SENATE MEMORIAL 87

54th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2019

INTRODUCED BY

Craig W. Brandt

A MEMORIAL

AFFIRMING THE COMMITMENT OF THE NEW MEXICO STATE SENATE TO CONSTITUTIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS AND EQUALITY UNDER THE LAW.

     WHEREAS, the declaration of independence states that all human beings are "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"; and

     WHEREAS, the United States constitution is the sole authoritative basis of all laws in the United States and is the legal guarantor of all natural, God-given rights in the United States of America; and

     WHEREAS, the fourteenth amendment of the United States constitution states, "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."; and

     WHEREAS, in the history of the United States, the constitutional guarantees of equality have often been egregiously abridged or denied to citizens on the basis of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion or other personal or cultural characteristics; and

     WHEREAS, extraordinary citizens in the history of the United States have fought valiantly to restore constitutional equality to whom it has been denied, including:

          A. President Abraham Lincoln, whose emancipation proclamation and successful prosecution of the civil war resulted in the abolishment of slavery in America;

          B. Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave and abolitionist leader whose personal brilliance and character were highly influential in the struggle for equality and the advancement of African Americans;

          C. Harriet Tubman, leader of the underground railroad, who helped rescue countless thousands of slaves and is one of American history's most heroic figures;

          D. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, two of America's most forceful advocates for women's rights and whose tireless work resulted in the nineteenth amendment granting women the right to vote;

          E. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who, in 1957, sent federal troops to enforce anti-segregation laws in Arkansas; and

          F. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose extraordinary spiritual depth, intelligence and leadership was a beacon of light, not only for African Americans, but for all people of conscience; and

     WHEREAS, these individuals, among many others, both famous and anonymous, through their commitment and work to achieve equality for all Americans, exemplify the moral and civic virtue that the country's founders envisioned for America's posterity; and

     WHEREAS, this same moral and civic virtue is exemplified by those in America's armed forces, who throughout the country's history have given and are giving life and limb to protect and defend the principles of freedom and equal rights;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that proud American citizens are heirs to the sacred legacy entrusted by the nation's founders; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the senate of the state of New Mexico has a moral obligation to preserve, protect and defend the United States constitution, with its promise of equal protection under the law; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the senate of the state of New Mexico stands against discrimination of any kind against anyone on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, political ideology or any other characteristic; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be

transmitted to the governor.

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