| Apologies for the late delivery of Friday’s newsletter! This weekend we made our way from Arizona to New Mexico, where the Listen To America crew observed how tightknit and inclusive the community can be. The Albuquerque Sign Language Academy hosted HuffPost at its campus, introducing reporters to students and staff with different levels of hearing ability and other special needs.Four elementary schoolers giggled as they told Akbar Ahmed about how the school — and other aspects of the support system for the differently abled in New Mexico — brought them together.
"Me and Malia [Ranspot] were best friends," said Alexandra Martinez, 8. Then she and Malia became friends with Kaylee Paul, 9, after they heard other kids being mean to her. Malia already knew Kaylee from their time together at the New Mexico School for the Deaf. Then they found that Alexandra and Kaylee had the same birthday — a fact both girls mentioned as they hugged each other.  Malia, Kaylee, Alexandra and EmmaThe girls had different levels of sign language knowledge before coming to the academy. Malia used some signs during her first class there that turned out to be outdated, she said, so she learned new ones.She said her favorite part of the school is "that we're all together."Emma Gomez, 8, had another highlight today: meeting a fellow Emma, HuffPost's own Emma Gray."I was really excited," she said, through her teacher's interpretation. "I was trying to sign to her and she seemed to understand me!" Early one August morning in 2016, two Albuquerque police officers responded to a 911 call at an apartment complex on the city’s west side. Inside, they found the remains of fourth-grader Victoria Martens. It was her 10th birthday.Victoria’s mother, her mother’s boyfriend and the boyfriend’s cousin were arrested at the scene and charged. Only later did it come to light that New Mexico’s Children, Youth and Families Department had forwarded a complaint related to Victoria to the Albuquerque Police Department five months before her death.The police received the referral, but did not follow up. Plus: Hear from the Torres family. Their 27-year-old son, who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, was home alone when he was shot by Albuquerque detectives. Rodrigo Rodriguez, founder of Project Feed The Hood, has become a role model for kids with backgrounds like his. He grew up in one of Albuquerque's poorest neighborhoods ― the International District, once known as the “War Zone” ― and says that as a young person, he spent time on the streets, on parole and on probation.Now, he helps kids nurture their talents, gain confidence and learn leadership skills through community gardening. Join us virtually on the bus! Ride along with our editor-in-chief, Lydia Polgreen, as she dispatches news from the road via Facebook Messenger. Learn more about what it really means to be an American by signing up for our morning news brief. ©2017 HuffPost | 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
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