps at the same time as the screening. If no polyps are found during your colonoscopy, you do not have to have another one for ten years. Unfortunately, this test requires a couple of days of preparation and the procedure involves anesthesia; you will need to be driven home afterwards and this will mean a day out of work.
There are other tests that look for blood or other markers of cancer in the stool and some of these can even be done at home and mailed to the lab. These tests do not require any preparation and you can continue normal activities before and after the test. If these tests are normal you will need to repeat them every 3 to 5 years (depending on which test you choose). If any of these tests comes back positive, you will still need a colonoscopy since that is the only way to remove any polyps that might be there.
As we continue to work towards progress in the areas of justice reform, poverty, education, drugs, we must not neglect our health. With so many outside forces seemingly stacked against us, it is important that we take control wherever we can. Modify your risk factors, talk to your doctor about choosing a test that is right for you, and get screened.
Colon Cancer: What You Need to Know
Excluding skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women
Also third leading cause of cancer death
Rates have dropped in people 55 years of age or older due to screening
Rates have risen in people younger than 55
Risk factors you can change
Being overweight
Not being physically active
A diet high in red meats and processed meats
Smoking
Moderate to heavy alcohol intake
Risk factors you cannot change
Age
Family history of polyps or cancer
Personal history of polyps or cancer
Inflammatory bowel disease
Having an inherited syndrome
Type 2 diabetes
Your race
African Americans have the highest incidence (20% higher chance of developing) and mortality (40% more likely to die) of all racial groups in the US
Prevention – it takes a polyp 10 to 15 years to develop into cancer. Removing polyps can prevent progression to cancer. Screening may also catch cancer early when it can be treated more successfully.
About the Author
Dr. Duane Ross a New Mexico resident originally from East Harlem in New York City. He received his undergraduate degree in English Literature at Cornell University and his medical degree from Howard University College of Medicine. He practiced primary care, urgent care, and hospitalist care for several years before switching to an administrative role with Managed Medicaid. He is retired as the Medical Director at True Health New Mexico. He has served on the boards of Bosque School, the American Lung Association of NM, and Oasis. He is on the Physical Health subcommittee for the New Mexico Black Leadership Council.
