A group of local Black-led organizations held a kickoff on Tuesday for a campaign to educate and encourage eligible Black New Mexicans to vote.
The New Mexico Black Leadership Council and New Mexico Black Voters Collaborative held the event at a new mural project at the Council’s offices in Southeast Albuquerque. It’s called “Love Trumps Hate” by Noé Barnett and features the hand of an African American voter with a ballot.
Cathryn McGill is the founder of the Leadership Council. She said they wanted to create inclusion rather than division.
“So what we did was we commissioned him to do something transformative that would uplift the neighborhood,” she said.
Marjorie Germain, who is co-chair for the Black Voters Collaborative, was there despite recently recovering from a stroke.
“This election is more significant than ever because it shapes the future of our democracy, our community and our country,” she said. “Every vote and every voice matters in driving forward the value that we believe in.”
Karla Kausey is the New Mexico Black Chamber of Commerce President who said as the election gets closer, she’s been receiving false news in her email.
“I received something just this week,” she said. “I immediately fact checked it, sent it back to them, and I said, this is not true. Make sure that you know who you're voting for, why you're voting and those kinds of things.”
Mason Graham, policy director for Common Cause New Mexico, first voted in the 2016 presidential race. His father was not able to vote because he had a non-violent felony conviction.
Graham said that was true for around 6 million Americans. He said they could have changed the outcome of the 2016 election.
“So think about the system that unjustly incarcerates our men and our women, our young people who should have a voice in the election, who should be participating and they can't,” he said.
Graham said the Black Leadership Council and Common Cause New Mexico helped change the law so New Mexican residents with felony convictions are now allowed to vote once they complete their prison sentence.
The campaign will be hosting voter registration events, and candidate forums up until the election on November 5th.
Support from the coverage comes from the Thornburg Foundation.
