Ellery Washington Collection - I See My Light Shining
New Mexico Black Elders on identity and multiculturalism
What does it mean to be a New Mexican? Focusing on the lives of Black elders from the Albuquerque area, this collection complicates this question as much as it answers it. With this starting point, the stories in this collection approach questions of identity, heritage, and multiculturalism.
What does it mean to be a New Mexican? Focusing on the lives of Black elders from the Albuquerque area, this collection complicates this question as much as it answers it. With this starting point, the stories in this collection approach questions of identity, heritage, and multiculturalism.
Meet the fellows
Ellery Washington is a New York-based writer from Albuquerque, NM, whose first novel, Buffalo, fall 2022, returns him to his Southwestern roots. His fiction and essays have appeared in The New York Times, Ploughshares, State by State ‘A Panoramic Portrait of America,’ and Geography of Rage ‘Remembering the Los Angeles Riots’. His screen work includes projects with Disney, Pixar, Tristar, and Paramount Pictures. He’s currently an Associate Professor of Writing at the Pratt Institute.
Black New Mexico
New Mexico isn’t a state widely known for its Black culture, but it is there, present, and alive. Cast in the long shadow of the New Mexican tri-cultural mythos of Anglo, Hispanic, and Native American, Black New Mexicans have persisted. In this collection, New York City-based writer and professor Ellery Washington returns to his home state of New Mexico to capture the memories and stories of Black Elders in Albuquerque.
A clean slate
The Homestead Act of 1862, with its promise of land, attracted freed slaves and other people of color to settle in New Mexico. Making homes on what was then considered a frontier, Black New Mexicans began forming communities and enterprises. In her interview, Emma Pettiford Pearson recounts her family’s arrival in the area: “[My] grandparents, Beverly Pettiford, and Emma Pettiford. They came to Albuquerque on a covered wagon, from Indiana. And I don’t know how long it took them to get here, but I’m sure it was quite a while. And they came and bought property here and built their home and raised their children here, on Isleta Highway, that’s where they built their home. And we lived there growing up. And I know my father, he was the first Black contractor in New Mexico, Albuquerque. And my grandfather, he was the first Black barber that was here in Albuquerque.”
The communities formed in New Mexico developed their own draw beyond the Homestead Act’s promises. Almost fifty years after the Pettifords’ migration, Clarence Washington left Chicago for New Mexico, citing the communities he encountered on a business trip: “The reason why I chose Sandia and I came up for an interview, you know, they gave me a trip to come out and to visit the company and to check out Albuquerque… a very easy going place, a totally different environment from that I was raised in Chicago, but mainly it seemed like a very safe community. And so I didn’t want that environment for my children, and that's the reason why I moved.”
With safety at the forefront of many Black families' worries, Ken Carson and Larry Phillips recount that their families came to get away from overt racism in other southern states. Carson recalls, “I think my aunt came first before my grandmother moved out here with my grandfather, and the reason why they moved out here is because they wanted to get away from Oklahoma. They were sharecroppers, and they had heard that there were jobs that you could get in New Mexico, and frankly, it was not as prejudiced and restricted to who was getting employed.”
Phillips similarly describes his father’s motivations: “Yes, he wanted to leave Texas because of racism. There was a lot of racism there against minorities. So, he did say, “Well, I want to get out of Texas. I want to move to New Mexico,” which he did. He moved to Clovis, New Mexico. And he liked Clovis. The only thing about Clovis was it was segregated also. And that was a disappointment for him. My older brother and sister, they were born in Clovis. And this happened—actually, my brother was born in 1949 and my sister was born in 1948. So, during that time, he did not want them to grow up there in Clovis, because of the segregation, and coming through Albuquerque, he saw that it was a little bit better town. He did not see the segregation here in Albuquerque.”
Still, some arrived by chance to New Mexico. In his interview, Donald Walker details his family’s arrival: “Well, I was told that my family with my grandfather and my father and brothers and sisters, they were all still small, and they came from Texas, the Oklahoma, Texas area. And they came here on wagon trains, as far as I know—not a wagon train, but on a wagon—and they were going to Oakland [California], and they broke down here in Albuquerque. And so my grandfather had to find a job, so he did, he found a job in construction, and this is where they stayed.”
For many elders and their families, Albuquerque represented a clean slate, a place that wasn’t as racially divided, or held economic disadvantages that would cloud their abilities to provide for their families. While the reality of New Mexico ebbed and flowed through the various experiences had by the elders, New Mexico has remained their home.
Excellence and entrepreneurship
Since arriving, Black New Mexicans have contributed to every sector of the economy. Both in leadership and support roles, from the arts, to politics, to health, worship, and transportation, Black elders have shaped life in New Mexico at large. In this collection, we encounter elders whose careers are both extraordinary and indicative of the dynamism and importance of Black life in the state.
