P.O.

Box 15692 ~ Santa Fe, New Mexico 87592-15692 (505) 424-6100

President Carol Johnson Secretary Cynthia Geder
1st V. President Wanda Ross Padilla Treasurer Christine Johnson
2nd V. President Agnes Moses

DECEMBER 2010
President’s Letter- Carol Johnson

Season’s Greetings! Best wishes to all for a joyful, blessed holiday season and new year.
The current Branch officers were elected by acclamation at the November 9, 2010, General Branch
Membership meeting at St. Bede’s Episcopal Church. The following individuals will be serving you for the
next two years.
President: Carol Johnson; First Vice President: Wanda Ross Padilla; Second Vice President: Agnes Moses
Secretary: Cynthia Geder; Treasurer: Christine Johnson; Executive Committee Members At-Large: George
Geder, Robert “Bob” Moses and Cedric Page

Installation of officers will take place at the December 14, 2010 General Branch Membership meeting at
St. Bede’s Episcopal Church. This will also be our annual meeting and a potluck supper. Please come,
bring your favorite dish and celebrate a successful year and the holiday season.
We will be having a program planning session in January. Any ideas and suggestions for issues, programs
or activities you would like us to pursue would be greatly appreciated. I will also be appointing committee
chair for 2011-12. Standing Committees of NAACP Branches include: Armed Services and Veterans Affairs,
Communication, Community Coordination, Education, Finance, Freedom Fund, Health, Housing, Labor and
Industry, Legal Redress, Membership, Life Membership, Political Action, Press and Publicity, Religious
Affairs, and Youth Work. If you are interested in chairing or participating on any of these committees,
please let me know. The strength of the Branch is in its membership.
The struggle continues. We must be vigilant and continue to work together to ensure equality for all while
celebrating our diversity. Thank you for your dedication to mission of the NAACP. Check the webpage,
HTTP:///NAACPSFNM.BLOGSPOT.COM, for meeting topics and activities. I hope to see you soon.
Santa Fe Branch NAACP ~ December 2010
Tea Party Report

On October 20, 2010, the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights (IREHR) released a
report documenting specific examples of Tea Party leaders and Tea Party-associated organizations
providing platforms for anti-Semites, racists and other bigots.The report serves as a reminder: There is a
very active presence of racists in America's public political discourse, and there is a very real threat of
moving backward if we do not stand up and speak out. Please take a moment to read more from the
report: http://action.naacp.org/TeaPartyReport

In Memoriam

Wanda Ross Padilla’s mother, Bernice F. Ross, made her transition peacefully in her sleep at Treasure
Coast Hospice in Fort Pierce, Florida on October 31, 2010. She will be missed. Please keep Wanda, Pat and
their families in your thoughts and prayers.

Santa Fe Branch NAACP ~ December 2010

Black Experience in New Mexico: 1974-1980

Santa Fe Branch NAACP ~ December 2010

Martin Luther King Birthday Gathering – Doris Fields

The NAACP Santa Fe County Branch will conduct its annual birthday observance of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. Holiday on Monday, January 17, 2011, at noon in the New Mexico State Capitol Rotunda. The
program will include activities that promote the six principles of non-violence and the philosophy of Rev.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This year’s program, as those in the past, is designed to inspire intercultural
collaboration and cooperation among the many cultural groups in New Mexico.

The theme for this year’s celebration is taken from the NAACP National Convention: “One Nation, One
Dream.” Kimberly Ross Toledo, a nationally recognized leader in the area of intercultural diversity, will be
the keynote speaker. Ms. Ross-Toledo, BA, BS, is the director of the McKinley Community Coalition for
Healthy & Resilient Youth. She is a Navajo/Sioux woman who is a strong advocate for assets-based youth
leadership development. She is also a Southwest Anti-Racism Training Institute facilitator and a Project
TRUST co-Principal Investigator and core working group member. Ms. Ross Toledo will highlight Dr. King’s
vision of one nation, recognizing and celebrating our differences, realizing the dream. She will encourage
communication, inspire collaboration, and urge understanding and compassion, in the spirit of non-
violence, in the spirit of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was committed to the struggle for a unified nation based in unified
communities, and he urged that people be judged by the content of their character. The Santa Fe Branch
of NAACP believes that community service builds and demonstrates positive character, that serving our
community is a high honor, and that those serving are deserving of recognition. To that end, the Santa Fe
Branch of the NAACP is sponsoring Community Service Awards for Santa Fe public high school students.
The Branch urges community members, counselors, principals, teachers, and others to nominate students
from the three public high schools in Santa Fe: Capital High School, Santa Fe High School, and SER/Career
Academy. An announcement of the award call, with specific information on nominating students, is
included in this newsletter.

