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Black veterans affairs nominee endures racist questioning in confirmation hearing

On Feb. 12, Senate Minority Leader Gregory A. Baca, R-Belen, posed racially targeted questions towards Sonya L. Smith, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s nominee for the head of Department of Veterans Services, during her confirmation hearing in the Senate Rules Committee. Baca, a member of the Senate Rules Committee, asked if Smith, in her seven years in New Mexico, had immersed herself enough in the culture of a state that is “2.6% African American and 48% Hispanic” to be able to adequately represent the interests of its veterans. Smith, who served in the Gulf War, replied, “Are you asking if I feel comfortable representing the Department of Veterans Services as a Black woman?”

NM’s ‘Student Athlete Endorsement Act’ passes first hurdle

On Feb. 3, the Senate Education Committee passed SB 94 — known as the “Student Athlete Endorsement Act” — clearing a hurdle for the bill to become law and allow student-athletes to make money from their name, image and likeness (NIL). Similar laws passed or proposed in sundry states across the country would allow student-athletes to profit from their NIL, with several due to take effect on July 1. Thus, if a student were to appear in a commercial and earn money off the appearance, for example, a “post-secondary educational institution” — i.e. the University of New Mexico — couldn’t prevent that athlete from doing the commercial or receiving compensation from the appearance.

ABQ teachers union ‘surprised, alarmed’ by plans to resume in-person K-12 classes

One week after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced that K-12 schools across the state can return to in-person learning regardless of their red to green risk designation, most elementary and secondary students remain at home. While the announcement came as welcome news to a number of students around the state, many teachers were skeptical, suspicious or downright bewildered about the abrupt about-face regarding convening groups of five or more people while the coronavirus vaccine is still slow to roll out. “All of the members of the union were surprised at the early date,” Ellen Bernstein, president of the Albuquerque Teachers Federation, said.

Women’s hoops complete San Diego season sweep

The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team followed a 84-48 blowout of San Diego State on Feb. 3 with another easy 65-48 win to complete a midweek sweep of the Aztecs. The two victories put the Lobos at 9-2 and third in the Mountain West with eight games remaining in the pandemic-shortened season. Both games featured similar starts and finishes, with low-scoring first halves for UNM before surges in the second frames. The Lobos continued their unselfish playing style with four players scoring in double digits each game. “I thought in the second half, our mental approach was much better than the first half,” head coach Mike Bradbury said in his opening statement after Wednesday’s game. “Things looked a lot sharper and more crisp.”

Feb 15, 2021 Comics

Local Black-owned business wants microgreens on every plate

Papa’s Little Helpers MicroFarm is a local business with a mission to grow and promote healthy, locally grown food. Owner Rico Robinson has set a goal to better educate everyone — especially the Black community — on the importance of eating healthy. While the business doesn’t currently provide a large variety of meal options, Robinson hopes that he can incorporate a delivery service with healthy meals in the future. “It’s going to taste like soul food, but it’s going to be purely healthy food,” Robinson said.

New female pastor at Grant Chapel AME adapts to pandemic

Margaret McFaddin has continuously made a point to tie social justice into her preaching, and her work in Albuquerque is no different. “(The church) empowers you to be able to love people without restriction. That's really who we are and what we do,” McFaddin said. McFaddin was appointed on Sept. 11 of last year to Grant Chapel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Albuquerque, and she currently serves as the second female pastor in the church’s history.

Drag bingo takes center stage for SAC

The University of New Mexico’s Student Union Building kicked off the spring semester with a back to school bingo night on Friday, Jan. 29. Only four students attended, which is the lowest group Uni Nights have had since switching to virtual events. Coincidentally, the Student Activities Center (SAC) hosted a drag bingo night the week before with over 130 students participating. While drag bingo isn’t quite the same as the more traditional event, the two are similar enough to question the scheduling process of events for both departments. Andrea Marquez, the SAC advisor in charge of coordinating events like drag bingo, said the SAC specifically planned its bingo night earlier in the term because students would have to quarantine after coming to the dorms from out of town.

Feb 10, 2021 Comics

Looking back at ‘Killer of Sheep,’ a small budget masterpiece

In 1977, Charles Burnett began production of his debut feature “Killer of Sheep,” a film following the everyday working class struggles of a Black slaughterhouse worker. 13 years later, it was one of the first 50 films deemed a national treasure by the Library of Congress. With this film and his subsequent realist works, Burnett is regarded as one of the most important filmmakers of the 20th century, going on to inspire artists like Spike Lee, Barry Jenkins and Ryan Coogler. “Killer of Sheep” puts the impoverished Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts under the microscope. The film was made 12 years after the Watts Rebellion, a six-day series of protests against police brutality in which 34 protesters were murdered. The aftermath of the state-sponsored violence echoes throughout the many scenes of children scampering through the ruins of old buildings destroyed in the decade prior.

