SW New Mexico News

New Mexico State University's Borderlands and Ethnic Studies Department is set to host an event in honor of the National Day of Racial Healing on January 21. The gathering, open to the communities of NMSU, Las Cruces, southern New Mexico, El Paso, and Ciudad Juárez, will feature various activities at the O'Donnell Hall lobby starting at 4:30 p.m. These include healing exercises, music, food, and the unveiling of a new mural titled "Homecoming," part of the department's Borderlands Mural Project.

Dulcinea Lara, head of the BEST department, highlighted the significance of the mural by stating that it reflects historical movements such as "the Pueblo Revolution of 1680, the Mexican Defection of 1848 and the Black migration to New Mexico in the early 1900s." She added that these murals celebrate "the sacredness and people power in this region while inviting guests to imagine a healthier, informed and thriving future."

The creation involved six local professional artists and two NMSU art students. A. Billi Free from Learning Action Buffet noted that working on this project was aligned with their values related to art and community action. Free expressed hope that those who see the mural will experience "a deep connection."

The BEST Department began its Borderlands Mural Project in 2023 to highlight often overlooked histories and knowledges associated with borderland peoples. The initiative has placed artworks across visible locations on NMSU’s Las Cruces campus.

Manal Hamzeh from BEST Research Center emphasized how these artistic endeavors aim to make sense of people's histories while celebrating their resilience against colonial violence. Hamzeh remarked that such projects have "the potential to inspire collective decolonial imaginations for ways of living outside coloniality."

Further information about this project can be found on their website.