Black History Month 2025
President’s Message
Dear NOMA New Mexico family,
As we celebrate Black History Month, I would like to share a few thoughts that I’ve revisited over the years related to the histories, legacies and experiences that this commemorative month pays homage to. It has been a distinct privilege of mine to dedicate significant time to the study of these narratives throughout my formal education, professional work and in my spare time. I have also been quite fortunate to engage with these themes across diverse cultural and geographic contexts — first in my home country of Jamaica, then within the wider Caribbean, and later across numerous locations in the United States. The lessons learned in that work have reinforced my appreciation of the strong, common heritage that exists across peoples of African descent over such broad regions. Simultaneously, the fact that there is also significant diversity in the cultures and experiences of these communities is striking, and highlights the variousness of Black History. Here, I’ll briefly reflect on two legacies that have occupied my thoughts recently, and which reflect stories that exist at international and local scales respectively.
Whether or not you know it by name, you have likely seen the red, black and green stripes of the Pan-African flag displayed on objects and at events associated with Black heritage across the U.S. The flag was designed in 1920 by The Right Excellent Marcus Garvey, ONH, a Jamaican national who was the first person to be conferred with that country’s highest national award – the Order of National Hero (ONH). Having lived in British Colonial Jamaica, and having travelled extensively across North, Central and South America, Garvey became astutely aware of the commonalities that exist in the African diaspora across the Americas. His observations included those related to the strength and resilience exhibited by the people of the diaspora. However, it also became clear to him that poor working and living conditions were common experiences for Black communities across the hemisphere as well.
Garvey dedicated much of his life to improving these conditions for Black people across the globe through numerous Pan-African initiatives. These efforts foregrounded self-reliance and self-governance, opposition to racial discrimination, and active strategization toward the economic improvement of people across the diaspora. Marcus Garvey and his wife, Amy Ashwood Garvey, founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in 1914, which grew to be international in its reach. Garvey eventually became well known for the tremendous following he received in the United States, where his efforts toward the empowerment of Black people resonated with African American communities. The observations and ideas that Garvey so aptly articulated at the turn of 20th century are but a few manifestations of a legacy that connects the African diaspora to this day, at a global scale.
The Pan- African Flag: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-African_flag
At the local scale, I’ve been reflecting on the legacies of Black history that are particularly significant to my adopted home state of New Mexico. Of special interest to me recently has been the history of Blackdom, New Mexico, an early 20th century frontier town that was founded and settled by an all Black population. Much of what I’ve learned comes from author Timothy E. Nelson, Ph.D., through his book Blackdom New Mexico: The Significance of the Afro-Frontier, 1900 - 1930. Blackdom once existed in Chavez County, south of Roswell. As the only all-Black town in the territory of New Mexico, Blackdom was an audacious expression of self-reliance and economic gumption. Its settlers not only dared to pursue their own agricultural sustenance in a harsh, arid landscape, but also established the Blackdom Oil Company to reap the financial benefits of the oil discovered there in 1919. Though the town did not survive the Stock Market Crash of 1929, and the resulting Great Depression, Nelson highlights the fact that the economic prowess of its people resulted in some residents reaping the royalties of its oil deposits up to at least 1947.
While not divorced from broader themes of fortitude, resourcefulness and self-reliance found throughout Black history, Blackdom’s story is an example of the incredible legacies of Black heritage that possess particular significance at a local scale. As you consider the histories that this month commemorates, I invite you to deliberately explore these legacies at the various scales of community to which they hold significance. In doing so, I hope you will encounter intriguing common threads that transcend geography and time to connect many Black legacies across the globe. I hope that you will simultaneously find opportunities to appreciate the incredible diversity of history that exists within these broader narratives — perhaps even stories that hold specific significance to people and places that you hold dear.
Sincerely,
Ke Vaughn Harding, AIA, NOMA, LEED AP® BD+C
First Vice President, NOMA New Mexico
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LAST CHANCE:
2025 Volunteer Opportunities
Please visit the link below to see what opportunities are available for 2025. For those who have signed up in person at previous events, we have your responses recorded. We’ll be in contact with those interested no later than March 2025. Thank you!
Bosque Bike Rides
Sunday, February 9, 2025, 10:00A
Led by Ke Vaughn Harding, 1st Vice President, please join us on a monthly bike trip every second Sunday of each month. All levels of experience welcome!
Please find Ke Vaughn located at the NW corner of Copper Ave NW and 1st Street NW - Downtown. Bike rides will start at 10:00A.
Thank you, Sponsors!
We’re grateful for our sponsors, Arcadia and Bell and McCoy, for being our first donations! Our mission for 2025 is to make an impact in our local and professional communities. Your donations help support our upcoming programs, events, and scholarships.
We’re offering various tiers of donations and benefits. If you or your firm are interested in becoming a sponsor, please contact us at nomanewmexico@gmail.com.
Join NOMA New Mexico
To join NOMA officially, please visit the NOMA Membership Page. Upon arrival at the page, select the “Register Now!” button under “Are you ready to join the organization?”. This will open the member registration page where you may select the relevant membership category and continue with the registration process.
