The New Mexico Martin Luther King Jr. State Commission has a new public outreach program for Women’s History Month. The commission has launched a weekly women’s history newsletter, called “Corretta’s Corner,” named after Corretta Scott King.
The newsletter tells the stories, not just of familiar Civil Rights Movement leaders, but also of women in 21st-century New Mexico whose public work aligns with principles of nonviolence and social justice.
“For our first one, we honored Helen Hamilton, who is from Clovis, New Mexico and played an instrumental role in the civil rights movement and black student movement at the University of New Mexico,” said commission director Dannelle Kervin.
“A lot of people don't know that UNM has one of the oldest Black student unions and one of the oldest Black studies programs, now the Africana Studies Department, and Helen Hamilton played a pivotal role in that support,” Kervin said.
“Corretta’s Corner” has also told the story of educator and civil rights activist Bernita Smith Payne of Carlsbad, who’s still teaching at the age of 82, and State Rep. Janelle Anyanonu (D-Albuquerque).
Kervin says “Corretta’s Corner” will continue past March. The public can subscribe to “Corretta’s Corner” here or at the MLK State Commission website.
