Strong Families Blog: Young Parents Day was a big success! Photoblog

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By Micaela Cadena, Young Women United

Beginning in Santa Fe, moving south to Albuquerque and ending in Las Cruces, our three New Mexico Young Parents Day celebrations were a long time coming! For Christian Redbird, a YWU organizer raised in a young family, Young Parents Day was “a lot of work, but completely worth it...so many young parents showed up and were really touched that their families were treated with kindness and respect.”

Over the last year, young parents talked with us about having no place or community in which they could celebrate their lives as parents. In organizing for Young Parents Day, we knew that we were doing something special, something that would make a real difference for New Mexico families. At our Albuquerque event, people took time to share their stories- from young parents excited for a baby due in February, “We are proud young parents soon to be! We have a lot of happiness and faith among us, we will be the best parents and the best example for our soon to be born child.”

Our love, energy, and intention brought families and communities together in a new and powerful way. While these New Mexico celebrations were affirmations of equality that all families deserve, we have work ahead. Alongside our committed allies, YWU is centering the voices of young parents on a powerful task force set to assess and eliminate educational barriers faced by pregnant and parenting students. With young parents committed to creating change, we expect to see important wins for young families as we come out of New Mexico’s upcoming legislative session. Together we can and must build communities where all families can thrive.