By Kristin Satterlee  “Jazz is the Black American experience,” says Rodney Bowe, an Albuquerque upright bassist and jazz musician. “Very simply put, jazz came from us. We played it from the soul.”  According to Bowe, Albuquerque is “a great ground to get your feet wet.” Artists and listeners both benefit from jazz jams around town. Bowe, who teaches a class to prepare adult students to play in a jazz jam, says, “A jazz jam is open. It’s open to the public and, at the same time, it’s open to a novice as well as a master.”  Some of Bowe’s favorite local, regular jams include:&nb ..read more

by Shannon Yvonne Moreau In the Oscar-nominated film American Fiction—which won the 2024 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay—a Black author faces a downward career spiral. Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Jeffrey Wright, nominated for Actor in a Leading Role) has his latest book rejected with a request he write something “more Black.” Meanwhile, fellow author Sintara Golden’ (Issa Rae) book We’s Lives in Da Ghetto is a bestseller and lauded as authentic. Frustrated, Monk writes My Pafology, full of Black stereotypes and tropes, in response. He’s sure his critics will see the error of their wa ..read more

This article appears in Uplift Chronicles April 2024 International District Edition.  For nearly a decade now, 99.9 FM The Beat has transmitted adult contemporary R&B—spanning old-school classics of the 1970s to hits from the latest SZA album—along with local news, music and community programming over Albuquerque’s airwaves Future Broadcasters founder and CEO Byron Powdrell has been immersed in broadcasting—from radio to television and back again—in Albuquerque since the late-1980s. What differentiates Powdrell from many in the industry is his combined experience in radio’s technic ..read more

How New Mexico legislation addressing housing and broadband fared in the 2024 session. The 2024 New Mexico legislative session wrapped on Feb. 15. Bills not signed by the Governor by March 6 were pocket-vetoed, meaning the legislation won’t advance simply because it remained in committee. That was the case for many of the bills NMBLC followed that would have addressed the state’s housing and accessible internet needs. Here’s the roundup of how those bills fared. Legislation Addressing Affordable Housing HB 25 Housing Discrimination Based on Income Sponsors: Rep. Kathleen Cates, D-Bernalillo ..read more

New Mexico Black Leadership Council (NMBLC) interviewed District 6 Councilor Nichole Rogers, Albuquerque’s first Black woman to hold the position.  Note: a version of this article first appeared in the March 2024 edition of NMBLC’s monthly newspaper, the UpLift Chronicles. For more great articles about the people, places, and happenings of New Mexico’s Black communities, subscribe to the UpLift Chronicles. January 2, 2024, held a historic moment for our city. It marked the swearing in of Councilor Nichole Rogers, the first Black woman to be elected to the Albuquerque City Council. Nichol ..read more

Get in the holiday spirit with the New Mexico Black Leadership Council’s top Black Christmas songs list. It’s that time of year. The staff of NMBLC put together our list of the top Christmas and holiday songs by Black artists. With a mix of the old and the new, we selected childhood favorites, spiritual classics, romantic serenades and odes to winter. Scroll through our playlist to get in the holiday spirit and start humming along to some of the best Black Christmas songs ever. Then take our poll at the end of this post to vote on your favorite! The Black Christmas song for 2023 winner will be ..read more

The New Mexico Black Leadership Council puts the spotlight on New Mexico’s Black business community. We love seeing our communities thrive. No matter which holiday you celebrate, one thing is for certain— ’tis the season for shopping. Before you hop in the car and head over to the mall, don’t forget to think small. Consider supporting those local businesses owned by your neighbors; we have to stick together to keep small and Black owned businesses booming. The following shops from NMBLC’s latest Black owned business listing will help get you through the holiday season and beyond. Are you a Bl ..read more

Help pick the next APS superintendent. The board is hiring a new superintendent for 2024, and is seeking input from the community.  The Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education is hiring a new superintendent and wants community input in the APS superintendent search.   The current superintendent, Scott Elder, will leave APS when his contract expires June 30, 2024. The board plans to have a replacement by July 1. APS board President Yolanda Montoya-Cordova said in an open letter published in the Albuquerque Journal that the superintendent is responsible for day-to-day operat ..read more

Prepare to cast your vote in the 2023 New Mexico regular local election with the NMBLC voter guide. The New Mexico Regular Local Election is coming up Tuesday, November 7, 2023, so NMBLC has put together a voter guide. Items you may find on your ballot include city councilor, school board, and general obligation bonds that fund important services in your neighborhood. Below, you’ll find information on same day voter registration, early voting, poll locations, getting your sample ballot, election deadlines, and where to find info on the candidates. Not Registered to Vote? Do Same Day Registrati ..read more

Just in time for Halloween weekend, the New Mexico Black Leadership Council folks share their favorite Black Halloween movies. This week on the blog, NMBLC picks the five best Black Halloween movies to get your spooky season movie night right. The article “Talkin’ to the Screen on Halloween” first appeared in the October 2023 edition of NMBLC’s monthly newspaper, the UpLift Chronicles. For more great articles about the people, places, and happenings of New Mexico’s Black communities, subscribe to the UpLift Chronicles. The following piece was written by Shannon Moreau. Talkin’ to the Screen on ..read more