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The blame game won't fix institutional racism
Rep. Javier Martínez
Co-Chair, House Taxation & Revenue Committee
In his op-ed on institutional racism, Representative Rod Montoya picks and chooses factoids from an extremely narrow view of racial and political history to paint a grossly one-sided picture. What's worse is that he doesn't offer solutions to end the scourge of institutional racism. While it feels righteous to play the blame game, it doesn't fix anything. It's far more productive to focus our energy and ingenuity on solving our collective problems than in arguing over who's at fault.
Read Rep. Rod Montoya's op-ed:Let's talk about institutional racism in New Mexico
Conveniently Rep. Montoya lays the blame for institutional racism at the feet of one political party. But the fact is, both parties are to blame for our nation and state's racial inequities – from President Johnson's shelving of the Kerner Commission report to Nixon's "Southern strategy," and Reagan's ramp up of the "War on Drugs." In New Mexico, we can point to both parties for exacerbating income inequality by cutting taxes for the wealthy at the expense of working people of color. In 2017 we passed a bill addressing institutional racism in the state's hiring practices. Rep. Montoya voted against it and Gov. Martínez vetoed it. In the 2020 special session, we debated a similar bill, but a Senate coalition of Republicans and conservative Democrats voted to adjourn and go home, effectively killing it. Still, both parties can also take credit for making improvements. Gov. Richardson enacted the Working Families Tax Credit, and Gov. Martínez expanded Medicaid. Both of these policies are steps toward dismantling institutional racism.
I am glad to see that Rep. Montoya recognizes the impact racism has on our communities. Sadly, his voting record shows blind loyalty to a status quo that upholds racist systems and harms people of color.
In the 2019 legislative session, we passed several bills that address racist policies within our institutions.
House Bill 6, which I co-sponsored, restructured our inequitable tax system. New Mexico's tax policies fall hardest on those who earn the least while benefiting those at the top. If you earn less than $18,000 a year, you pay more than 10% of your income in state and local taxes. Meanwhile, if you earn more than $350,000, you pay only 6%. Considering that most New Mexicans in lower-income brackets are people of color, our tax system is inherently inequitable. HB 6 makes our tax system fairer by increasing the personal income tax rate for those at the top while providing tax relief for working people. Not only did Rep. Montoya vote against this vital reform, he also led the fight against this bill.
SB 437 increased the state's minimum wage, including for domestic workers (SB 85). Minimum wage earners and domestic workers are not only a majority of people of color, but more often are women. These bills addressed both gender and racial inequities. Rep. Montoya voted against both.
Lastly, the House passed House Joint Resolution 1. This bill proposed an investment of our nearly $20 billion land grant fund in New Mexico's youngest children – 80% of whom are children of color – in programs proven to be transformative in improving child well-being. Rep. Montoya voted against this bill, as he has in years past.
In his op-ed Rep. Montoya names several high-profile Democratic leaders, including U.S. Senators Heinrich and Udall. I know them well and can personally attest to their long-standing commitment to dismantling racist systems by working hand-in-hand with us on anti-racist policies for many years. Under Speaker Brian Egolf, the New Mexico House has led with racial equity as a core value and driving force. As a person of color and an active practitioner of anti-racism, I'm grateful for their leadership.
New Mexico's lawmakers are working diligently in the lead up to the 2021 session, and we'll continue to advance policies that dismantle racist structures. I sincerely hope Rep. Montoya finally joins us in building a more equitable New Mexico.
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