ABQJOURNAL OPINION/GUEST_COLUMNS: Martinez' Win Historic on Many Fronts

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Martinez' Win Historic on Many Fronts

By Ralph Arellanes
State Director, NM LULAC
          History goes full circle!
        LULAC and the Hispano Roundtable of New Mexico want to congratulate Susana Martinez for her tremendous victory to become New Mexico's next governor. We welcome and embrace the change needed in Santa Fe.
        This was a hard-fought race for the opportunity to serve the people of New Mexico and lead our state during these challenging times.
        Gov.-elect Martinez becomes our nation's first Hispanic female elected governor. This is another great milestone achieved by Martinez and the great citizenry of New Mexico!
        New Mexico was the first state in the union to elect a Hispano governor by majority vote in 1917 by electing Gov. Ezequiel C. de Baca.
        Then New Mexico became the first state in the union to elect a Hispano to serve both as our governor and U.S. senator. Republican Gov. Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo was elected to serve as our governor from 1919-1920 and elected to serve in the U.S. Senate in 1928.
        Larrazolo mentored many great leaders including U.S. Sen. Dennis "El Senador" Chavez.
        Larrazolo worked tirelessly during his term for the poor, for Hispanos and, as the only Hispano governor in the nation at the time, he was one of the first governors to publicly and aggressively step out and fight for the passage of the Woman's Suffrage Act in order to give women the right to vote.
        Larrazolo was a prolific speaker on all these matters for the people of New Mexico.
        Although Larrazolo lost his re-election bid for governor in 1920 — primarily because he fought for the poor, for Hispano rights and for women's rights — he won his fight by helping the passage of the Women's Suffrage Act in 1921. This act gave women the right to vote in political elections.
        It is poetic justice that New Mexico's citizenry now elects our first Hispanic female governor! So this current governor's election is historic on many fronts.
        It is a beautiful irony that Larrazolo, though he was New Mexico's governor, was born in Chihuahua, Mexico; was educated in Tucson, Ariz.; taught in the El Paso schools district; was appointed to clerk of the district court in El Paso; and served as a district attorney in El Paso. He then moved to Las Vegas, N.M., in 1895 to focus on his political career.
        He wrote much of our New Mexico Constitution while living in Las Vegas in 1911-1912, and included that English and Spanish be taught in our schools and treated with "perfect equality" in New Mexico.
        The election of the first Hispano female governor is truly New Mexico's history at its best and the kind of legacy that distinguishes New Mexico from the rest of our country and further defines our beautiful and unique "Land of Enchantment."
        LULAC and the Hispano Roundtable of New Mexico look forward to bold change in New Mexico.
        We look forward to a renewed focus on our New Mexico economy; our education system; collaborating our businesses with our schools, our universities and our cultural centers; eliminating corruption in Santa Fe; and, most importantly, on a government system that works hand in hand with the everyday people of New Mexico and puts the needs of New Mexicans first.
        Once again, we congratulate Susana Martinez as she becomes our next governor of New Mexico.
        Ralph Arellanes is also chairman of the Hispano Roundtable of New Mexico.

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