As people gather to march in commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., some politicians will quote the famous advocate for peace and racial justice.  Sen. Harold Pope, Jr., is likely to echo their sentiments, but not for a single day or a single weekend.  “I celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,” he said, “but we also have to hold politicians accountable. I have to ask myself, ‘What are you doing to make the dream a reality?’” 

 

Sen. Pope has been accountable since Day One, hitting the ground running during his first legislative session. He weathered not only the regular 60-day legislative session but also the special sessions for cannabis and redistricting.

 

The one and only African American Senator in New Mexico history, he sponsored the successful Crown Act protecting against discrimination on the basis of hairstyles, the Black Education Act, and carried bills advocating justice for veterans and military families–all in his first session.  

 

He serves as vice-chair of the senate education committee and a member of its conservation committee during session. In the interim, he co-chaired the Military and Veterans Affairs committee and was a member of the Legislative Education Study Committee, Revenue Stabilization and Tax Policy Committee, and the Science, Technology and Telecommunications Committees. In addition, he is an advisory member of the Radioactive and Hazardous Materials Committee and designee for the Legislative Finance Committee.

 

Being elected to serve and represent in New Mexico’s legislature was not a likely future for Sen. Pope growing up among five siblings raised largely by a single mother. His mother worked nights, so supervision and attention were lacking. “I didn’t see [successful] people who looked like me,” he said. His high school counselor helped others apply for college and scholarships, but told him she only hoped he’d make it out of high school. After he did earn his diploma, he accepted the mentorship of his uncles and, on their advice, joined the military, where he spent the next decades. Through his years in the Air Force, he became a chemist, acquisition officer, and project manager in California and Florida after attaining his biochemistry degree from UNM. Now retired and receiving his military pension, he said he still can’t believe he holds elected office. It wasn’t even part of his dream.