Divine Nine orgs continue tradition of Black excellence

Brianna Edey is the current president of the Multicultural Greek Council (MGC) and the University of New Mexico chapter of Zeta Phi Beta sorority. When asked about what makes the “Divine Nine” —a collective of historically Black Greek letter organizations, with eight of the nine active at UNM — unique compared to other organizations, she narrowed it all down to its rich history. “In fact, our (individual) organizations were created because we weren’t allowed in existing councils,” Edey said. All of the Divine Nine organizations were founded throughout the 1900s, when Black students in the United States were often ostracized and banned from joining primarily white Greek organizations on college campuses, according to Edey.

Feb 8, 2021 Comics

The Fro celebrates ‘Black joy and happiness’ for Black History Month

This year, the University of New Mexico’s African American Student Services (AASS or ‘the Fro’) launched Black History Month on Jan. 1 with the raising of the Pan-African flag at Scholes Hall, a symbol of “Black liberation” according to AASS. The event as well as the raising of the ‘Black History Month’ banner by UNM Health Sciences Center were streamed virtually on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.  Other virtual events that were either streamed virtually or crafted on social media since then included: “Popular Hair Moments in Black Music History with Natelege Whaley” on Feb. 2, “CROWN Act Town Hall” on Feb. 4 and “National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day” on Feb. 7.  The pandemic created the necessity for wholly virtual events, but the team at the Fro readily accepted the challenge.

UNM tuba professor builds legacy through kindness

Richard White is a man of many accomplishments with a life story full of determination and dedication. Even after becoming the first Black person in the world to achieve a doctorate of music in tuba performance, White said his greatest accomplishment was coming to the University of New Mexico, where he has the ability to make a difference in others’ lives. The journey he took to get where he is today was no smooth path. As a boy, White found himself unhoused on the streets of Baltimore, fending for himself. White had to imagine luxuries like a warm blanket and full stomach just to get through the night until he was eventually taken in by a local family. This may have saved his life, but the tuba is what shaped his legacy.

Tonic for the Times raises money for struggling New Mexicans

Tonic for the Times, a star-studded documentary and music festival to raise money for New Mexico’s health care workers, streamed virtually on Saturday, Jan. 20. Some of the guest speakers and performers for the event were Steven Michael Quezada, Penn Jillette, Chevel Shepherd, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Sophie B. Hawkins, Prism Bitch and Bob Odenkirk. Cyndi Conn, one of the event’s organizers, said “(health care workers) never actually leave the hospital mentally,” so the inspiration for the event was to show gratitude for their hard work. Performances were recorded from all over the country, including from Meow Wolf, recording studios and performer’s homes.

Abortion decriminalization bill making way through Legislature

The New Mexico Legislature has introduced two identical or "mirror" bills aimed at repealing the 1969 law that criminalized abortion — which currently cannot be enforced due to the Supreme Court passage of Roe v. Wade in 1973, wherein the court declared it unconstitutional to restrict a woman's right to choose. On Jan. 25, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed the Repeal Abortion Ban (Senate Bill 10), which would repeal New Mexico’s 1969 anti-choice statute if approved by the full Legislature. Six Democrats voted in favor and three Republicans opposed the bill during the committee hearing. The Senate bill has 28 sponsors and was previously passed by the Health and Public Affairs Committee.

New Mexico aims to provide protections for natural hairstyles statewide

The No School Discrimination For Hair Act passed through the House Education Committee on Jan. 28, moving New Mexico one step closer to outlawing discrimination against natural hairstyles and cultural headwear in schools and workplaces. Filed as HB 29 and passed unanimously through its first committee, the bill would “prohibit schools to allow discipline or discrimination or different treatment, based on a student’s race or culture, or a student’s use of protective hairstyles or cultural headdresses,” according to the legislation. The statewide push comes after the Albuquerque City Council passed a similar ordinance earlier in January, as reported by the Daily Lobo. Both of these efforts stemmed from a national movement, created by Dove and the CROWN Coalition, which includes the National Urban League, Color of Change and the Western Center of Law and Poverty. The project stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair,” or CROWN.

Mexican gray wolves released from BioPark into the wild

For one wolf, it meant returning to the country where she was born in captivity; for the whole pack, it meant a chance to start a new life roaming free in the wild. The pack in question? Kawi, Ryder and their seven pups — a Mexican gray wolf pack that formerly called the ABQ BioPark their home. The BioPark recently reported that on Jan. 15, the nine endangered wolves were loaded into crates and started the trek down to their destination, a “wilding school” south of Mexico City. BioPark staff members transported the pack to the U.S./Mexico border, and a final green light from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) meant the pack could continue their journey with a team of conservationists from the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro.

Feb 3, 2021 Comics

State paid sick leave bill yet to clock in

After years of grassroots organizing for paid sick leave, a state bill that would recognize those efforts and provide relief for working New Mexicans has yet to be heard in the House Labor, Veterans’ and Military Affairs Committee. House Bill 37 is a paid sick leave bill, co-sponsored by Democratic state representatives Angelica Rubio, G. Andrés Romero, Patricia Roybal Caballero and Linda Serrato. The bill would — upon passage — immediately require New Mexico businesses to provide their employees with paid time off due to illness. “This is a very familiar piece of policy for me and for people across the state who have been working to find some equity in a lot of the worker’s justice legislation that we have been trying to push for over the last few years,” Rubio said.