State senator: ‘Let Juneteenth be a catalyst for change’

“We pay tribute to their indomitable spirit,” New Mexico State Sen. Harold Pope Jr. of Albuquerque said after attendees at the Doña Ana County NAACP’s Juneteenth banquet watched a brief slide show that included quotes from Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., former United States Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and President Abraham Lincoln.

Juneteenth celebrates “the progress we’ve made as a society and the challenges we still face” on the way to “a more just and honorable future,” said Pope, the first African American ever elected to the New Mexico State Senate.

“Let Juneteenth be a catalyst for change,” he said. “We must still confront systemic racism,” Pope said, and “make sure every voice is heard.

The struggle is far from over,” he said. “And, though we haven’t gotten there yet, we have come far. We have so much work to do.”

Mayor Ken Miyagishima read the city’s proclamation in support of the Juneteenth celebration in Las Cruces, and County Commissioner Shannon Reynolds read a similar proclamation issued by Doña Ana County.

Attendees at the banquet also included County Manager Fernando Macias, state Sen. Carrie Hamblen of Las Cruces, state Sen. Leo Jaramillo of Española, state Rep. Joanne Ferrary of Las Cruces, New Mexico State University Interim Chancellor Jay Gogue, NMSU Provost Alan Shoho, NMSU Associate Provost for Student Success Patrick Turner, NMSU Vice President for Equity, Inclusion and Diversity Linda Scholz, Las Cruces icon Frances Williams and two members of the Las Cruces Public Schools Board of Education.

Melanie Goodman read a letter from U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., and District Director Cynthia Hull read a letter from U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M. at the banquet, which was emceed by DAC NAACP President Bobbie Green.