Institutional racism lives and breathes

Institutional racism is real. It’s not an abstract theory better saved for academic discussions. We see institutional racism every day. We see it in neighborhoods in Albuquerque’s South Valley, in pueblos and tribal nations across New Mexico, and in the oil patch of the southeastern part of our state. Institutional racism has created deep inequities that we must address if we are to move our state forward.

Institutional racism is reflected in the lack of economic and educational opportunities that disproportionately impact people of color in New Mexico. In 2015, 83 percent of Latino fourthgraders could not read proficiently. In 2013, 88 percent of African-American eighth-graders were below math proficiency levels. In 2016, more than 57 percent of Native Americans 4 or younger lived in poverty. Similarly, inequitable trends can be seen in housing, food access, health and criminal justice.

One problem impeding our ability to address institutional racism is our collective lack of understanding of the issue. Institutional racism is often confounded with single acts of bigotry perpetuated by one individual against another. While these are vile acts, institutional racism is more nuanced and perhaps more dangerous because of our societal inability to see or understand it. Racism must be attacked from every angle, and as policymakers, we have a responsibility to address it within our own institutions.

Institutional racism is a form of conscious and unconscious bias that permeates through systems creating severe inequities for people of color. It lives and breathes through our policies, programs and practices throughout all of our systems, both public and private. Whether it’s health care, education, tax policy or housing, its effects reverberate through every corner of society. And data like those cited above are one important way of recognizing and measuring institutional racism.

That’s why over the past several years, we have cosponsored legislation that seeks to address institutional racism. Over the years, our efforts have led to spirited and informative debates in our respective chambers, culminating with the historic passage of Senate Bill 269 last year, when New Mexico became the first state legislative body to pass this type of legislation. SB 269 would have required state agencies to develop and implement plans to address institutional racism and would have provided guidance to state agencies in terms of data collection, analysis, and training. Unfortunately, the governor vetoed the bill. But there’s hope. Recently, Allen Sánchez of the New Mexico Conference of Catholic Bishops

raised the issue of institutional racism as a reason why the constitutional amendment for early childhood education had once again failed to pass the state Senate.

Those comments were subsequently reinforced by New Mexico’s Catholic bishops in a letter in which they explain the connection between the vast wealth created by the Land Grant Permanent Fund and the state-sponsored theft of lands from Native Americans and later Spanish and Mexican land grants.

This was a watershed moment, because for the first time, one of New Mexico’s most powerful institutions not only acknowledged the issue but also challenged us all (and themselves) to undo it and its devastating effects on the lives of children across our state.

New Mexico’s future is bright. We are one of only four “majority-minority” states in the country. New Mexico’s racial and ethnic demographic makeup reflects what the rest of the country will look like in 30 years. Now we have the opportunity to come together as New Mexicans and ensure that every child in New Mexico has the opportunity to succeed, no matter who they are.

Institutional racism is real. More than 500 years of conquest, colonialism and oppression created it. We can and must work together to begin to undo it. Join us.

Democrat Javier Martínez is a state representative for District 11 in Albuquerque and has been serving in the House of Representatives since 2015. Democrat Linda López is a state senator for District 11 in Albuquerque and has been serving in the Senate since 1997.