For example, James Lewis has held positions in various fields, including working for the railways, serving in the US Army, working as a city administrator and counselor, a criminal investigator, and a county treasurer. He has served as the chief of staff for Governor Bruce King, chief clerk of the New Mexico Corporation Commission, and head of the Office of Economic Development and Diversity under Bill Clinton, among many other positions. One role that stands out to Lewis was his role as the state treasurer of New Mexico from 1985 and 1990, and again from 2006 and 2014. At the time of the interview, he was the first and only African American to serve in this role.
In her interview, Joana Juba Clayton recounts her similarly dynamic career. Clayton worked at a phone company before joining the Dallas Theater Center. She briefly worked as a teacher and even as a DJ for a country-western radio station. Later, she studied to become a therapist. After graduation, she worked for the Women's Center and created a non-profit with her brother called New Child Productions, which aims to address homophobia and sexism. Succeeding Dr. Harold Bailey, another elder featured in the collection, Clayton served as the Director of African American Studies at the University of New Mexico, where she became the Director of Women’s Studies.
Narrator Rita Powdrell began her career as a social worker for California’s Welfare Department before becoming a state regulations interpreter and trainer, and later a counselor adviser at the Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute. At the time of her interview, Powdrell was a social historian and Director of the African American Museum and Cultural Center of New Mexico. She was also involved in culinary endeavors for her husband's family's BBQ business.
Who is New Mexican?
I'm a New Mexican. I eat green chili. I eat green chili. I eat tamales. I eat enchiladas. I eat—and I live in the place with the mountains, and I live in a place that's laid back and comfortable, and it's beautiful. It is. And it's beautiful. And you can go anyplace. I mean, there's White Sands, and there's Carlsbad Caverns, and there's—I mean, you can just do whatever you want to do. Yeah. It's a beautiful place.
Ellery Washington asks elders, “Do you consider yourself New Mexican?”
Some say that New Mexico is where they found themselves. But other narrators express discomfort with calling themselves New Mexican, or consider a closer claim to Blackness, which they distance from New Mexican identity. The answers that narrators provide in this collections are as varied as their stories, but together create a stunning picture of Black life in New Mexico.
Who is New Mexican?
- Adolphe Pierre-Louis 01:28:43
- Cathryn McGill 01:12:26
- Charles Carter 01:38:53
- Clarence Washington 01:30:04
- Donald Walker 01:00:36
Interviews ( 27 )
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Pierre-Louis recounts growing up in Haiti and his path to becoming a distinguished photojournalist in New Mexico. He discusses encountering and overcoming racial profiling, his connection to his community, and bias education work.
Albuquerque, NM
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Jewell shares her journey from childhood in Alabama, to becoming one of the first African American judges in New Mexico, touching on her family, education, navigating race and gender dynamics, and her contributions to the field.
Albuquerque, NM
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McGill reflects on her upbringing in Oklahoma, navigating racial tension, finding her voice in church choirs, and transitioning from artist to advocate, emphasizing the importance of visibility for Black communities in New Mexico.
Albuquerque, NM
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Carter recounts his journey from Chicago to New Mexico amidst struggles with addiction and homelessness—finding sobriety, becoming a substance abuse counselor, redefining family, and gaining power and resilience.
Albuquerque, NM
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Russey shares her deep roots in Albuquerque, reflecting on her family's legacy, her career as a public school teacher for 45 years, raising children in a changing city, and her community involvement through church and relationships.
Albuquerque, NM
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Washington shares his journey from Chicago to Albuquerque in 1964, discussing his work at Sandia Labs, efforts to enhance the local Black community, the joy of fishing in New Mexico's lakes, and his work as an author and pastor.
Albuquerque, NM
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Dorn-Jones reflects on her childhood in New Mexico, advocacy work in California, and return to Albuquerque to continue her parents' legacy in community activism. Her work includes housing reform and combating neighborhood crime.
Albuquerque, NM
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Walker reflects on his family's history, including their unexpected settlement in Albuquerque due to a wagon breakdown, his experience growing up in a rapidly changing city, his military service, and his connection to his church.
Albuquerque, NM
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Pettiford-Pearson shares early memories of her pioneering family, her experiences with segregation, and community service. Her daughters discuss their own paths and cultural shifts in Albuquerque, highlighting family resilience.
Albuquerque, NM
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Mosley details her life journey through the educational system in Albuquerque, New Mexico, during the Civil Rights Movement. She shares experiences of segregation, racial bias, and adapting to changing school environments.
Albuquerque, NM
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Bailey reflects on his life, including his childhood, facing racial discrimination, leading African American Studies at UNM, fighting for racial justice, and his tenure at the New Mexico Office of African American Affairs.
