New Mexico is one of the most diverse states in the country, and Albuquerque reflects this diversity with particularly large Indigenous and Latino populations, as well as significant Black and Asian communities whose numbers are growing. The Office of Equity and Inclusion (OEI) works to reduce barriers to opportunity and promote inclusive approaches to the City’s work, managing offices focused on specific communities, advancing LGBTQ and disability inclusion, and narrowing gender pay disparities. To further address the wealth gap, OEI aims to launch a guaranteed income program and two new offices: an Office of Financial Empowerment and an Office of Asian Affairs.
The guaranteed income initiative builds upon a successful pilot that provided $500 monthly payments to local families, showing especially positive results for children, low-income families, and immigrants. The Mayor and City Council have expressed interest in using revenue from the Albuquerque Marijuana Equity and Reinvestment Fund to scale this program, which aligns with the fund’s mandate to invest in communities negatively affected by marijuana criminalization. The new Office of Asian Affairs will work to end anti-AAPI discrimination, engage Asian and Asian American community members, and ensure inclusive City programs and policies, addressing the city’s history of exclusionary zoning and the region’s participation in Japanese internment during World War II. The FUSE Executive Fellow will support the implementation of the guaranteed income initiative for its first three cohorts and host convenings for both new offices to strengthen partnerships, bring in stakeholders, and develop policy and program agendas for moving forward.