About True NM
Our
Project
True New Mexico: Young Black and AAPINH New Mexican Artists Looking to Discuss and Dismantle the Tricultural Myth
True New Mexico is an annual anti-racism, youth-centered, arts-based project developed as a collaboration between the New Mexico Asian Family Center (NMAFC) and the New Mexico Black Leadership Council (NMBLC). The project was so named as a play on, and counter to, New Mexico True, the ubiquitous state tourism campaign. Recognizing the pervasive tricultural myth of New Mexico’s demographics and history, True New Mexico hopes to create conversations about this notion with the ultimate goal of redefining and rewriting true New Mexican narratives.
The tricultural myth is a widely accepted misconception about the racial makeup of New Mexico that implies that Indigenous, Latina/o/x, and white people live here in a harmonious, interracial community. Not only does it ignore the current and historic racism and disenfranchisement that Indigenous and Latina/o/x communities experience systemically, but it also inherently removes Black, African American, Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian (AAPINH) peoples from the narrative entirely.
Each spring, a cohort of Black and/or AAPINH young artists come together to build cross-racial solidarity, invest in communal healing, and work to dismantle the state’s tricultural myth. The youth work over the course of a few weeks to create self-portraits and presentations guided by the prompt “What’s your True New Mexican story?” Each young artist receives a stipend for supplies and their time to complete the projects. They also gather on a weekly basis to build community, support each other’s projects and progress, and participate in workshops facilitated by local, Black Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) artists with the goal of informing their work and expanding their network of vibrant, young, BIPOC artists.
Our
Team
Sachi Watase
Executive director, nMAFC
Moira Tanedo
PUBLIC ALLY, Nmafc
Lujane Al-Ghweir
NMAFC
Shawna Brown
founder, the syndicate
Mason Graham
Digital Content, NMBLC
Tonya Bryant
Roots Conservatory manager, NMBLC
Our
Partnership
Starting in the spring of 2021, True New Mexico became the first formal partnership between NMAFC and NMBLC.
New Mexico Asian Family Center
The New Mexico Asian Family Center (NMAFC), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2006, provides culturally sensitive programs and services creating a Pan-Asian community that advocates for and supports itself. NMAFC is a community-based organization working to advance the visibility, rights, and equitable access to services of Asian, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian families across the state. NMAFC provides survivor-led and centered direct social services, programs centering traditional methods of healing, youth and community leadership programs, financial education workshops, cross-racial movement building and advocacy, and civic engagement work.
New Mexico Black Leadership Council
The New Mexico Black Leadership Council (NMBLC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that serves as a hub to create a viable and sustainable social profit sector designed to serve the black community in the state of New Mexico. By following recommendations gathered from the African American Community Economic Transformation Study (AACETS) Report (2014), NMBLC focuses on building capacity in four key areas: Cultural Vibrancy, Health (Physical, Behavioral, and Financial), Positive Youth Development + Leadership, and Civic Engagement.
Our
Supporters
AAPI Civic Engagement Fund
Thank you to the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund for making this project possible through the Anti-Racism Intersectional Justice Grant.
