This project began one day while driving through Albuquerque’s South Broadway neighborhood. I was interested in South Broadway because it reminded me of the small community where my grandmother lived in Alabama--that I knew so well. I thought about all of New Mexico’s rich Black history. While other aspects of New Mexico’s Black history had been documented, not enough attention had been given to Albuquerque's first African American neighborhood. I knew this neighborhood had an important history. I was moved by the history of the people who made this a vibrant Black space. 

Albuquerque had a steady stream of Black migrants starting in the 1920s, and most ended up in South Broadway due to racially restrictive housing covenants that prevented them from living elsewhere in the city. Though the neighborhood has always been racially mixed, including a large Hispanic population, South Broadway became known as the space of Albuquerque’s Black community.  South Broadway had a thriving Black business district and many African American fraternal, social, and civic groups. There were Black-owned entertainment places, restaurants, and the first and only Black-owned gas station in Albuquerque. The neighborhood included several Black churches, some of which remain today. More importantly, South Broadway was a place of activism, organizing, and social action. Albuquerque has one of the country's oldest NAACP branches, starting in 1915. Its history began in South Broadway.

What began as an oral history project became this digital project, including excerpts from those original oral histories, a documentary film, photos/images, maps, and digital recreations of important African American sites in the neighborhood. This project is designed to capture South Broadway’s Black placemaking history and traditions. 

The Albuquerque African American Performing Arts Center and the Library of Congress generously supported this digital project. Special thank you to Joby Wallace for additional support and enthusiasm. This project serves as an ongoing history of the neighborhood. It will be updated regularly with new details and stories to honor the fact that Black placemaking continues to shape Albuquerque's present and future history!

If you have a story to share, or images you wish to contribute to this site, please go to the contact page and leave us a message.

Dr. Natasha Howard