Santa Fe Branch NAACP ~ December 2010

SAVE THE DATE: Anti-Racism Day at the State Legislature

The New Mexico Health Equity Working Group is spearheading introduction of the first ever
Anti-Institutional Racism Bill. It will be dropped and an event is being planned for the Rotunda on
Thursday, February 10, 2011. The bill as currently drafted is as follows:

Whereas New Mexico believes in promoting racial and social equity, and;

Whereas New Mexico understands that institutional racism depletes the strength of the whole state
through the waste of human resources;

This Anti-Institutional Racism Bill is introduced to:

Strengthen the State of New Mexico and to promote racial and social equity.

Therefore, be it resolved that:

Every state-funded entity shall have a policy in place to address institutional racism.

Definition of Institutional Racism:

Policies and practices which intentionally or unintentionally structure opportunity based on the social
interpretation of how one looks (“race”) and unfairly disadvantage some individuals and communities
while unfairly advantaging other individuals and communities.

Santa Fe Branch NAACP ~ December 2010

New Mexico State Conference of NAACP Branches Winter Board Meeting

New Mexico State Conference of NAACP Branches will hold a reception for New Mexico State
Legislators on February 11, 2011 from 5:00-7:00 pm at the Santa Fe Hilton Hotel, 100 Sandoval Street.
The reception will be followed by an executive board meeting from 7:00-9:00 pm. On Saturday, February
12, 2011 from 8:00 am - noon, there will be a training on NAACP Branch Administration. All are welcome
to attend all activities. It is an opportunity to meet NAACP members from through out New Mexico and
learn more about the NAACP.

African American Day at the Legislature

African American Day

9:00am – 4:00pm
Santa Fe ‘Roundhouse’
February 11, 2011

Santa Fe Branch NAACP ~ December 2010

Alice Faye Kent Hoppes Legislative Statewide Essay Contest

The purpose of the Alice Faye Kent Hoppes Legislative Statewide Essay Contest is to provide
recognition and financial support to those graduating seniors of African American decent who want to
make sure that the work Alice began continues.

Alice served as president of the Albuquerque Branch of the NAACP from 1984-2003. During her tenure,
she spearheaded efforts to create an African-American Day at the annual State Fair, organized civil rights
marches to protest unfair practices, and spoke out in a variety of venues about prison reform, biased
media reporting, unfair labor practices, fair housing and equal access and was appointed the first Director
of the Office of African-American Affairs.

Mrs. Hoppes died on October 21, 2003. For her many years of tireless work on behalf of African-Americans
and others in New Mexico, Governor Richardson decreed that the African-American Pavilion at the New
Mexico Expo Fairgrounds be named the Alice F Hoppes African- American Pavilion.

For more information about Alice Faye Kent Hoppes and scholarship contest application, contact Joycelyn
Jackson at 505-881-9429 X 80078. Deadline for application is January 14, 2011. Scholarships will be
awarded February 11, 2011 at the African American Day at the Legislature.

NAACP Youth Council

We are reestablishing our youth council. To be a Branch in good standing, we need to have an active
youth council with at least 25 members. For years our youth council was very active and accomplished
many things including awards at the local and national ACT-SO competitions; travel to state, regional and
national NAACP conferences. 2 of our youth council members received Gates Millennium Scholarships in
2009. If you know of any young people who might be interested in joining the youth council, please let us
know at NAACPSFNM@gmail.com. Any age birth to 18 (25 if in school) can be a youth member. For the
youth council, we are thinking of focusing on middle and high school students but are willing to consider
other suggestions.
~

Santa Fe Branch NAACP ~ December 2010

Juneteenth 2011!

