by Marisol Enriquez, Chair, DPBC
Given the news of this past week, I’d like to take this opportunity to let our Native communities, our immigrant communities, our Black communities, our Latinx communities, our LGBTQIA+ communities, our working class communities, our unhoused communities know that the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County will not be a safe space for racism or xenophobia, and we are committed to making space for all who are feeling the stress and fear of the MAGA administration’s efforts to destabilize our community. Please join us on February 1st from 3-5pm at Boxing Bear Taproom at 8420 Firestone Ln NE, Albuquerque, NM 87113 for an informal gathering of Democrats. Read on, because the rest is important, too!
In each past issue of the Blue Review this year, we’ve shared strategies you can use not only to survive, but thrive under a Trump administration. Let’s take a quick review and then see this week’s suggestion for how to move forward in power.
- Process your feelings. This is not a one-time act, but a continuous practice. The news is going to create anxiety and fear, so the key is to consume it in a balanced way. Also, acknowledge your feelings–don’t shut them down, otherwise you’ll burn out. Authoritarians want you to be too burnt out to act.
- Find others your trust. This one is timely and absolutely imperative. With immigration fear tactics being deployed around the country, and already being experienced in our Native communities here in the state, we need to keep connected with people we can rely on for practical matters as well as for emotional support, and we need to be those that others can rely on, too.
- Find your path to protect people and reduce harm. Because of the recent harmful orders from the Trump administration, the County Party will need to shift our focus to become a resource for endangered communities. Community volunteer efforts are a good start. Mutual aid, strategy planning, resistance demonstrations, community talks, and civil rights information sharing are other paths on our larger journey. If you have experience with any of those, we need your help.
- Release that which you cannot control. Democrats, we can’t control the idiotic confirmation of Peter Hegseth as the new defense secretary. But, we can build up a stronger and deeper infrastructure here in Bernalillo County than we’ve ever had before. Right now, your friends and family, and likely your neighbors, are feeling just as scared, frustrated, anxious, and confused as you are. Reach out to some of your neighborhood friends and invite them over for coffee, just to talk about how they’re feeling. This is an age-old practice in community care, and if it leads to joy and laughter and other conversations, that’s a beautiful and healthy thing!
Now, let’s move on to this week’s strategy.
- Do not self-censor. If you don’t take up political space, you’ll lose it, so don’t self-censor! Taking up space is claiming power, so claim it. Run to be a Ward Chair, a Precinct Chair, or a County Central Committee member. You can even join our newsletter or social media team. By doing so, you’ll have the inside track to county party happenings, and you can establish yourself as a resource in your neighborhood. You don’t need to know everything about politics—you don’t even need to have all the right things to say. But, if you have a desire to do something to resist this authoritarian streak the current MAGA administration is on, we’ll support you and help you figure out the rest.
We have work to do now and in the future. In 2026, we’ll elect a new Governor, and in order to make sure New Mexico stays in Democratic hands, we’re gonna need you, your creativity, and your ideas–for the long haul.
So, while our state legislators are busy right now doing everything they can to continue advancing New Mexico, we can expand upon our current infrastructure, because if we do that, we can ensure New Mexico remains a hopeful blue dot in a sea of red. See below for a timeline of ward elections.
In solidarity and gratitude,
Marisol Enriquez
Chair, DPBC
