News | New Mexico State Treasurer's Office

This month I had the honor of being the keynote speaker at the 19th Annual Black History Month Celebration at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Albuquerque. The presentation gave me the opportunity to share my experiences growing up in New Mexico, my perspective on being the first African-American elected to a statewide office and the challenges we face in our state.

Dr. Carter G. Woodson, an African-American author, historian and journalist, recognized the importance of people having an understanding and knowledge of their contributions to society. Dr. Woodson started African-American history week, which became a month of celebrating the contributions of African-Americans. Like Dr. Woodson, it is my philosophy that we must understand the past to appreciate the present and to plan our future. I have applied this philosophy in my own life and in restoring integrity and trust to the State Treasurer’s Office. I believe this philosophy can be applied to everyone – no matter who we are or what we want to achieve.

When I started school growing up in Roswell, schools were segregated. The doctrine of “separate-but-equal” that segregated African-Americans in education, public transportation and jobs was established in 1896 and was not overturned until the case of Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. As a child, I heard over and over again that I would not be anything. In reality, the negative comments made me feel that I could be somebody. Even then, I believed if you had a good education you could achieve anything. Unfortunately, many children in our state are fed the same negativism. It is important for them to know that they stand on the shoulders of may unsung heroes and pioneers who stood up and paved the way for them to reach their highest aspirations.

There have been significant strides in New Mexico for which I am proud of this state. When I first campaigned for the position of state treasurer, I was told that no African-American had campaigned for a statewide office and won. I did not see this as a valid reason to not seek statewide office. I learned that the citizens of New Mexico supported me foremost because of what I had to offer and my credentials. Yet, I think we have more work to do in our great state.

The African-American Chamber of Commerce of New Mexico, Inc. recently reported on the difficulties facing African-Americans in New Mexico. The report shows that, with an overall poverty rate of 16.7 percent, New Mexico has the third highest poverty rate in the United States. African-Americans in New Mexico have a 27.8 percent poverty rate. The report also indicated that high school drop-outs in New Mexico are epidemic, and poverty and poor health adversely affect students’ ability to perform well in the classroom.

In this economy, we have a Herculean task before us. While we are looking at ways to address the financial shortfall, it is important that we maintain our focus on our youth, on education – particularly in the areas of math and science – and on health care. If we do not prepare our children to take on leadership roles, we will not be able to participate fully in this global economy.

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