25th anniversary

Bold Futures 25th Anniversary Logo

25 Years of advancing reproductive justice across New Mexico

Beginning in 1999 as Young Women United (YWU), we have fought tirelessly with the knowledge that all people deserve bodily autonomy, trusted spaces to listen and share, and opportunities to participate in their own change making. We have achieved large-scale success like legislative change that expands and protects a full spectrum of reproductive healthcare including abortion and gender-affirming care. We have also achieved smaller-scale success like evoking dialogue around kitchen tables, in living rooms, and cafes about doula care, art, and the effects of family policing.

This boundless ripple effect is how we continue to build trust, power, and community. Our partners, funders, allies, co-conspirators, community leaders, and staff have been instrumental to our growth and success. Over the course of the last 25 years, they have joined us in the call to lead. We hope you join us in boldly continuing our trajectory of equity, access, and strong communities for the next 25 years!

Note: All work prior to 2019 was conducted under YWU. For consistency and readability, we will refer to everything as Bold Futures.

Our LEGACY

Policy

For the past 25 years, Bold Futures has been at the forefront of driving transformative policy change in New Mexico, empowering marginalized communities and shaping a more equitable future through grassroots advocacy, strategic coalition-building, and a commitment to bold, visionary leadership.

  • An announcement graphic that reads "New Mexico will remain a place where our heats and doors are open to those needing abortion care."

    Respect New Mexico Women and Families Campaign

    In 2021, Bold Futures successfully collaborated with partners to repeal an outdated abortion ban, a victory driven by decades of organizing, research, advocacy, and relationship-building to protect legal access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare.

  • An illustration of a woman and two children hugging her shoulders, with a sun in the background and bird silhouettes. The title reads "Ban the Box: one step into a brighter future"

    Ban the Box

    In 2019, Bold Futures led the "Ban the Box" campaign, which sought to provide greater access to sustainable employment for New Mexican families by requiring employers to permanently remove questions about arrests and convictions on initial employment applications.

  • A graphic poster that reads "Freestanding birth centers can now be licensed in New Mexico!" with a graphic of a side profile of a woman smiling.

    Licensure of Freestanding Birth Centers

    In 2015, Bold Futures worked diligently with local midwives to advocate for birth centers to receive licenses from the Department of Health. The passing of Freestanding Birth Center Licensure (HB 84) allows birth centers to be reimbursed for their facility fees, creating more access to care in rural communities.

  • A photo of a large group of young parents and allied partners at a park, with various people holding up signs about House Bill 300.

    Excused Absences for Pregnant and Parenting Students

    In 2013, Bold Futures led advocacy efforts alongside NM GRADS with young parents and allied partners for the passage of House Bill 300, building an essential statewide excused absence policy for pregnant and parenting students.

Explore All Our Policy Change Work to Date

Visit our Policy Change page to learn how Bold Futures advances legislation for communities to thrive with respect and autonomy.

RESEARCH

For 25 years, Bold Futures has been a vital resource hub, providing tools, research, and educational materials that empower individuals, organizations, and communities to advocate for social change and advance reproductive justice in New Mexico.

Title cover to the "Everyday Struggles, Everyday Strength" study, including close up images of cacti.

Everyday Struggles, Everyday Strengths

In 2013, Bold Futures organized alongside 30 women who had previously been pregnant and substance using at the same time. Together, we created Everyday Struggles, Everyday Strengths, a report to inform how our public officials make decisions about prenatal care and treatment for our communities.

Learn More About Our Current Research Initiatives

Explore our Research Page to access in-depth studies and powerful tools that drive policy change and empower communities across New Mexico.

PLACE-BASED ORGANIZING

For 25 years, community leaders have been the heart of Bold Futures, guiding our work by helping us create trusted spaces where individuals impacted by issues can connect, heal, share ideas, and drive collective action.

  • A photo of a large group of young parents and allied partners at a park, with various people holding up signs about House Bill 300.

    Young Parents Day

    In 2012, Bold Futures, alongside young parents from all over the state, educated New Mexicans on Senate Memorial 25 that established a New Mexico Day in Recognition of Young Parents (August 25th).

  • A photograph of a community pride event, where there are lots of colorful tents set up under a canopy of trees and hundreds of people walking around.

    Family Pride

    Since 2011, Bold Futures has organized Family Pride, a substance free pride event held in Albuquerque that celebrates queer people and their families. Participating organizations bring their informational resources, games, prizes, and family-focused interactive booths to celebrate the different ways queer individuals create and nurture their families.

  • An illustration of a mother kneeling down and helping a little girl with her skirt. The two are wearing beads and tied up their hair with white ribbon.

    Indian Family Protection Act and Child Welfare

    Bold Futures curated conversations with Indigenous families to gain perspective on how and why legislation geared toward maintaining cultural continuity and Indigenous sovereignty is key to all 23 New Mexico tribes, pueblos and nations. Through these conversations came the Indian Family Protection Act of 2022, the platinum standard for Indigenous child welfare for all 50 states.

  • A photo of an older woman speaking into a microphone, with the caption "Women are the only ones who should make decisions about their bodies. Join me and defend the rights, dignity and the respect of all women and families" --Dolores Huerta

    Respect Albuquerque Women

    In response to an anti-abortion measure on the 2013 Albuquerque ballot, this campaign was built on a strong communications plan that did not polarize abortion but brought light to the understanding that all families and communities deserve to make decisions about their own family formations. The ban was defeated by a 10 point margin. Together we acknowledged that abortion is complex; these decisions need to remain with women and their families, in consultation with their doctors without government interference.

