Human Rights and Civic Participation2023-06-07T09:47:13-06:00

Human Rights & Civic Participation

Our collective and individual needs and voices should be represented in government. Basic human rights and the ability to engage in civic participation should not be limited by a person’s race, ethnicity, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or country of origin.

Featured Content

Art as an Alternative

Given that so many youth within the state’s juvenile system have faced multiple adverse childhood experiences, any effective rehabilitation efforts must address their long-term impacts. This report looks at how informal diversion programs based on the arts can help youth who are dealing with ACEs heal and reintegrate into their communities while saving the state money.

Eligible but Excluded: How Systemic Inequities in Language Access are Impacting Asian, Pacific Islander, and African Immigrant and Refugee Communities During the Pandemic

A follow-up to our Essential but Excluded report, this looks at how Asian/Pacific Islander and African immigrants and refugees are unable to access public benefits for which they are eligible – and not just during the pandemic – due to a pervasive lack of language access at many state agencies. This, despite federal laws requiring such access.

Your Go-To Guides on How the State Collects and Spends Money and How to Influence the Process

Our state’s tax system and budget are a reflection of what we value most and an illustration of the kind of communities we wish to create. Who pays taxes and how much, and how we spend and allocate that funding – basically, how we make our values a reality – are decided by the lawmakers we elect to represent us in Santa Fe. They create the annual budget that the state uses to provide services that benefit us collectively, like education and health care. Learn more about how this works and how you can work with your legislators to promote an important policy or cause.

Recent Publications

A Guide to New Mexico’s Tax System: Executive Summary

July 13th, 2023|

Executive Summary The taxes we all pay are how we fund the state’s programs and public services that benefit us collectively. They are how we build our roads, bridges, waterlines, electrical grids, and how we educate our children, advance public health, and uphold our laws. These programs and services form the foundation of our economy, enhance our quality of life, and pay dividends far into the future. (Link to the full Guide to New Mexico's Tax System here)

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Recent Blog Posts

Arts can help youth in the juvenile system

August 29th, 2022|

For years, probation has been used to try and keep youth from further involvement in the criminal justice system. But, as recent studies have shown, probation is neither effective at keeping our communities safer nor of rehabilitating the youth it is supposed to serve. Probation, in fact, can actually lead to youth being further ensnared in the system.

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Recent News Coverage

New Mexico experimented with a basic income program that gave $500 a month to immigrant families. They used the money to pay rent and secure jobs.

May 29th, 2024|

Business Insider--"People use the money to feed themselves and to keep a roof over their head," Javier Rojo, senior research and policy analyst with New Mexico Voices for Children and author of the pilot report, told BI. "They use it very wisely to put themselves in a better position economically in the future."

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Programs, Coalitions & Networks

Economic Relief Working Group A coalition of several grassroots and advocacy organizations – many of them focused on immigrant rights – ERWG was formed in 2020 initially to secure pandemic relief for those New Mexicans who did not qualify for federal relief due to their immigration status. ERWG worked on getting an accurate 2020 Census count for the state, and has also worked on wages, voting rights, tax credits and child care assistance, and currently runs a guarantied basic income (GBI) pilot project for families with mixed immigration status.

New Mexico Civic Engagement Table A project of the Center for Civic Policy, NMCET unifies more than 40 diverse organizations from different sectors around a common agenda to strengthen our democracy. Among its issues are economic justice, early childhood education, climate justice, immigration reform, and economic development.

Resources

Vote! Your County Clerk’s office can tell you where to register and vote. The Secretary of State’s Office also has information on voter registration, voter rights, and elections in New Mexico. The League of Women Voters of Central NM also provides contact information for voter registration, political parties, and elected officials at the state and local levels.

Advocate for Issues You Care About Meet with, write or call your legislator or congress person about an issue that concerns you. They really do appreciate hearing from you. Not sure who represents you in Santa Fe and Washington? Find out here.

Know Your Rights Do you believe your constitutional rights have been violated? Contact the ACLU of New Mexico to see if you may have a legal case.

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