
Community Matters: Dr. Opal Lee, Dione Sims & Hakim Bellamy
Dr. Opal Lee, Dione Sims & Hakim Bellamy
Wednesday, January 22, 2025

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In honor of MLK Day, on this Community Matters episode we share a portion of our conversation between renowned activists Dr. Opal Lee and Ms. Dione Sims — both instrumental in the movement to make Juneteenth a federally-recognized holiday — and Hakim Bellamy, the inaugural Poet Laureate of Albuquerque and advisory committee member of the Empower! Black Futures Community Fund at Santa Fe Community Foundation. Watch here a video of the full conversation and a photo recap of the event.



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About Community Matters
Our monthly radio show invites subject experts and community leaders to talk about the challenges and inequities our region faces and possible solutions that could contribute to its growth. Hosted by Santa Fe Community Foundation staff, Community Matters airs on the third Wednesday of every month at 6:00 PM on KSFR (101.1 FM). Listen to past episodes here.
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