Civil Rights
Civil Rights
All people have the right to just, equitable, dignified, and respectful treatment.
We Affirm
1. Racism is a deeply embedded system by which the power structure and the enforcing institutions are designed to
serve a particular race to the oppression or disadvantage of another; and
2. Prejudice is an antagonism directed against an individual or a group based on race, appearance, identity, or
attributes; and
3. Discrimination is a systematic action to isolate and define an individual or group based on appearance, identity, or
attributes; and
4. Those born into privilege have an advantage. An equitable society should provide additional resources to level the
playing field for those who are historically disadvantaged; and
5. The rights as defined by the United States Constitution of free speech, free press, peaceful assembly, due process,
and habeas corpus must be defended and upheld; and
6. Personal choices, including reproductive choice, domestic partnership, end-of-life options, religious choice
(including freedom from and of religion), and marriage equality, are fundamental rights; and
7. Unreasonable searches and domestic surveillance, including any conducted under the USA PATRIOT Act, are
unconstitutional; and
8. All people have a right to a high-quality education, regardless of race, color, prior education, gender identity,
religion, national origin, right to remain in the U.S., socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, physical ability,
cognitive ability, or age; and
9. Civility and speaking out against bigotry and other forms of intolerance must be promoted; and
10. History is written by the victor and does not portray an accurate account of all people; and
11. The primary drivers of wealth are home and business ownership. These fundamental assets were inaccessible to
Black, Indigenous, and people of color for hundreds of years, creating a societal imbalance in wealth and
opportunity and health and life expectancy; and
12. The death penalty is an absolute violation of civil and human rights; and
13. Our rights to clean water and air, a stable climate, and healthy environments are fundamental rights that must be
recognized through a state constitutional amendment such as the “Green Amendment.”
We Will
1. Protect all people from harassment and violence, including personal, domestic, emotional, mental, financial, and
sexual, through education, law enforcement, and the courts. Survivors of these crimes deserve all the support they
need; and
2. Protect the Establishment Clause, which is the separation of church and state, in all local, state, and federal
government institutions, including the military and public schools; and
3. Improve conditions and defend human rights for the incarcerated and provide adequate support for successful
reintegration into society, including housing, food, health care, employment, and financial support; and
4. Embrace racial and socioeconomic equity and counter discrimination in hiring practices and ongoing
employment; and
5. Defend the use of affirmative action within academic admissions; and
6. Enact incentives to reserve units in new housing developments for lower-income households; and
7. Protect current homeowners and renters from being displaced due to higher property taxes that occur as a result of
increased property values often associated with gentrification; and
8. Work to end police violence, mass incarceration, and other racist features of the criminal legal apparatus, all of
which have severely harmed Black, Indigenous, and people of color individuals; and
9. Propose legislation that appropriately defines racism in the workplace, including definitions of discriminatory
behaviors and adverse treatment; and
10. Work to end income and wealth inequality; and
11. Push for legislation that places incarcerated people in the facilities that match their gender identity to address
abuses upon transgender, non-binary, and intersex incarcerated individuals; and
12. Work to end human trafficking by uplifting policies and laws such as the Victims of Trafficking and Violence
Prevention Act (TVPA); and
13. Address the intersection of racism within our police departments, courts, and media that allow the systemic issues
of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIWR) to be ignored. Demand equitable
sentencing and allocation of adequate resources to remedy this global issue; and
14. Remediate policies that allow inhumane and inequitable treatment of Black, Indigenous, or people of color
individuals seeking legal refuge in the U.S. only to be put in cages with aluminum blankets or whipped; and
15. Ensure the abolition of the death penalty in recognition that the death penalty is an absolute violation of human
and civil rights; and
16. Actively work to deconstruct institutional and structural racism and acknowledge the role of patriarchy,
colonization, and white supremacy in the current lived experiences of our fellow New Mexicans; and
17. Actively work to eliminate voter suppression laws and practices; and
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18. Actively work to build healthy communities to preclude the disparate impact of pandemics such as COVID-19 on
working class communities and Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities.
