SENATE MEMORIAL 125

52nd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2015

INTRODUCED BY

Richard C. Martinez

A MEMORIAL

IN REMEMBRANCE AND RECOGNIZING THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF LINDA PEDRO.

     WHEREAS, Linda Pedro, a long-time advocate and activist for disability rights and a resident of Rio Arriba county for many years, died on January 13, 2015 at her home in Chimayo; and

     WHEREAS, Linda was known as a person who spoke forcefully about the issues facing those with disabilities and facing the poor; and

     WHEREAS, Linda spoke with credibility, having been confined to a wheelchair as a quadriplegic since a car accident in 1966; and

     WHEREAS, when faced with having her three-year-old son removed from her home because of her paralysis, Linda took legal initiatives to change the way in-home care was provided to herself and to others in similar situations, and she prevailed; and

     WHEREAS, Linda's advocacy led to the reexamination of policies affecting the poor and disabled, and she was an early advocate of Medicaid waiver programs, including the developmental disabilities supports and services Medicaid waiver program; and

     WHEREAS, Linda was an early recipient of that program and never relented in her efforts to assure that it operated for the overall benefit of eligible recipients; and

     WHEREAS, Linda had a strong interest in justice and the well-being of her community, and she involved herself in numerous activities, including involvement in the formative years of the la raza unida party and the rainbow coalition of the Rio Arriba county democratic party; and

     WHEREAS, Linda led anti-nuclear events and organized marches from Santa Cruz to el Santuario de Chimayo in protest of drugs; and

     WHEREAS, Linda was defined as an artist and created an art school for children called galeria guadalupana; and

      WHEREAS, Linda led a spiritual life and had a great devotion to the virgin de Guadalupe, culminating in a pilgrimage to Mexico City and the shrine of Guadalupe, where adherents carried Linda in her wheelchair into the cathedral;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that Linda Pedro be remembered and that her efforts on behalf of the disabled and the poor, her many contributions to the arts and local culture and her dedication to a spiritual life be recognized; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be transmitted to the family of Linda Pedro.

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