ACLU of New Mexico

Our communities have suffered too long from the mass incarceration crisis. We can chart a new path forward in November, demanding lawmakers invest in our communities and not prisons.

This Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month, the words of Dolores Huerta have never been more prescient. Dolores Huerta, born in New Mexico in 1930, is a trailblazing labor leader and civil rights activist. Best known for co-founding the United Farm Workers (UFW) alongside Cesar Chavez, Huerta dedicated her life to improving conditions for farmworkers. Her leadership in the 1965 Delano grape strike resulted in the first collective bargaining agreement for farmworkers, a pivotal moment in labor history. Huerta has fought tirelessly for workers’, immigrants’, and women’s rights. She has received numerous accolades for her activism, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and being the first Latina inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Huerta also coined the powerful slogan “Sí, se puede” (“Yes, you can”), a phrase that continues to inspire movements for justice and equality. Huerta’s legacy is a testament to the power of grassroots organizing and the enduring fight for dignity and justice for all.

Our right to self-determination is on the line. New Mexicans overwhelmingly believe we can respect the rights of others to make the best health care decisions for themselves.

Everyone deserves happiness and the ability to live their lives authentically. The full equality of trans people, including the rights of trans youth to have safety, dignity, and gender-affirming care, is not negotiable — and we'll keep fighting for it.

Solo Garcia should still be alive today.

Cuban-American Pedro Zamora was a prominent educator on the HIV epidemic and a passionate advocate for LGBTQ rights during the 80s and 90s. Living with HIV himself, Pedro dedicated his efforts to educating people across the nation through conferences and schools, aiming to reduce stigma and spread awareness about the reality of living with HIV. He gained national recognition when he joined the cast of The Real World, becoming the first U.S. television personality to openly live with HIV. Widespread misinformation about HIV—how it’s transmitted and what it means to live with the illness—has fueled discrimination that persists to this day. Pedro’s work was pivotal in humanizing the epidemic that devastated communities, helping to combat that misinformation and foster greater understanding and support. This #LatinxHeritageMonth, we recognize and honor his courageous contributions.

Our rights and our freedoms are on the line in November. Have a plan to let your voice be heard, check the link in our bio for more information.

Roberto Clemente, a Puerto Rican baseball player, is regarded as one of the greatest outfielders of all time. From the moment he entered the MLB in 1955, Clemente advocated for equitable treatment of Latino baseball players. During the off-seasons, he would return to Puerto Rico to host baseball clinics for low-income youth and engage in charity work throughout the community. In 1972, Clemente tragically died in a plane crash while en route to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Today, the MLB’s Roberto Clemente Award is presented annually to a player who “best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement, and the individual’s contribution to his team.” We honor Roberto Clemente this #LatinxHeritageMonth.

We all want to live in safe communities. However, New Mexico is consistently at or near the top of the country in the rate of police killings. It doesn't have to be this way. Our state needs meaningful investments in a comprehensive system of care far more than we need further investments in police.

Conditions at the Torrance and Cibola facilities are dangerously unsafe, with reports of overflowing sewage, inadequate healthcare, and severe understaffing, leading federal inspectors to recommend Torrance’s closure. Conditions in the state’s prisons, including Lea County Correctional Facility, have received similar criticisms. The ACLU of New Mexico, Innovation Law Lab, New Mexico Immigration Law Center, Las Americas, and other organizations have filed multiple lawsuits about abuses and mistreatment in New Mexico’s facilities in recent years and emphasize that this expansion is both unnecessary and harmful. Read the press release: https://buff.ly/4eIagag