Apply to True NM

This project 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). Each spring, a cohort of young Black/African American and/or Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian (AAPINH) 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 guest artist workshops.

What is the tricultural myth? 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 and/or AAPINH peoples from the narrative entirely. Here in New Mexico, this myth runs deep. Through this project, we hope to create and build conversations dismantling this myth.