50 Years of LGBTQ Pride in Albuquerque

This week on New Mexico in Focus, Albuquerque celebrates 50 years of LGBTQ Pride. Author and community leader Dr. PJ Sedillo joins Host Nash Jones to look back at the city’s first Pride parade. Later, Sedillo walks us through the parade’s long history, including the move in the late ‘90s to incorporate and grow Albuquerque Pride.  

The New Mexico Higher Education Department has created a new scholarship for Native American students. The program offers a full ride to certain colleges and universities in the states surrounding New Mexico. Nathana Bird, director of the Higher Education Department’s Indian Education Division, spoke to Nash about why she wants to help Indigenous students pursue higher education outside the state. 

A new study released by the state Health Department shows that fewer New Mexicans — adults and children — are smoking. Anthony Garcia, director of the department’s Nicotine Use Prevention and Control Office, joins Nash to break down the numbers.  

The Glade Run recreation area outside Farmington is an outdoor haven for hikers, birders and dirt bikes. In Focus correspondent and Capital & Main reporter Jerry Redfern takes us to the northwest New Mexico trails, where the area is not only home to piñons and junipers — but hundreds of oil and gas wells as well. 

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Host: Nash Jones 

Segments: 
Albuquerque Pride’s First Years 
Correspondent: Nash Jones 
Guest: Dr. PJ Sedillo, Author, “If These T-Shirts Could Talk…” 

How Albuquerque Pridefest 2026 Honors Its Roots 
Correspondent: Nash Jones 
Guest: Dr. PJ Sedillo, Author, “If These T-Shirts Could Talk…” 

Scholarship Helps Native Students Attend Out-of-State Colleges 
Correspondent: Nash Jones 
Guest: Nathana Bird, Director, Indian Education Division, New Mexico Department of Higher Education 

New State Data Shows Fewer Kids are Smoking, Vaping 
Correspondent: Nash Jones 
Guest: Anthony Garcia, Director, Nicotine Use Prevention and Control Office, New Mexico Department of Health 

Capital & Main: Oil Wells on the Bike Trail 
Correspondent: Jerry Redfern 
Guest: Mike Eisenfeld, Energy and Climate Program Manager, San Juan Citizens Alliance