Although their numbers may not be large, African Americans have been contributing to the history of New Mexico since the early days of Spanish and Anglo explorations and trade.  Beginning this month, events across the state will explore and celebrate the history of African Americans in NM. 

• The NM Black History Organizing Committee lists events for the next three months, with lectures, concerts and a chartered tour of civil rights sites in the south. 
• NMSU's Black Student Association and Black Programs will host 13 events in February, including the three-day Black by Southwest Student Summit. Tickets to the Summit are free, but attendance is limited to the first 150 people who register. 
• If you are in eastern NM, check out the events sponsored by Eastern NM University, including a lecture on Blackdom, NM's first African American community.  

A dozen African American homesteaders joined homesteaders Francis and Ella Boyer in establishing Blackdom, NM about 20 miles south of Roswell. Incorporated in 1903, by 1908 the town had reached its zenith with a thriving population of 300, supporting local businesses, a newspaper and a church. However, after crop failures and other calamities, the town rapidly lost population and was dissolved in 1930. Today little remains of the town - an ambitious challenge to the racist realities elsewhere - except for a plaque at a rest stop on Highway 285, between Roswell and Artesia. 

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2019 has been declared the International Year of Indigenous Languages (IYIL) by the United Nations. Here are brief descriptions of two of the projects in New Mexico supporting cultural and language revitalization.

 

The  Keres Language Project, a collaboration between the Acoma Pueblo and  The Language Conservancy (TLC), is a 6-year project to revitalize the Keres language. In the first phase alone, the Acoma Pueblo has released 3 digital tools: an online dictionary, vocabulary builder app, and pronunciation guide. The 2nd Annual Keres Summer Institute will be held May 28-June 6 at NMSU in Grants.

 

Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo members had a vision to revitalize their 700-year old spiritual center, called Owe'neh Bupingeh. Several times a year it was the site for ceremonies and feast-day celebrations, but sat mostly barren in between. Now, because of a unique restoration project, more than 40 families have their primary residences in the historic heart of the pueblo in restored and expanded buildings. The plazas have become learning spaces for children at the nearby Ohkay Owingeh Community School. Students learn Tewa, traditional dances and songs and are shown the sacred sites.