February was Black History Month and on Feb. 27, NMSU’s Black Programs, along with Dona Ana County, NMSU Athletics and the NMSU National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, organized the ‘Celebrating the Firsts’ event. The event honored Black trailblazers in the community. Prominent figures from the Las Cruces community attended, including Mayor Eric Enriquez and NMSU football coach Tony Sanchez.
Among, those honored were Julia T. Brown, Delano E. Lewis Sr., and Fredd Young. The director of NMSU Black Programs, Cecil Rose said this is the second year the event has taken place. He said the inspirations behind the program was to highlight the accomplishments of African Americans, as well as give a space to recognize African Americans who trail-blazed their way through their careers.
Julia T. Brown was honored for her service to the Dona Ana community. She graduated from Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma College of Law. Currently, she is the representative for the New Mexico Economic Development Department’s Southwest region. Brown served as City Manager for Sunland Park, County Manager for Dona Ana County and also served in many state and federal agencies both in New Mexico and Oklahoma. She was the first African American woman to hold the office of County Manager in Dona Ana County.
Another honoree was Delano E. Lewis. Lewis attended college in Kansas and received his doctoral degree from Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kansas. He worked for over ten years in the federal government where he served as an attorney with various state departments. He also spent time in the Peace Corps where he served in African countries such as Nigeria and Uganda. In 1999, he was appointed as an ambassador to South Africa and served until 2001.
Among his contributions to the Dona Ana County community, he took up the position of senior fellow at NMSU in 2006 and established The Institute for International Relations and served as its director. Lewis passed away in 2023. Lewis was the first African American to hold a distinguished role at National Public Radio or NPR.
Fredd Young was also amongst the three honored and is also an NMSU alumnus. As a former student athlete, he received a full scholarship to attend NMSU and played football where received the title of Aggie Legend. Young went on to play with the National Football League where he played for seven years with the Seattle Seahawks and the Indianapolis Colts. In total he made four Pro Bowl appearances. Young was the first African American player to lead the NMSU Aggies at the Missouri Valley Conference.
These individuals were honored by the Las Cruces Mayor, Eric Enriquez and throughout the event, the mayor emphasized that local governments play an important role in creating an inclusive environment for the African American community.
Enriquez said that to create that environment, opportunities must be created.
“We have to come up with more programs for our youth to give them the training, whether it’s vocation or education, to have the opportunities to apply for jobs, and we will create those opportunities for them so that they’ll be successful in any career choice they choose,” Enriquez said.
As the event came to a close, Enriquez said his central message was to inspire unity. He said the character of an individual is what sets them apart as a leader.
“We are all created equal, and we should be color blind, and we should just all support each other, for all the many talents … we have to come together in the community and work together to better … [this] community,” Enriquez said.
Aaliyah Walker, a student at NMSU and a member of NMSU Black Programs said events like this are meant to bring people together. She mentioned her favorite part of this event was seeing the togetherness of the community.
“[I think] you should be open to new experiences … and open to understanding other people’s experiences,” Walker said.
Rose said the event will return to NMSU next year.
