We need you: Nominations from the public

Send in your nominations!

The New Mexico Office of African American Affairs (NMOAAA) is an office by the people and for the people. The office was established back in 1999 under House Bill 909. This is still an office (we are not a department) where the community has input on how we serve our constituents. We are asking the public to participate with nominations for some of our featured articles. Our office has a weekly newsletter featuring three different articles and information on events in New Mexico. In this article, we hope to bring more understanding of the purpose of the three articles, The Deep Bench, The Pillars, and The Black Track, and how you can be involved.

The Deep Bench is a feature article that is published on our website on the third Wednesday of every month. The article’s intent is to highlight Black professionals in New Mexico. Wrongfully, there has been a representation that not many New Mexicans from the African diaspora cultures are skilled and knowledgeable across professions. We believe differently, which is why we call our article the “Deep Bench”.

According to the United States Census Bureau, there is less than three percent of African Americans in New Mexico. (2) That gives us an average of 43,476 people. (1) We have a deep bench of Black professionals in New Mexico. The next article we support is called, “The Black Track” This is an informal article discussing topics within our five pillars. The five pillars that NMOAAA is continuously focused on are economic development, education advancement, healthcare, advocacy & policy, and community development. These articles are published on the second Wednesday of every month.

Equally important, is our political action article called, “The Pillars”. This article is published on the fourth Wednesday of every month. In these articles we provide the community with reliable information and ideas on disparities facing African Americans in New Mexico. In these articles, we also address ways the disparities can be addressed within the political system. Our office will present ways our constituents can get involved.

We recently added options on our website and social media that will allow you an easy way to participate in the content displayed in our featured articles. You can find this option in our Link Tree on any of our social media platforms. If you are interested in suggesting a topic for, “The Black Track” or “The Pillars” contact us. Nominate a Black professional in New Mexico you want to highlight, either email me at, Charlycia.strain@oaaa.nm.gov or use the forms found on our social media or website. We hope to hear from you soon.