The Santa Fe Branch is investigating sponsoring a citywide Juneteenth celebration with a Santa Fe’s Best
Barbecue contest possibly at the Santa Fe County Fair Grounds on June 18, 2011. This would be a large
undertaking but would give us exposure in the community and build greater cooperation among all
members of the Santa Fe community. If we want to do this, we need interested individuals with and
without experience planning big events to come forward. If that is you or you know someone, contact us
at NAACPSFNM@gmail.com.

Cleaning for a Reason – Nichoe Lichen

If you know any woman currently undergoing chemo, please pass the word to her that there is a cleaning
service that provides FREE housecleaning – 1 time per month for 4 months while she is in treatment. All
she has to do is sign up and have her doctor fax a note confirming the treatment. Cleaning for a Reason
will have a participating maid service in her zip code area arrange for the service. This organization serves
the entire USA and currently has 547 partners to help these women. It’s our job to pass the word and let
them know that there are people out there that care. Be a blessing to someone and pass this information
along. http://www.cleaningforareason.org/

Santa Fe Branch NAACP ~ December 2010

Wage Theft – Holly Beaumont

Wage theft covers a variety of infractions that occur when workers do not receive their legally or
contractually promised wages. Common forms of wage theft are nonpayment of overtime, not giving
workers their last paycheck after a worker leaves a job, not paying for all the hours worked, not paying
minimum wage, stealing tips, not paying the legal prevailing wage on federally funded construction
projects, misclassifying workers as independent contractors, and even not paying workers at all.

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson signed a wage enforcement bill to allow underpaid workers to collect
their back wages plus twice that amount in damages. The bill was backed by community groups and labor
unions as well as the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions. New Mexico is the eighth state that
allows workers to collect treble damages against employers violating the minimum wage – a key deterrent
to employers to ensure compliance with the minimum wage. For more information, contact NM-
Interfaith Worker Justice at 505-660-5018 or Somos un Pueblo Unido at 505-424-7832.

Remembering Our Past - George Geder

2011 marks the beginning celebration of the Sequicentennial of the American Civil War. Some people
are putting on a ‘Secession Ball’ in Charleston, South Carolina. A book, aimed at school-age children, tells
of how blacks joined the Confederate army. A texbook, authorized by the Virginia Board of Education,
comes under fire for asserting that 1,000’s blacks volunteered and fought for the Confederacy. These
events, and many more like them, are charged with the mission of altering our memory of the past.

The United States has yet to heal the wound caused by the Civil War. As ugly as that chapter of American
history is, we, as a nation, must acknowledge its reality. We must acknowledge its causes and its effects.
Many died in this war to end slavery. Many died to preserve it. We will never heal if some of our citizenry
insists on distorting our perception of the past. We will never heal if we continue to mis-educate our
children.

As we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War – which ended slavery – let’s strive for a
collective and honest remembrance of the past and with the understanding that healing must occur so we
can have a brighter future.

Santa Fe Branch NAACP ~ December 2010

Join Us!

Adult: Annual membership $30.00

(includes subscription to “The Crisis”
Or Life Membership $750.00
(payable in 10 annual installments of $75.00 or more)

Child < 13 years: Annual rate $15.00 with Crisis subscription or $10.00 without Crisis
Jr. Life (duration until age 13) $100.00 (payable in four annual installments of $25.00 or more)

Youth 14-17 years: Annual rate $15.00 with Crisis subscription or $10.00 without Crisis
Teen Life (duration age 14-17) $250.00 payable in five annual installments of $50.00 or more)

Extra Donation $ ______________

Please identify youth / adult status:

NAMES:______________________________
____________________________________

MAILING ADDRESS:___________________
_____________________________________

Telephone:____________________________
Email: _______________________________

I am interested in participating on the following committee(s):

( ) Civic Engagement ( ) Political Action
( ) Armed Services and Veterans Affair
( ) Legal Redress ( )Criminal Justice
( ) International Affairs/Immigration
( ) Economic Empowerment ( ) Housing
( ) Economic Development
( ) Labor & Industry ( ) Education
( ) Health ( ) Membership ( ) Youth Work
( ) Press & Publicity ( ) Religious Affairs
( ) MLK Day ( ) Juneteenth
( ) Soul Food Event
( ) Newsletter ( )Webpage
(… )Other (specify)

Help Wanted! The Santa Fe Branch NAACP is looking for a Newsletter & Website editor.

Santa Fe Branch NAACP ~ December 2010