Doña Ana County Wants to Remove Invocation
Dear New Mexicans, You may recall that a few months ago, the Doña Ana County Commission voted to not allow the National Day of Prayer to be held at the County Government Building. Now the County Commission is looking towards removing the Invocation from the beginning of their Board of County Commission meetings.
About the Invocation at DAC Meetings
Currently, the invocation is listed as a part of the meeting agenda for all Board Meetings as described in the county code Section 5-3-D. Commissioner Shannon Reynolds has stated that he would like to “rescind the Resolution that authorizes beginning the meeting with an ‘Invocation’ This way, we do now show favoritism or bias to any of the over 180 religions.” It should be noted that the Invocation is allowed to be given by any local faith-based organization or other individuals; the invocation is not limited to any particular religion.
It's Time to Push Back: PLEASE EMAIL/CALL the County Commissioners
You can help push back against the County Commission removing the Invocation from their meetings by emailing/calling the County Commissioners.
Christopher Schaljo-Hernandez - schaljohernandez@donaanacounty.org - (575) 525-5808
Diana Murillo - dmurillo@donaanacounty.org - (575) 525-5804
Shannon Reynolds - sreynolds@donaanacounty.org - (575) 525-5807
Manual Sanchez - msanchez@donaanacounty.org - (575) 525-5809
Susana Chaparro - schaparro@donaanacounty.org - (575) 525-5810
Pointers and Suggested Talking Points:
Your communications will be more effective if they are respectful and polite.
It will be most effective to focus on the fact that the invocation allows people from all religions to participate, rather than focusing on one particular religion.
Some potential talking points include the following. It will be most effective if you do not copy/paste these, but instead customize them with your own wording:
o I urge you to retain the invocation in your County Commission meetings. This is important for being able to seek peace for the nation, wisdom for our lawmakers, and justice for our people. o The invocation is open to all faiths and is not discriminatory. o Any faith-based organizations or others who have no religious affiliation are allowed to sign up to give the invocation. This is inclusive and supportive of our community. o No one is required to participate in the invocation.
Standing with you in solidarity, Sarah Smith Free People of the Southwest New Mexico Freedoms Alliance
