As we sought to protect this place revered for thousands of years from a concerted campaign by the City of Albuquerque to blaze a highway across it, we became deeply involved in debates about taxes, bonds, infrastructure growth and development, and their impacts on the land, air, and water.

Like other cities across the U.S., we witnessed the stranglehold that the rich and powerful had on local political leadership. In response, Naeva recruited hundreds of members and allies to attend City Council, legislative, and public involvement meetings in order to put pressure on these lawmakers.

We witnessed the strength of united Indigenous power and, over the course of the next twenty years, our coalition grew to take on campaigns against predatory lending, voting rights, and environmental justice.

We were built on civic engagement work in Diné, Pueblo, and urban Indigenous communities in New Mexico. As we continue the work from a local to national level, our mission remains the same: informing the Indigenous citizen.

We exist to unite community stakeholders for the purposes of materially, spiritually, and emotionally improving the quality of life for and continuity of Indigenous communities across New Mexico. We work to promote awareness and action on issues facing our relatives through community organizing and education strategies.

We work — in partnership with our 501(c)(4) arm NM Native Vote — directly with New Mexico’s Tribal communities including the 20 Pueblos, the Navajo Nation, Jicarilla Apache Nation, and Mescalero Apache Tribe. Our operations are based in Albuquerque with a satellite office in Farmington, and often partner with other Native-led organizations as well as non-Native, POC, and LGBT2+ led organizations across the state.

We’re committed to social, economic, and environmental justice principles that advance healthy and sustainable Indigenous communities on the reservation and in the city.