Demanding Action in New Mexico so all our #FamsThrive

By Jon Wong, New Mexico Program Coordinator
The 2014 legislative session ended last week, and we have been on the move here at Strong Families New Mexico! From supporting press conferences highlighting the important of the lottery scholarship for our families, to putting pressure on Governor Martinez' office in support of adult education, the last few weeks have been incredibly fast paced as we advanced policies that allow all our families to thrive.

 

Denicia and Tannia from YWU standing with Cande and Sonia from Encuentro on Adult Ed Day

In Santa Fe we worked with our partners and allies to push our legislators for policies that our families need. We worked with the New Mexico Coalition for Equity and Justice and the New Mexico Dreamers in Action to push for maintaining education funding and to prevent merit testing on lottery scholarships. We also went on a legislative scavenger hunt with the New Mexico Asian Family Center to find legislators and ask them to support important legislation, like the Working Families Tax Credit.

One of our big successes this legislative session was the passage of Senate Bill 44, a bill that will ensure that people who are working toward a high school diploma equivalent have more options. Currently the GED test is the only option in New Mexico and with the test’s privatization by Pearson VUE, test rates have gone up to $120 and required test takers to have access to a computer, which can be inaccessible to low-income and rural New Mexicans. Thanks to our strong work with our partners at Encuentro and Young Women United, we effectively lobbied our legislatures and the bill swiftly passed both houses with broad, bipartisan support. Right now the bill sits at Governor Martinez’ desk waiting to be signed, but we haven’t stopped our advocacy. In the past week alone the Governor’s office reported at least 50 emails sent in support of the bill and countless phone calls.

Image used on social media to demand action in support of SB44

Despite these positive steps, there were still missed opportunities by the legislature this session. One of the biggest of these was a bill to allow voters to weigh in on a constitutional amendment to raise the minimum wage in New Mexico. The bill, if passed by the legislature and approved by the voters, would have ensured that the minimum wage would go up at the rate of inflation, making sure that families are not punished as the cost of living goes up. Unfortunately, the bill failed in the House of Representatives, falling short by just three votes.

As we look toward the rest of the year and plan for the next legislative session, we must continue our work so our leaders in Santa Fe hear our voices and why these missed opportunities are important for our families. We must continue to educate our elected officials on the importance of passing Strong Families policies that represent our families so we have the tools and support to thrive. We will continue to work together across sectors because by lifting our voices, we have the power to bring justice for all our families.

Strong Families New Mexico Legislative Working Group Members include: Encuentro, Enlace Comunitario, El Centro de Igualidad y Derechos, Families United for Education, Media Literacy Project,Men of Color Initiative, NM Asian Family Center, NM Dreamers in Action, NM Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, OLÉ – Organizers in the Land of Enchantment, Tewa Women United, Young Women United

The Color of the Closet in Professional Sports

By Kalpana Krishnamurthy

I am an arm chair sports fan. Okay, let’s be honest, I pay attention to sports around three times a year. According to my own analysis of my FB feed, I posted about sports three times last year. Know how I know that? I actually documented each time: “In my second sports related post of the year…”

So after coming clean about that, I have to say I have been watching with great curiosity the fates of Jason Collins and Michael Sam.

As even someone who doesn’t follow sports likely knows, the last year has seen two male athletes come out as gay. Jason Collins, a center for the Washington Wizards, Boston Celtics and five other teams during his fourteen year career in the NBA, publicly came out after the 2013 season closed in an article in Sports Illustrated. He was a free agent at the time, and many follow up articles wondered about if the NBA and its players were really ready to have a gay teammate.

Michael Sams and Jason Collins, picture via ABC News

Michael Sam, an All-American defensive lineman from the University of Missouri and the Associated Press' SEC Defensive Player of the Year, came out as gay during an interview with ESPN's "Outside the Lines" in early February of this year. As a college player—and a good one at that—what makes Sam’s coming out especially interesting is that he’s not playing in the NFL. Yet. He’s considered to be a mid-level draft pick—and the team who picks him will be selecting him knowing that he’s openly gay. Reaction from professional players in the league has been supportive overall—with some exceptions.

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Clearly neither guy is actually the first gay players in either league—even Deion Sanders pointed that out. There have been gay players in the past, but very few of them were out while playing. What I am intrigued by is: both of the first openly gay professional male athletes are Black men.

The record of out players in professional men’s sports is full of men of color. Five NFL players have come out after their years on the field—and four of the five players were men of color (Roy Simmons in 1992, Esera Tuaolo in 2002, Wade Davis in 2012, and Kwame Harris in 2013). Before Jason Collins, the only other basketball player who’s out was John Amaechi—also Black. In major league baseball, the only player to come out while playing was Glenn Burke, a Black outfielder who played for both the LA Dodgers and the Oakland A’s in the late 1970s.

