Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP)

SWOP is perhaps best known for the SWOP Letter, a letter sent to ten major environmentalist groups in 1990 accusing them of conduct that harmed racial minorities throughout the world. ²

Activity

Environmentalism

Environmental activism has been the Southwest Organizing Project’s primary activity since its founding. SWOP has organized numerous shutdowns of factories and businesses over environmental concerns. In the 1980s, SWOP attained concessions from the Kirtland Air Force Base after running an investigation into groundwater contamination. ^{1 2}

SWOP abides by the Principles of Environmental Justice determined by the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit in 1991. The Principles include the demand for “the cessation of the production of all toxins, hazardous wastes, and radioactive materials.” ^{1 3}

Criminal Justice

SWOP is a member of the New Mexico Youth Justice Coalition, which supports the closure of all juvenile detention facilities in New Mexico and a reduction in the number of juvenile inmates. ⁴

In 2020, SWOP and the New Mexico Coalition for the Fair Sentencing of Youth wrote an open letter to New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) calling upon her to release prisoners to reduce the risk and harm of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Mexico’s prisons. ⁵

Abortion

SWOP supports abortion access and opposes Texas Senate Bill 8, which outlawed abortions up to five weeks after a woman’s last menstrual cycle. ⁶

Youth Rights

In 2013, SWOP supported a successful effort to pass a Student Bill of Rights in New Mexico. ⁷

Voter Registration

Since its founding in 1980, SWOP has registered 30,000 voters. ²

Unions

SWOP broadly supports unionization. In the 1990s, some SWOP staff members wanted to unionize, but the management rejected the initiative. In 2012, when SWOP had 12 employees, SWOP workers organized a union under the Communication Workers of America Local 7011. ⁸

Food

SWOP supports Project Feed the Hood, a “food literacy” and community gardening initiative that supports low-income racial minorities. ⁹

SWOP Letter

In 1990, the Southwest Organizing Project wrote what would become known as the SWOP Letter, a letter sent to the Group of Ten major conservation groups: the National Wildlife Federation, the Sierra Club, the National Resources Defense Council, the Environmental Defense Fund, the National Audubon Society, the Wilderness Society, the National Parks Conservation Association, Friends of the Earth, EarthJustice, and the Izaak Walton League. ¹⁰

The SWOP Letter claimed that racial-minority residents of the southwest have historically been subject to “racist and genocidal practices including the theft of lands and water, the murder of innocent people, and the degradation of our environment.” Alleged perpetrators included industrial companies, mining companies, and the U.S. military. The SWOP Letter accused the Group of 10 of both ignoring the environmental concerns of racial minorities and of sabotaging businesses that are economically vital to racial minorities. ^{11 12 13}

The SWOP letter concluded with the demand that the Group of Ten stop their operations in “communities of color” within 60 days until 35 to 45 percent of the staffs and boards of the organizations consist of racial minorities. ¹¹

Funding

In 2022, the Southwest Organizing Project earned $1,848,031 in revenue. ¹⁴

In 2023, SWOP received $72,000 from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation to support the Pueblo Action Alliance, a fiscally sponsored project of SWOP. ¹⁵

In 2018, SWOP received $25,000 from the Edward W. Hazen Foundation. ¹⁶

In 2012, SWOP received $75,000 from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to promote Latino engagement in environmentalism. ¹⁷

In 2008, SWOP received $200,000 from the Ford Foundation to promote left wing environmental policies. ¹⁸

Fiscal Sponsorship

The Southwest Organizing Project fiscally sponsors the following organizations: the Pueblo Action Alliance, an environmentalist group that supports Native American communities; Tribal Entities Connect, a network of Native communities that promote left-wing policy goals; the Transwoman Empowerment Initiative, an advocacy group for transwomen in New Mexico; Family+Indiginize+Thrive; the Youth Agricultural Cooperative; Coffee + Creatives; the Honor Native Land Tax; The Haven; and the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium. ^{19 20}

Coalitions

The Southwest Organizing Project is a member of the following coalitions: the Climate Justice Alliance, the Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, The Praxis Project, the World March of Women, State Voices Table, the CCHE Network, the South by Southwest Experiment, Families United for Education, Voices in Action for Change, the New Mexico Food and Agriculture Policy Council, Farm to Table, People’s Action, Kapulli Izkalli, the Design Studio for Social Intervention, and University of New Mexico Chicana/o Studies. ²¹