Albuquerque, NM
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Lewis chronicles his life's work in public service, from overcoming segregated schooling to becoming the state's first black state treasurer, as well as his commitment to education and community betterment.
Albuquerque, NM
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Mangram-Washington reflects on her experiences as a Black woman in Albuquerque, her family's migration and business ventures, her musical talent, as well as her educational journey and ministry work.
Albuquerque, NM
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Clayton discusses moving from Texas to New Mexico, recounting her evolution from a young, imaginative child to a pioneering force in arts and community healing, creating inclusive spaces for marginalized voices.
Albuquerque, NM
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Powdrell reflects on life in segregated rural Texas, his family's move to Albuquerque, his education and athletic achievements, and the establishment of a successful family business intertwined with cultural heritage and activism.
Albuquerque, NM
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Born in New Mexico, Carson reflects on his family's migration, his upbringing in Albuquerque, his successful banking career, and his eventual venture into the restaurant industry, which blends his Black and New Mexican heritage.
Albuquerque, NM
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Phillips recounts growing up in a tight-knit Black community on Virginia Street, his father's journey from Texas to escape segregation, his high school love Becky and their eventual marriage, as well as his ambitions.
Albuquerque, NM
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Malry reflects on his life experiences, including growing up on a Louisiana farm, teaching on Navajo reservations, becoming Albuquerque’s first Black principal, and his impact as the state's first Black representative.
Albuquerque, NM
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Waites discusses growing up in Albuquerque, his family's migration from Texas, his athletic pursuits, and his career path from manufacturing to becoming the Executive Director of the Martin Luther King Jr. State Commission.
Albuquerque, NM
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Ward details her journey from Memphis to Albuquerque, sharing her struggles and successes, including overcoming discrimination, advancing from custodial work to a top cybersecurity position, and her community involvement.
Albuquerque, NM
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From a military brat childhood to setting roots in Albuquerque, Farrow reflects on raising African American children, fostering community, her growth as a beauty professional, and her dedication to education and empowerment.
Albuquerque, NM
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Herndon reflects on her family history, the importance of fighting for social justice, her college experience, and her work as a New Mexico State Representative focused on gun safety, Indigenous rights, and children's welfare.
New York, NY
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Currie details her family's roots in New Mexico, their African and Jewish heritage, and her personal journey through loss and motherhood. She also discusses fostering a legacy of strength and caregiving amidst challenges.
Albuquerque, NM
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Powdrell shares her journey from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Albuquerque, reflecting on her family history, early life, educational pursuits, and her work in highlighting Black history and contributions in New Mexico.
Albuquerque, NM
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Wallace reflects on his early life, the broader family dynamics that shaped him, his educational ventures, and the pivotal role he played in documenting and uplifting Black experiences through his publications and photojournalism.
Albuquerque, NM
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Carter reflects on the essence of being New Mexican through her own experiences, including moving from Chicago to Albuquerque, becoming a mother, and a career as a medical technologist, entrepreneur, and advocate for the homeless.
Albuquerque, NM
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Bolden discusses moving from Denver to Albuquerque, raising a family, breaking generational cycles, and pursuing education. She also reflects on racial and workplace challenges and the importance of Black cultural identity.
Albuquerque, NM
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Map
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Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway was one of the largest railroads in the United States, connecting the southwestern states with the rest of the country and facilitating significant economic and population growth in the region. The old Santa Fe Depot is now a hub serving Greyhound, Rail Runner and Amtrack.
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Eastern Addition
Eastern Addition, also known as East End Addition was once settled by Black homesteaders. This district was the first Black neighborhood in the northeeastern quadrant of Albuquerque.
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God's House Church
God's House Church was founded by Emma Pettiford, grandmother of narrator Emma Pearson, in 1916
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Kirtland Addition
Kirtland Addition is a neighborhood in Albuquerque near the Kirtland Airforce base. After WWII, the neighborhood became predominantly Black and Hispanic.
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Kirtland Air Force Base
Kirtland Air Force Base, situated in the southeast quadrant of Albuquerque, New Mexico, serves as a key facility for military and research operations.
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Northeast Heights
Northeast Heights is a neighborhood in the NE section of Albuquerque. That is predominately east of Wyoming Boulevard and north of Lomas Boulevard. This neighborhood is notably marked by its history of segregation, including restrictive covenants that prohibited selling houses to Black and Asian people.
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South Broadway
South Broadway is a neighborhood in Albuquerque, south-east of downtown, described by narrators as economically modest but tight-knit.
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University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico (UNM) is a public research university in Albuquerque. Several elders in this collection joined communities and built careers through UNM.
