Monday, 21 January 2013 20:19

Discrimination in New Mexico

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On Martin Luther King Day, 2013, I find this article by Marc Simmons, published in the New Mexican particularly appropriate.

www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/011913traildust#.UP1hguhinbk

I remember the SFHS football team incident well. We students were very angry. During the same period the La Fonda in Santa Fe had its own issues. Louis Armstrong came to town to play a concert at Sweeny Gym. He would not be given a room at La fonda and, I think, ended up at one of the Cerrillos Road Motels. Details are fuzzy but I recall the furor.

In 1932 the Ku Kulx Klanwas active in trying to derail my grandfather's re-election as Governor because he was of Jewish decent. Also in 1932, during my grandfather's second term, there was  legislative committee investigation of discrimination agaainst Hispanics by UNM. Almost resulted in the removaal of Zimmerman as president and had anti-discrimination rallys in Santa F, Taos, Las Vegas, and Springer.

Hopefully, all these incidents from our past teach us to have better futures.

 



Read 1952 times Last modified on Monday, 21 January 2013 21:59

1 comment

  • Comment Link William Mee Tuesday, 26 February 2013 03:57 posted by William Mee

    The article is---"Trail Dust: New Mexico had early start on anti-discrimination reform" and talks about Blacks and the KKK in historic New Mexico. The first Non-Native American man to ever see New Mexico could have been Estevan, the Black Moorish slave of Cabeza de Vaca. He returned with Fray Marcos de Niza in 1538.

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