The full Voces Unidas Magazine is now available to download online! Just click the picture of the cover to download. The SWOP Blog shared this message from PBN Co-Chair Robby Rodriguez:
Message to Readers: We are Winning!
The theme of this edition of Voces Unidas is “Electoral Politics and Community Power.” In this issue you will find stories about how SWOP and our allies are making the dream of democracy in this country a reality.
2008 is a big election year nationally and especially in New Mexico. On the federal level, people in New Mexico will vote for a new president, senator and all three representatives—possibly influencing the balance of power nationally. On the local level, we will be electing all 42 of our state senators as well as some of our county commissioners and other municipal level positions.
Despite the excitement surrounding next year’s elections and the hope for change that it represents, our democracy is in a pitiful state. Corporations enjoy more rights and access to decision makers than people do. Voter turnout and overall civic engagement continues on a downward trend. The October 2007 Albuquerque municipal election had just over 10% turn out. Ten percent!
Since the founding of this country a true participatory democracy has never had the chance to exist. Due to historical traumas such as slavery, manifest destiny, and the systematic oppression of women, people of color, poor people and youth the fundamental right to vote has been hard to access for many people. Democracy has been a contradiction in the U.S.. However, it has never had a better chance at becoming a reality than now.
We have fought and won to remove many barriers and while we still have work to do to protect our rights – such as our right to vote and to make our votes count – as a social justice movement we are making a run for a real democracy. Back in 1999 SWOP Co-Director Michael Leon Guerrero ran and narrowly lost his Albuquerque city council bid. Michael’s defeat served as an inspiration to SWOP members. Berna Facio in 2001 and 2005 ran and won an Albuquerque school board seat and Miguel Acosta did the same in 2003. Those wins were followed by Dr. Teresa Cordova, who in 2004 became a Bernalillo county commissioner, and then in 2005 Ike Benton won for Albuquerque city council. Just this year two more SWOP members have run and won elected office: Martin Dorado for school board in Carlsbad and Rey Garduño for City Council in Albuquerque.
Taking back New Mexico is as much a legitimate reality as it has ever been. With one thousand members talking to 100 of their neighbors we can move 100,000 people to the polls. Please join us. With your help, a better New Mexico is possible. For the people and the land.
–Robby Rodriguez
