CELEBRATE CONSTITUTION AND CITIZENSHIP DAY EVERY DAY, NOT JUST SEPT. 17TH
![Photo of the US Constitution on a desk with a US flag and a gavel. "We the People" is clearly legible.](https://newmexicohumanities.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/NMHC-Blog-ConstitutionDay-web30.jpg)
By Maryam Ahranjani
THE THIRTEENTH AMENDMENT THAT NEVER WAS
![Photo portrait of Abraham Lincoln](https://newmexicohumanities.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/NMHC-Blog-13thAmendment-Lincoln-web30.jpg)
By Brandon Johnson
The 13th Amendment, guaranteeing the abolition of chattel slavery in the United States, is one of the crown jewels of the American Constitution.
LIBRARIES AS FOUNDATIONS OF DEMOCRACY: UPHOLDING THE FREEDOM TO LEARN
![Photo of a black book wrapped in chains](https://newmexicohumanities.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/NMHC-Blog-Book-Banning-Aug2024-web30.jpg)
By Val Nye
Proponents of intellectual freedom and supporters of libraries should plan to join in the various celebrations happening in New Mexico to honor the work communities and library workers do to retain intellectual freedom rights for all Americans.
SPAIN AND THE U.S. WAR OF INDEPENDENCE
![Graphic with a large blue "250" in the background and a smaller red "AMERICA" in the front](https://newmexicohumanities.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/NMHC-Blog-America250-web30.jpg)
By Eloy García
As we approach the U.S. Semiquincentennial of July 4, 2026 I think it is important that we in New Mexico reflect on the influence the Spanish Empire had on ensuring the success of the British colonist “War of Independence.”
CELLPHONES IN SCHOOLS: THE UNSPOKEN BROADER IMPLICATIONS
![Girl leaning on desk looking at cellphone.](https://newmexicohumanities.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/NMHC-Blog-CellphonesSchools-web30.jpg)
By Charity Darkwa
“This concludes that students treasure their social media interactions, games, and other cellphone activities over academics and intellectual pursuits.”
DOROTHY B. HUGHES: A FEMINIST ICON, AN ICON FOR WRITERS
![Image of Dorothy B. Hughes from the movie "In a Lonely Place," looking over a man's shoulder](https://newmexicohumanities.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/NMHC-Blog-DorothyBHughes-web30.jpg)
By Monika Dziamka
“When the search gets tough, and the professional identity crisis again looms nigh, I remind myself of the extraordinary career of Dorothy B. Hughes, a woman, mother, and writer who helped solidify New Mexico’s literary legacy not just in the United States, but around the world as well.”
CULTURE ALSO COMES IN THROUGH THE KITCHEN
![Photo of a spoon in a bowl of arroz con pollo with a couple of green peppers in the background.](https://newmexicohumanities.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/NMHC-Blog-Culture-through-the-Kitchen-web55.jpg)
By Teresa Dovalpage
“Here in Hobbs, where I currently live, the Cuban community, very small when we moved here seven years ago, is growing fast.”
RUDOLFO ANAYA’S MAGIC WITH WORDS
![Grayscale pencil drawing portrait of Rudolfo Anaya](https://newmexicohumanities.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/NMHC-BLOG-Anaya-web30.jpg)
By Chris Chaves
“It seems that, for Anaya at least, libraries and the magical words hidden in their books can serve to impart knowledge, facilitate love, and encourage empathy about others.”
ECOLINGUISTICS AND HOW LANGUAGE CAN SAVE THE WORLD
![Little boy feeding two white ducks by hand](https://newmexicohumanities.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/NMHC-BLOG-Boy_Feeding_White_Ducks-web10.jpg)
By Monika Dziamka
“It’s hard to talk about gender, equality, and equity without also talking about issues surrounding sustainability and the environment—which in turn relate to issues of power, colonialism, and capitalism.”
SO MANY BILLY THE KID STORIES — ANY LESSONS IN THEM?
![Aged black & white photograph of Billy the Kid](https://newmexicohumanities.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/NMHC-Blog-Billy-the-Kid-web10.jpg)
By Richard Etulain
“What has happened in interpretations of Billy the Kid should awaken us to important thoughts about storytelling.”