About Us

History​ 

Following the January 2017 Women’s March in Albuquerque, Cindy Chapman and Ann Ziegler felt they needed to do something more. They decided to form a local chapter of Indivisible, one of many such groups forming all over the country. In February, a group of friends and neighbors gathered at Cindy’s house for the first Rio Grande Indivisible meeting. The group wanted more than a discussion group, but one that kept the members informed about state and local issues.

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Meetings and Emails

Regular emails to members began early on. They contained information about events happening in Albuquerque and around the state, such as protests, school board meetings, city council meetings, and upcoming elections.

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Monthly meetings were held in members’ homes. These meetings had a variety of speakers - local legislators, leaders of progressive groups, politicians, community members, and more. During the pandemic, meetings were conducted via zoom. The meetings focused on maintaining the social safety net, along with other critical issues, like climate change, immigration, racism, reproductive rights, and health care.

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Rio Grande Indivisible meetings usually occur on the third Monday of the month unless there is a holiday.

Many great speakers have spoken to the group. One of our local favorites, Representative Javier Martinez, the current NM Speaker of the House, has spoken to our group each year about the results of the recently ended legislative session and the items that will likely be addressed in the next legislative session.

 

Members

Other than having an interest in fighting for progressive policies and standing up against the lawlessness and overreach of the current administration, there are no requirements to join Rio Grande Indivisible. Most RGI members are from the North Valley, but some members live in other parts of the city. Over the years, our membership has grown from the original twenty-five to over 125 members, many joining after the 2024 election. Many of our members are community experts who have shared their expertise in areas like healthcare, reproductive rights, voter registration, library issues, literacy projects, asylum seekers/immigrants, and water and environmental issues. They have also informed us about happenings with other state and local organizations such as the NM State Legislature, neighborhood associations, city council, and county commission.

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Our Partners

El Centro de Igualdad y Derechos, a grass roots immigrants' rights and workers' justice organization. www.elcentronm.org

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Blue CD2NM, a group of concerned constituents in New Mexico’s Congressional District 2. www.blueCD2nm.com

 

3. Third Act, a network of people over sixty who use their power and skills to protect the planet and society. https://thirdact.org

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Our activities

• Voter registration

• Postcard writing

• Phone banking with El Centro

• Member of Congress (MoC) meetings

• Rio Grande Indivisible members regularly meet with our National and State political leaders’ staff. We have met with staff members of Michelle Lujan Grisham, Deb Haaland, and Melanie Stansbury.

• Different RGI members have taken on this organizational role. Oscar Simpson is currently in charge. He schedules the meetings and collaborates with other Indivisible Groups who meet with their Members of Congress. Together the Indivisible groups plan agendas and identify issues to address. The groups meet monthly by Zoom.

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NMIC - New Mexico Indivisible Congress

Rio Grande Indivisible connects with other N.M. Indivisible groups through the New Mexico Indivisible Congress. Zoom meetings are held quarterly, where members can share information and ideas about how to address both national and local challenges. All members of Indivisible groups are welcome to attend.

The New Mexico Indivisible Conference held the first in-person gathering in April 2022. Attendees from all over the state heard a variety of presentations, including topics on early childhood issues, a proposal for public banking, ways to make the State Legislature more professional, and critical water issues. US Congressional Representatives, the Governor, N.M. Secretary of State, and NM Legislators all made presentations.

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National Indivisible

Rio Grande Indivisible is one of hundreds of Indivisible groups under the leadership of the National Indivisible organization.  Members are encouraged to subscribe to monthly newsletters from National Indivisible and attend weekly zoom calls on assorted topics.

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Annual Goal setting

Each January, Rio Grande Indivisible members meet to determine priority issues for the coming year. The group then outlines goals and actions required to achieve them.

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Hands Off Rally, April 5, 2025

Under the leadership of our new director, Steve Smith, who initiated the Hands Off Rally planning, in partnership with Indivisible Albuquerque, Albuquerque Police Department, and The Third Act, the rally featured motivating speakers and was a huge success with approximately 5,000 attending.