Please Donate for Our Insurance Fund 🌷🌿༄🐞🪻 (ABQP&J and Community Events Further Down Below)

Happy May Day! As we celebrate the change in seasons and all of our accomplishments (see below) we also look forward to challenges ahead, one of them being our annual insurance costs. We need to raise $10,000. This covers our regular Property and General Liability coverage, Participant Accident coverage and Directors & Officers coverage.

Please consider donating to help us cover this cost. DONATE HERE on our website, or pass by The ACP&J and give a check or cash at the front-desk.  

In the last year, we have accomplished so much — from scheduling 500 events in our Peace Hall to improving security at the Center to bringing our finances up to industry standards, and onboarding a dozen new front-desk volunteers. We have achieved compliance with City ordinances for the Peace Café and continued our Food Distribution on Saturday mornings. Last weekend, eight volunteers gathered to clean out one of our offices, and it’s almost ready to rent out!

While these costs sometimes may seem superfluous they are in fact essential, and allow us to do our work in good standing in a city we are all deeply invested in and that deserves to be a beacon of peace in the face of a relentless economy of aggression.

1. ACPJ Events & News

   a. Thank you to Derek
   b. New CC Meeting Date (Third Wednesdays)
   c. New Subcommittees
   d. May 2: Highland HS Student Presentations
   e. May 5 and 19: ABQ Workers School
   f. Wednesdays at ACPJ: Chair Yoga
   g. Thursday Mornings at ACPJ: Peace Cafe

2. Events in the Wider Community

   a. UNM Graduate Union Request
   b. Restore Ampersand’s Watershed
   c. May 1: May Day Events — International Worker’s Day at Civic Plaza and Tiguex Park
   d. May 1: Spring Member Meeting at Project Feed the Hood
   e. May 2: Stories from Palestine at St. Therese Catholic Church
   f. May 3: Dana Lyons Concert
   g. May 3: "First We Bombed New Mexico" Screening
   h. May 5: Roadrunner Running Club
   i. May 5: BikeABQ General Membership Meeting
   j. May 8: Venezuela talk at Lescombes
   k. May 9 Community Town Hall about the the Stadium planned on the Fairgrounds
   l. May 9: Nakba Day Film, 500 Dunam On The Moon at Nahalat Shalom
   m. May 9: John Brown Breakfast Club Fundraising Cookout
   n. May 13: Free Wheel Mobile Aid Onboarding
   o. May 23: Sowers of Light Community Reading at El Chante
   p. May 30: Anti-CSI Sunport Protest

ACP&J Events and News

Thank you to Derek - Our incredible newsletter curator / writer and website extraordinaire, Derek, will be stepping away from his position in the coming weeks. We would like to thank him for being so reliable, flexible and generous over the past years. Moving forward, if you have any questions about the newsletter, or would like to submit events, please write to council@abqpeaceandjustice.org.

New CC Meeting Date (Third Wednesdays) - The CC will be changing the slot for our monthly meeting. We will now be hosting our monthly meetings on the third Wednesdays of the month.

New Subcommittees - If you are interested in joining the new fundraising subcommittee, or the building updates and maintenance subcommittee, please email us at council@abqpeaceandjustice.org

May 2: Highland High School Student Presentations - Students from Highland High School will be presenting their end-of-year research projects at the Peace Hall from 4-6pm on May 2! Students are interested in hearing from the community.

May 5 and 19: Albuquerque Workers School is a political education class facilitated by Workers for A New Southwest, reading and discussing fundamental Marxist theory. This gathering takes from 6-8:00pm at the Peace Hall. Join this course to recover the radical roots of philosophy to sharpen our tools of critique, and to see how the history of thought is also the history of class struggle.

May 6, 13 20 and 27: Each Wednesday at ACP&J Lisbeth hosts Chair Yoga! Join from 1:30-2:30, donations accepted 🧘🏽

May 7, 14, 21 and 28: The Peace Café is happening every Thursday at the ACP&J! Gather and break bread with us from 10am-3:00pm.  

Events in the Wider Community

UNM Graduate Union Request - UNM Grad Workers Deserve a Living Wage! UNM grad workers, who teach and grade for tens of thousands of undergraduates and bring in millions in research grants for the university, are bargaining with UNM administration. The union is asking that the community supports grad workers by voicing our support.

The Union requests for us to Call Interim Provost Barbara Rodriguez, Phone Number: 505-277-2611. Script: “Hello, my name is [YOUR NAME], and I’m an Albuquerque community member [or alumni, donor, former faculty or staff]. I’m calling because I support United Graduate Workers at the bargaining table, and I believe all grad workers deserve a living wage. Please be sure to support the union’s priorities, including making sure all RAs get the raise.”

Restore Ampersand’s Watershed - For over two decades, Ampersand Project have dedicated our lives to restoring and caring for the land at Ampersand Sustainable Learning Center. Last year, with the help of a state-funded project, we made significant progress in restoring our watershed and protecting our access road from erosion. However, a new challenge has emerged: The single grade control structure installed in the previous project was not adequate to stabilize the whole channel. It got blown out and a new erosion gully has formed. The lowering of the channel results in deteriorated ecological functions of the watershed.