Is the fact that we don’t talk about their race because of our discomfort with men of color? Or because of our inability to talk about race in general? Or because we have such limited ways of talking about the sexuality of Black men that aren't informed by racist and heterosexist stereotypes? Or some combination of all of it? Because frankly, given the history—and with Jason and Michael’s coming out—shouldn't the real story be about how men of color are changing the game in men’s professional sports?

Women of color in professional sports have shown the same leadership. I won’t go on my harangue about how when Britney Griner came out there was hardly a media peep. Griner is the first openly gay athlete signed by Nike, and came out before the WNBA draft in April 2013. She currently plays for the Phoenix Mercury. Let’s be clear, the assumptions that get made about women sports stars – that they are all lesbian – is a whole separate blog post. As is the completely infuriating lack of coverage of women’s sports in general.

While both the NFL and the NBA are majority people of color, (66% of players in the NFL are Black while 78% of players in the NBA are Black), I didn't necessarily assume that players of color would be the first out of the closet. It flies in the face of stereotypes that communities of color are more homophobic, and it brings into sharp juxtaposition the assumptions we make about masculinity, sports, and sexuality. It is complicated—and goes against the narrative that it’s not as important for folks of color to be out, which I've often heard articulated in communities of color. I would never call the perspective of a professional athlete marginalized—too often athletes are epitomized as the pinnacle of success in our culture—but the stories these athletes are telling is different. And our reactions to them are telling.

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So I’m left thinking about the leadership of Black men and women in professional sports – and how we can hold this moment, recognizing the leadership of Black gay men in particular. They are leaving the closet—and showing us new dimensions of conversations about masculinity, sexuality, homophobia, sports culture and more. I look forward to the conversation—and my fourth and fifth posts of the year about sports.

Kalpana Krishnamurthy is the Policy Director at Forward Together. When forced to pick a team, she is a Green Bay Packers fan.

Young Invincibles Care About ObamaCare

By Quita Tinsley

Cross-posted from SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW

February 15th is “National Youth Enrollment Day”for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly referred to as “Obamacare.” In fact, this is the last day one can enroll in the marketplace in order to get a health policy that will go into effect by March 1st. As a youth leader of SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW, a health justice advocacy organization in Atlanta, GA, I am excited to tell other youth about signing up for health care tomorrow. Yet, National Youth Enrollment Day means so much more to me.

In the popular debate about health care, TV analysts often describe young people as aloof to the massive issue of health care reform. They dismiss our lack of enrollment as not desiring health insurance because most of us are “healthy.” They argue that Millennials don’t care about Obamacare and call us the “young invincibles.”

Perhaps the passive viewer buys what these pundits say and never question why they aren’t talking to young people. Why they aren’t asking Millennials if they want affordable health care. This is wrong, and young people deserve to be heard. As a young, queer, Black woman living in the South, on the eve of National Youth Enrollment Day, I will share my story with you.

While enrolled in college in 2010, I was covered under my mother’s health insurance policy. A factory worker, my mother was one of the few blue-collar, low wage workers to have health insurance coverage. During a “temporary” lay-off her employer, without her knowledge or consent, canceled her health insurance policy leaving us both without coverage. Unfortunately, we did not discover this fact until a $400 medical bill arrived from one of my doctor’s visit. This might not seem like a large sum, but for my mother struggling to make ends meet with a daughter in college, this was huge. Shortly thereafter, she was permanently laid off by her employer, and we have both been without health insurance.

My story is not unique. African Americans are 55 percent more likely to be uninsured than White Americans and account for 20 percent of the uninsured in the US. Nationally, 6.8 million African Americans eligible for coverage are uninsured with 55 percent (3.8 million) having family incomes 100 percent below the Federal Poverty Line. 3.2 million (47 percent) are young adults ages 18 to 35, and of this figure, 1.3 million (41 percent) are women.

The figures are staggering. And yet, while we fight to live long, healthy lives – overcome health disparities and their causes – insurance companies are fighting for their bottom-lines pressuring consumers into more expensive insurance plans and concealing the benefits of the ACA. Let’s be clear, when a multi-million dollar company says they can’t afford to provide health care to their employees, what they are actually saying is that saving a buck and turning a profit means more to them than the safety and health of their workers.

Unfortunately, this behavior is all too common and is mirrored by our elected officials. Instead of rallying for our best interests, many have tried their best to halt the promise of the ACA, even going so far as to shut down the Federal government to prevent its implementation and rejecting key measures of the policy that could save the lives of millions. As of February 7, 2014, 25 states (Georgia included) have opted to not expand Medicaid eligibility, denying health care coverage to the estimated 1.7 million young African Americans ages 18 to 34 that would be eligible for Medicaid coverage if all states participate in the ACA’s Medicaid expansion program. In a state home to631,000 uninsured African Americans, Governor Deal’s decision to reject federal subsidies and not expand Medicaid is mindboggling.