  • A photo vigil of those who lost in the West Mesa desert. Their photos are hung on a red backboard with a heart pendant with Virgin Mary in the middle.

    West Mesa Murders

    In 2009, eleven women were found buried in the desert of the West Mesa in Albuquerque. This significant loss of life affected many family members and communities across the city. Bold Futures held vigils to remember the lives of the women who passed and create awareness of the stigma of addiction, given that their deaths went underreported due to the victims’ addiction cycles. Bold Futures held focus groups with people who have experienced pregnancy during cycles of substance use. Holding these safe spaces led to scrapbooks, art, and culture shift.

Otero County Healthcare Organizing (OCHO) Project

Bold Futures worked with Otero County residents on understanding the impact on access to reproductive and culturally-appropriate health care after the 2023 acquisition of their local hospital by a Catholic entity who sought to drastically reduce necessary medical services based on religious beliefs and practices. The acquisition occurred without local input, which spurred community organizing for community inclusion into future mergers and acquisitions. Work is ongoing for a thorough and thoughtful process that considers the unique needs of each local health facility.

Post-Dobbs-Decision Rallies in Albuquerque and Las Cruces

After the 2022 Supreme Court Decision overturning Roe v Wade, Bold Futures and other New Mexico justice advocates and organizations coordinated rallies in New Mexico to give voice to community members in shock over the outcome. These rallies dug deep and gave space for individuals vocalize emotions from such a pivotal decision that curtailed autonomy.

For 25 years, Bold Futures New Mexico has led efforts to shift cultural narratives through innovative projects that foster a more inclusive, equitable, and just future by challenging harmful systems and empowering communities to embrace values of reproductive justice and collective well-being.

CULTURE SHIFT

  • A small poster in a photo frame. The poster has various shoes and human silhouettes, with the text "In my shoes: our productive healthcare journey"

    In My Shoes: Our Reproductive Healthcare Journey

    In My Shoes: Our Reproductive Healthcare Journey is an art installation thoughtfully created and inspired by LGBTQ+, Black, Indigenous, Latine, and people of color whose complex and beautiful identities intersect in ways that were making accessing reproductive healthcare challenging.

  • A graphic with a geometric border around, the top three sides being gray and the bottom being green. In the middle, the text reads "Healing happens where our pregnancy stories meet"

    I’m Not Afraid to Talk About This

    Billboards with powerful messaging and corresponding artwork boldly read “We Are the Ancient Future,” “Healing Happens Where Our Pregnancy Stories Meet,” and “What is a ‘good mom’? It’s complicated”. These were the heart of a campaign created by and for Indigenous women, femmes, and their communities. Billboards of the art pieces were placed in the four directions in proximity to Indigenous communities throughout New Mexico. 

  • A red and blue papel picado that depicts a flower. There are blue flowers bordering the center, which reads "Let them bloom"

    Let Them Bloom

    In the fall of 2016, Bold Futures was proud to facilitate an 8-week Art and Organizing Institute in the Mesilla Valley. For this Institute, Bold Futures brought together eleven women of color and three local artists who shared their pregnancy-related lived experiences and insight. Collectively, the cohort created art and media that reflected the pregnancy-related emotions and experiences of those in our families and communities.

  • A painting of a pregnant woman clutching her beaded necklace, with a solemn look on her face. She is sitting on a bed of roses with a dark navy background and the moon behind her.

    "We Are More Than Addiction"

    In our very first Art and Organizing Institute, we brought together 12 mamas/people who had struggled with addiction and substance use in their pregnancies. Together, we created moving messages and murals that were launched over Mother’s Day weekend 2014 on city buses in Albuquerque.

Discover Our Culture Shift Work

Visit our Culture Shift page to see how Bold Futures is reshaping narratives to uplift women and people of color in New Mexico.

For 25 years, Bold Futures New Mexico has led efforts to shift cultural narratives and transform societal norms, fostering a more inclusive, equitable, and just future by challenging harmful systems and empowering communities to embrace values of reproductive justice and collective well-being.

HEALING JUSTICE

  • A Bold Futures staff lined up on a stairwell.

    Staff Retreat

    For Bold Futures staff, the reproductive justice movement is more than an opportunity to create change. It’s also about working within a realm of identities and issues that directly impact them. Staff retreats give a time not just to plot the course of work in the coming year, but to bond with one another, reflect on collaborative gains and re-energize as a team.

  • A photo of an older female holding up a white paper frame. On the frame are various callouts, such as "I support native breastfeeding" and "#NursingNation"

    Breastfeeding at the Gathering of Nations Powwow

    The Gathering of Nations is the biggest powwow in North America bringing the largest number of Indigenous people together in Albuquerque, NM. Bold Futures hosted a breast- and chest-feeding space, complete with snacks and a restful environment, as a means for respite to feed and rest with their children. The space was intended to reground people with their babies, allowing them to provide nourishment and heal in a culturally-appropriate space.

  • The Afromundo group standing for a group photo in front of mural display of some sort.

    Healing Activities with Touchstone Groups

    All touchstone groups are engaged in healing activities designed to provide the opportunity for individual and collective healing as members engage in the heaviness of confronting harmful systems that have directly impacted them and their families. Each touchstone group’s healing activities are tailored by the community participating.

Our Future

As we continue to build this work, we extend our gratitude to our partners, funders, allies, co-conspirators, community leaders, and staff. Thank you all for the work you do to take care of our communities. We invite you to continue to work boldly with us!