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ACLU Chapter Celebrates Constitution Day with Music and Speakers

On Friday evening, September 17, The Southwestern Chapter of the ACLU of New Mexico will celebrate Constitution Day, the anniversary of the adoption of the United States Constitution, and hold its Annual Meeting at the Woman’s Club in Silver City.  The evening’s activities will focus on constitutional civil liberties related to the immigration debate.

As part of the event, a Singer/Songwriter Competition is being co-sponsored by the local Chapter and Barefoot Studios of Arenas Valley.  Entries were solicited from performers along the border region, from El Paso to Tucson.  They were invited to submit original songs, in any genre, that focus on the issues of civil liberties as they relate to immigration, and to the inhabitants of this region.  Art has long been a way of expressing ideas to the public, and the local ACLU chapter wants to encourage the exploration of immigration and border issues through music

The entries were submitted on tape or CD, evaluated by a team of local judges, and narrowed to three finalists.  The entries represented very diverse styles from all over the region; from El Paso, TX to Tucson, AZ. On September 17, the three finalists, Erika May Randolph, Mick Gill, and, Wally Lawder, will perform their compositions live for the judges and audience.  Mick Gill from Caballo, NM, provides a traditional folk styling in the exploration of immigrant desires and motivation.  Wally Lawder, a Silver City resident, migrated to the Southwest from the environs of Princeton, NJ.  His guitar styling and strong vocals, supported by his partner, Brandie Thornburg, investigate questions about our immigration policies.  The third finalist, Another Silver City performer, Erika May Randolph, is a formally trained multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter with an eclectic mix of edgy music flecked with jazz, folk and various world influences.  Her entry expresses the fears, dangers and hoped for rewards of immigration.   The winning Singer/Songwriter will be selected that evening and will be awarded a certificate for a professional recording session at Barefoot Studio, the co-sponsor of the event.

Between performances, a group of speakers will address various immigration issues and civil liberties problems being faced by residents of our border region.  This does affect us all, citizens and non-citizens alike. The speakers come with a variety of experience in working with the immigrant and border communities: Jill Nunes is a coordinator with BORDER ACTION NETWORK in Tucson, AZ. She will be describing the effects of SB1070, and the fears that it has raised.  John Lawit, an immigration attorney, with more than thirty years of experience in New Mexico, will focus on the civil rights changes that are occurring as a result of the current environment.  Emily Carter is a staff member with ACLU-NM’s REGIONAL CENTER FOR BORDER RIGHTS in Las Cruces, NM.  Her role will be to describe the ACLU‘s policies and actions on behalf of the civil liberties of New Mexicans, native born and immigrant.

We invite ACLU members, as well as non-members interested in the civil liberties of all the border community to join us for the evening. There is no charge, though donations will be gladly accepted. We will have wonderful music, stimulating, informative presentations, and discussion over snacks.  So come out and join us.  The doors of the Silver City Woman’s Club, at 1715 Silver Heights Blvd, will open at 6:00 PM and the program will begin at 6:30.

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