Furthermore, naysayers attribute low-enrollment of young adults in the health care marketplace to the eventual failure of this health care reform. While simultaneously blocking low-income young people from receiving coverage. How can the policy live up to its potential when those most in need are being denied access? An estimated 500,000 African American young adults have already received coverage under a provision of the ACA that allows youth to stay on their parent’s insurance plan until age 26. But what about the 40 percent of LGBTQQ homeless youth? Where do they turn for health care coverage?

The ACA has provided a needed foundation for establishing competent, quality health care in the US, however, there is much more work to be done to ensure that the millions living without coverage can have access to care. As our elected officials roll the dice on our health care and our lives, we have to use our collective power to put pressure on our local governments and demand that they take action to expand Medicaid.

Yes, I am a youth — one of many living in the South who care about our health destiny.

Join us and SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW in Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday, February 20th for our7th Annual LegislateTHIS! statewide day of action and lobby event as we stand for Medicaid expansion and health justice for all!

Visit www.getcoveredamerica.org to find local “National Youth Enrollment Day” events in your area.

Quita is a self-described ‘city girl, with small town roots.’ She is a graduate of Georgia State University (the real GSU) with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, a concentration in Public Relations and minor in Sociology. Due to the power of capitalism, she moonlights as a recruiter for a staffing agency in Metro Atlanta.

She was a participant in SPARK’s 2013 FYRE Media Justice Camp and a former Communications and Programs intern. She’s a femme, a feminist and a woman of color. She believes in the power of storytelling and validation of lived experiences. She hopes to continue fighting oppression and uplifting silenced people, all while wearing a stylish bow and lipstick.

We're working hard in New Mexico to make sure all #FamsThrive

By Jonathan Wong, New Mexico Program Coordinator

The past week has been exciting at Strong Families New Mexico. We held two successful events in Santa Fe showing our New Mexico state legislators how to support policy so all families can thrive. Last Tuesday we launched our Strong Families New Mexico Report Card and earlier this week we had a legislative briefing with our partners at the UNM Men of Color Initiative.

Over 40 partners and allies came to Santa Fe to share our report card with legislators at the Roundhouse. After a quick training, people formed small groups of 2 or 3 and proceeded to visit 8 legislators over the next 2 hours. Many legislators were receptive to our report card including Representative Liz Thomson who thanked us for our tremendous work. During these meetings with legislators many of our partners shared stories about how critical legislation affects them and the importance of passing bills like Senator Gay Kernan’s High School Diploma Equivalency Bill or defeating anti-family measures like the repeal of driver’s licenses for immigrants.

50+ people at the Roundhouse standing together and standing strong for all our families. More photos here. 

By the end of the meetings, many of the participants felt empowered and inspired. Virginia Necochea of the Coalition for Equity and Justice said, “I’ve learned so much. Now I feel like I can confidently move the issues of my organization.” Andrea Plaza of La Plaza de Encuentro shared how powerful it was to have cross-issue teams to network and have as partners for support in legislative meetings. In the end, Christopher Ramirez of the Men of Color Initiative said it was the best organized, best run advocacy day he had ever attended.

We continued to work with Christopher over the next week, building a panel of incredible leaders for our joint legislative briefing day this week. Our panelists included Dr. Lawrence Roybal of Enlace New Mexico and the UNM Graduate Resource Center, Moneka Stevens-Cordova of New Mexico Forum for Youth in Community, and Jaen Ugalde of the Men of Color Initiative.

During the legislative briefing, each of them shared stories on state of boys and men of color in New Mexico. Moneka spoke of a young man who had access to health insurance, but had to pay $200 in a co-pay to see a mental health provider. If this is the case in Albuquerque, she asked us to imagine how this would be for young men in smaller communities like Raton. Jaen spoke about his experiences as a young man of color and the importance of continued funding for the lottery scholarship. Without it, he said, he couldn’t afford college giving the tremendous increases in tuition over the past few years.

Legislators from across the state joined us for the legislative briefing as well. During our group discussion Representative Eliseo Lee Alcon from Milan, NM, talked about the need to increase resources for men of color so all men and all families in New Mexico can thrive. Senator Gerald Ortiz Y Pino from Albuquerque discussed the need to work together in building community and shaping policy that help men of color do well in New Mexico.

All in all, the last week has been incredible in showing the power of our Strong Families network and community at our state capitol. We are eager to continue our work so that all legislators recognize the important of Strong Families policies and all of our communities in New Mexico work together so our families have the rights, recognition, and resources we need to thrive.

Micaela Lara Cadena, Jon Wong, Kelly Francisco, Christopher Ramirez, Manuel López, Lawrence Roybal and other fabulous MOCI supporters after our great briefing —  in Santa Fe, NM. See more photos here. 

Strong Families New Mexico Legislative Working Group Members include: Encuentro, Enlace Comunitario, El Centro de Igualidad y Derechos, Families United for Education, Media Literacy Project, Men of Color Initiative, NM Asian Family Center, NM Dreamers in Action, NM Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, OLÉ – Organizers in the Land of Enchantment, Tewa Women United, Young Women United