Restorative Justice, Nuclear Impacts on Indigenous Communities & The Future of New Mexico in Focus

This week on New Mexico in Focus, executive producer Jeff Proctor talks with Trip Jennings, executive director of New Mexico In Depth, and Emma Green, program coordinator with the state’s Public Education Department, about a pilot program aimed at reducing student expulsions. Jeff asks how the plan takes a new approach to school discipline and is rooted in a philosophy called “restorative justice.” 

In Focus correspondent Antonia Gonzales speaks with Navajo anti-nuclear activist Leona Morgan to discuss how the state’s history of uranium mining and nuclear testing has caused irreparable damage to Indigenous communities across New Mexico. Morgan also talks about her thoughts on Christopher Nolan’s film, “Oppenheimer,” and how it ignores that history. 

In a segment we first aired in December, Our Land Senior Producer Laura Paskus and Mike Eisenfeld of the San Juan Citizens Alliance showcase how industrialization near the Chaco Park area persists — even with the federal government’s decision in June to put in some protections for a 10-mile zone around the park. 

Finally, Jeff and senior producer Lou DiVizio talk about the future of New Mexico in Focus as the show moves forward following the departure of host Gene Grant. 

Host: Lou DiVizio

Segments: 

NM Public Schools Continue Restorative Justice Pilot Program 
Correspondent: Jeff Proctor 
Guests: Trip Jennings, executive director, New Mexico In Depth 
Emma Green, program coordinator, New Mexico Public Education Department 

Nuclear Impacts on Indigenous Communities in NM 
Correspondent: Antonia Gonzales 
Guest: Leona Morgan (Diné), anti-nuclear activist 

Beyond the Park: Industrialization of the Greater Chaco Landscape 
Correspondent: Laura Paskus 
Guest: Mike Eisenfeld, Energy and Climate Program Manager, San Juan Citizens Alliance 

Looking Ahead Toward the Future of New Mexico in Focus 
Correspondents: Lou DiVizio & Jeff Proctor