Please consider donating, volunteering or singing up for their Mentorship Program.

May 1: May Day Events — International Worker’s Day at Civic Plaza and Tiguex Park 🛠 In Albuquerque, thousands will gather at Civic Plaza and Tiguex Park for a full day of action. Civic Plaza’s event will take place from 3-7pm, and the one at Tiguex from 5-8pm.

May 1: Spring Member Meeting at Project Feed the Hood - Join Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP) for their Sprint Member Meeting. This event will be held at the Project Feed the Hood Community garden located on the corner of Ross and Wellesley (3400 Ross Ave. SE) starting at 5:30pm.

May 2: Stories from Palestine at St. Therese Catholic Church: Saturday, May 2 at 6:30pm, Mother Agapia Stephanopoulos, will be speaking about the situation of Christians in Gaza and Palestine. Please encourage all to come and hear Mother Agapia Stephanopoulos, George's sister, who joined a Russian Orthodox monastery the Convent of Saint Nicholas of Myra. This event will take place at St. Therese Catholic Church at 3424 4^th St. NW, Albuquerque. Free event with donations taken.

May 3: Dana Lyons Concert - Singer-songwriter, Dana is known for his humor, sincerity, activism and he's one of the co-creator of the Fire on the Mountain campaign. Sunday, May 3 at 2:00pm, Dana will be performing in Eldorado for one of his famous backyard concerns. You can learn more about Dana at his website: http://cowswithguns.com. Contact info@fireonthemountain.xyz for directions.

May 3: "First They Bombed New Mexico" Screening: This documentary highlights Tina Cordova's fight for justice for Indigenous and Latino communities affected by radiation from the Trinity atomic test. It takes place at 12:00pm at the National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC) in Albuquerque, Bank of America Theatre. It's free, but registration is required.

May 5: Roadrunner Running Club - Join the Road Running club! 🪶🏃‍♂️Starting May 5th and reoccurring Tuesdays at 6:45am, we will be meeting at the farm (3400 Ross Ave SE) for group runs. For the first and upcoming Road Running meet, we plan to run around the Puerto del Sol golf course. All skill levels are welcome. We look forward to running with you!

May 5: BikeABQ General Membership Meeting - This is a great opportunity to connect with fellow cyclists, stay informed on key advocacy efforts, contribute to the future of biking in Albuquerque, and learn from our guest speaker. Whether you’re a longtime BikeABQ member or new to the community, we welcome your participation. The meeting will take place at 7:00pm-8:30pm, at Juno Brewery, 1501 1st St NW.

May 8: Venezuela Talk at Lescombes - The Albuquerque International Association is pleased to announce that its next Global Discussion Dinner will focus on the U.S. Military Intervention in Venezuela and is planned for Wednesday, May 6 from 6-8pm at D.H. Lescombes on Rio Grande Blvd. NW. The discussion will be moderated by Mark Peceny, Professor of Political Science at University of New Mexico. The dinner will be limited to 20 participants. If you are interested in attending, please register online before May 4, and you will receive a confirmation email: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/eh8nksy

May 9: Community Town Hall about the Stadium Planned on the Fairgrounds - You heard about the new stadium being planned for the Fairgrounds? Let’s talk about it! Please join us for a Community Town Hall on Saturday, May 9th to discuss all things Fairgrounds! 3pm at The Albuquerque Liberation Center (225 San Pedro Dr. NE).

May 9: Nakba Day Film, 500 Dunam On The Moon at Nahalat Shalom - Join Jewish Voice for Peace to commemorate Nakba Day with a special screening of '500 Dunam On the Moon’. This film shows a Palestinian village captured and depopulated by Israeli forces in 1948 before being turned into a Jewsish artist colony and renamed Ein Hon. The screening will be followed by a virtual Q&A with historian, Joel Gordon. This will take place May 9 at 4pm at Nahalat Shalom, 3606 Rio Grande Blvd. NW.

May 9: John Brown Breakfast Club Cookout - Join the John Brown Breakfast Club at Roosevelt Park at 1:30pm, for an event to raise funds for their ongoing initiatives to feed our unhoused neighbors. They will have food, along with live music from local groups and mutual aid resources.

May 13: Freewheel Mobile Aid - If you’ve wanted to pitch in with distribution, now’s your time to learn and hang! We’re looking for folks who are able to ride on Wednesday evenings, can be somewhat consistent in showing up, and who are excited about getting to know their unhoused neighbors. If this sounds like you, shoot us a DM and plan to come to onboarding on May 13th at 6pm 😘😘😘

May 23: Sowers of Light Community Reading at El Chante - Join author, Reiki Master Paula Terrero, for an immersive afternoon of storytelling and healing. She will be signing limited-edition copies of her book! May 23 at El Chante at 2:00pm.

May 30: Anti-CSI Sunport Protest - CSI Aviation is a transportation company based in New Mexico. It is an operator for the Department of Defense and works on “complex operations.” These operations now support the infrastructure to deport immigrants for ICE. Hundreds to thousands of people are being transported to camps and out of the country via the Sunport. On May 30, No Tenemos Miedo is calling on everyone to join a protest to protest CSI Aviation.