MLK JR Volunteering at the State Fair

The New Mexico Martin Luther King JR. State Commission will e volunteering at the Mcdonald Farm at EXPO NM on Saturday, September 6, 2008. Please come by and see our commission and their volunteers hard at work with young children. (09/03/2008)

Regular Board Meeting

Regular Board Meeting on Friday, September 12, 2008 at 3:00pm at the Alice P. Hoppes Bldg in the African American Pavilion at the EXPO NM Fairgrounds. (09/03/2008)

2009 Dr. King March/Parade

Upcoming 2009 Dr. King March/Parade. For more information please call our office at (505) 841-9177. Looking for volunteers and participants. (09/03/2008)

2008 Leadership Tour

The first place winners of the Youth Conference’s Talent Show, Essay Contest and Art Contest have been selected to attend the 2008 Leadership Tour. Each year, the first place winners of the conference get a chance to go to see many historical sites in Atlanta, GA and Memphis, TN. They visit the King Center, Dr. King’s birth home and where he preached. They also get a chance to visit Graceland, Stone Mountain, Slave Haven, Mud Island River Park and the National Civil Rights Museum. This year, they added on New Orleans and the got the see some of the Hurricane Katrina sites and toured the French Quarter. NM Martin Luther King, Jr. State Commission also partners with SER de New Mexico which is a non-profit organization and provides scholarships to these students the opportunity visit all these wonderful places. This year the participants are as follows: Taylor Griffin, LeSean Amos, DeVontay Hayes, Joseph Acosta, Anatacia Joiner, Isaiah Lucero, Renee Marrah, Haley Garcia, Justina Pedro, Imari Lambert, Jevon Lewis, Tabitha Mansfield, Curtis Platero, Jasmine Shelby, Zachary Yazzie and Christian McPherson. (08/13/2008)

2008 South African Youth Leadership Summit

The 2008 South African Youth Leadership Summit was a tremendous success!! This was a pilot project by Martin Luther King Jr. State Commission. Ms. Jo Ella Redmon along with two students, Jonathan Redmon and Dakotah Morrison participated in the Student for Success Network Program to visit Cape Town, South Africa. Ms. Redmon and the two students had to raise over $4000 each to participate in the program. They had less than 8 weeks to raise the necessary funds to attend. With community partners, they were able to attend the summit. They visited Robben Island where Nelson Madela spent 18 years in prison, Amy Biehl Foundation where the children put on a wonderful show for them, District Six, where many Africans were relocated, Cape of Hope, and they participated in many workshops. They had to chance to listen to Archbishop Tutu and the South African Government officials at a banquet function. They students had a great time and stated the summit way too soon for them. This summit provided the students more insight into another culture’s struggle for equality and nonviolence. They have gained many new leadership skills which they have brought back to their community to help improve the lives of their community members. (08/13/2008)

2008 Youth Conference

The 2008 Youth Conference was a great success!! We had 300 plus participants and they all stayed on the campus of the University of New Mexico. The students participated in Physical Fitness Awareness early Saturday morning with Coach Phil Edmon of Temple Baptist Academy. Then, the 10-12 year olds went to the Children’s Court for mock trial and the presiding judges were Honorable Judges: Valerie Huling and John Romero. There were many workshops regarding Finances, Education, Date Rape, Dressing For Success and Volunteerism. Our dynamic speakers were: Larry Castillo, Joelle Mevi and Clarence Smith from the State Treasurer’s Office; Captain Quintin McShan and Sherry Spitzer from the NM Dept. Domestic Violence Prevention Program; Cecilia Webb from KUNM; Rebekah Willis of SER de New Mexico; Dr. Michelle Lee from Los Alamos Laboratories; Margaret Chavez de Aragon of CYFD; Amy Lovell and Tiffany Hale. The conference banquet keynote speaker was Eric Thomas, CEO/President of Break the Cycle Inc. Mr. Thomas brought the house down with his down to earth, straight to the point way of reaching the youth. The evening ended with a DJ Dance in Hokonah Hall. The winners of the Talent Show Contest were: LeSean Amos (ages 13-14); DeVontay Hayes and Joseph Acosta (ages 15-17); and Runner Up – Stormy Vargas (age 15-17). The winners of the Essay Contest were: Taylor Griffin (age 15-17); Anatacia Joiner (age 13-14); and Isaiah Lucero (age 10-12). The winners of the Art Contest were: Joquain Garcia (age 15-17); Renee Marrah (age 13-14); and Makayla Bentley (age 10-12). (08/13/2008)