Elizabeth Secor

Culture

Local Diné comedian explores identity through comedy

Elizabeth Secor | November 28

Having performed for the past five years, Josh Fournier, a Diné comedian, has traveled throughout the Western region of the United States. Fournier hails from New Mexico and spent the first year of his career performing in his hometown, Farmington; now, he does shows across the state. Fournier began his journey as a comedian a few years back while working at a strip club, where he would perform stand-up for the patrons who arrived before the show time.

Culture

REVIEW: ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever:’ Be ready to cry forever

Elizabeth Secor | November 14

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” the closing film in phase four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is a beautiful tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman and a journey through various characters’ grief after Boseman’s T’Challa has passed away. It also features a delightful (if slow in parts) storyline of Wakanda meeting a new society called Talokan that proves a worthy opponent. Boseman’s absence creates a storyline for Shuri (Letitia Wright) that mirrors that of her brother’s, as she has to deal with many of the decisions her brother had to make.

Culture

Lobo Food Pantry breaks stigmas and tackles food insecurity

Elizabeth Secor | November 14

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, almost 30% of all college students struggled with food insecurity during their college careers, according to Health Affairs. The Lobo Food Pantry, located on the first floor of the Student Union Building in room 1093, provides University of New Mexico students with free food to help combat food insecurity at UNM. The pantry is a donation-based system that is free for all students, according to Amanda Martinez, a basic needs specialist at the LoboRESPECT Advocacy Center and Lobo Food Pantry supervisor.

News

Raúl Torrez wins attorney general for New Mexico

Gabriel Saiz and Elizabeth Secor | November 10

Raúl Torrez will serve as the 32nd attorney general of New Mexico. Torrez defeated opponent Jermey Micheal Gay during the 2022 midterm elections. The attorney general is in charge of “enforcement of consumer protection and antitrust laws, prosecution of criminal appeals and some complex white-collar crimes, training, and certification of peace officers, and most natural resource and environmental matters,” according to the New Mexico attorney general website. Torrez was absent from the New Mexico Democratic Watch Party due to illness, but Taylor Bui, his campaign manager, was there representing him.

Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver.jpg

News

Maggie Toulouse Oliver reelected as secretary of state

Gabriel Saiz and Elizabeth Secor | November 9

On Tuesday, Nov. 8, midterms dawned on New Mexico, and Democratic candidate Maggie Toulouse Oliver emerged victorious in the 2022 secretary of state race over Republican opponent Audrey Mendonca-Trujillo. Toulouse Oliver has served as the secretary of state since 2016; this will be her second term. Toulouse Oliver was unable to be in person at the event due to her duties as the current secretary of state. However, her campaign manager Dylan McArthur was there to represent her.

Culture

OPINION: Yeah, maybe you should vote

Elizabeth Secor | November 7

As midterm Election Days quickly approaches, arguments over the importance of voting are once again prevalent. The right to vote is one of the pillars our society stands on as a democracy. Everyone should utilize that right. In the 2020 presidential election, a record high of 66% of college students voted — jumping from 52% in 2016 — and that statistic needs to keep climbing, according to The Hill. As college students and recent graduates, we are the next leaders of our country and have a responsibility to make an impact.

GALLERY: President Joe Biden visits Albuquerque in support of Campaigns for New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham

News

President Joe Biden visits Albuquerque in support of Michelle Lujan Grisham

Elizabeth Secor | November 3

On Thursday, Nov. 3, five days before election day, U.S. President Joe Biden visited Albuquerque to support New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in the upcoming election against Republican candidate Mark Ronchetti as part of one of his last stops on the midterm campaign trail. The event had several speakers including Albuquerque citizens, representatives and Biden himself, all showing support to keep New Mexico a Democratic state and encouraging New Mexicans to go out to the polls. One of the speakers included Deb Haaland, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, who urged those at the event to encourage others to vote.

News

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks on reproductive health and justice at UNM

Elizabeth Secor and Marcela Johnson | October 25

On Tuesday, Oct. 25, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke in Keller Hall at the University of New Mexico about protecting reproductive rights. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and chair of UNM’s department of obstetrics & gynecology, Dr. Eve Espey, also participated in the conversation. The talk at UNM comes as part of a series Harris has given around the United States about reproductive justice as the Biden-Harris administration began to speak out more heavily on reproductive rights after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case was decided on June 24.

Culture

REVIEW: Taylor Swift’s “Midnights (3am Edition)” is a gorgeous compilation of nighttime thoughts

Elizabeth Secor | October 23

At midnight on Oct. 21, Taylor Swift released her new 13-song album entitled “Midnights.” Shortly after, a “special very chaotic surprise,” as Swift called it, of seven more songs — titled the “3 am Tracks” — were then unsurprisingly released at 3 A.M. Together, the two come to form ‘Midnights: 3am Edition,” a collection of 20 new songs that are a truly spectacular set of stories representing those nights when thoughts leave you staring at the ceiling. Anyone looking for the “old Taylor” will find artifacts of her old albums throughout this new one, but “Midnights” truly represents how Swift has grown as an artist and a person.

Culture

5 and Why: 5 places to take photographs in and around Albuquerque

Elizabeth Secor | October 17

The city of Albuquerque and its surrounding area provides ample opportunity for both professional and amateur photographers to photograph places that are both beautiful and unique. Isaac Martinez, a film student at The University of New Mexico and practicing photographer for the last four years, spoke to the Daily Lobo about his favorite spots to take photographs with some common and uncommon spots.