HM 42 — "AFRICAN-AMERICAN DAY"

HOUSE MEMORIAL 42 56TH LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEWMEXICO - FIRST SESSION 2023 INTRODUCED BY Pamelya Herndon 6 8 10 A MEMORIAL DECLARING FEBRUARY 10, 2023 "AFRICAN-AMERICAN DAY" IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

145 WHEREAS, African-American day is a celebration of the achievements and contributions of African Americans to the history of both New Mexico and the United States;

and e t 17 WHEREAS, New Mexico recognizes the importance of honoring w l n d 18 African Americans, having enacted Section 12-5-12 NMSA 1978, = = 19 a l which states, "The second Friday of February of each year shall i a e r 20 be set apart and be known as "African-American day";

and a t m m 21 WHEREAS, African-American day is a celebration of the many d r e 22 sacrifices that African Americans have made toward the c e s k 23 democracy everyone enjoys today;

and e a n b 24 WHEREAS, African-American day shall be observed by the u [ people of New Mexico in recognition of those efforts;

and .225032.1 WHEREAS, African-American day is celebrated in tandem with Black history month;

and WHEREAS, African-American day provides an opportunity to HM 42 Page 1 honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout history;

and WHEREAS, Black history month should not be treated as though it is separate from the collective American history or as though Black history month is merely a compilation of greatest hits, ranging from the March on Washington to some of the most memorable court cases inspired by African Americans' experiences, but rather as a day that is focused on the shared experiences of all African Americans commingled into a recipe e t 17 that everyone can appreciate;

and w l n d 18 WHEREAS, the African American community in New Mexico has = = 19 a l a compelling legacy that dates back to 1539, when Esteban, a i a e r 20 Spanish Moor from North Africa, traveled to New Mexico seeking a t m m 21 gold;

and d r e 22 WHEREAS, after the civil war, from three thousand three c e s k 23 hundred to three thousand eight hundred African American e a n b 24 soldiers, proudly known as the buffalo soldiers, a term given u [ to the troops by Native Americans, were garrisoned at eleven .225032.1 - 2 - different forts throughout the territory of New Mexico;

and WHEREAS, today, New Mexico has a vibrant African American community with a population of approximately forty-fourforty- four thousand people of African descent, according to the United States census bureau;

and WHEREAS, African Americans continue to face police violence, systemic racism and disproportionate health HM 42 Page 2 outcomes;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF e t 17 REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that February 10, w l n d 18 2023 be designated "African-American Day" in the house of = = 19 a l representatives;

and i a e r 20 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be a t m m 21 transmitted to the governor, the executive director of the New d r e 22 Mexico office on African American affairs, the board chair of c e s k 23 the African American museum and cultural center of New Mexico e a n b 24 and the president of the national association for the u [ advancement of colored people-New Mexico.

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