Stories of Us: City Renames Community Center after Reynaluz Juarez

ALBUQUERQUE – Today, Mayor Tim Keller joined community leaders and family members of Reynaluz Juarez to rename the Whittier Community Center after the longtime community organizer and champion of the International District. Reynaluz Juarez stood up for youth and families in the community until her passing in February of 2022. This dedication comes as part of the ABQ Stories of Us project, an initiative that aims to pay tribute to the extraordinary people, past and present, who have left an incredible mark on our city’s history, and who have worked to improve the lives of Albuquerque families.

Juarez was known to have an incredibly joyful light that shined bright for all who knew her. As she worked to better her community, she also encouraged others to step up for not only themselves, but for each other. During the pandemic, she coordinated vaccine drives, food drives and helped connect families to the help and resources they needed to make it through those challenging times. She tirelessly fought for better representation and support for working class folks and people of color.

“We are working every day to achieve the vision that Reynaluz had for the International District,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “She is deeply missed, but her legacy lives on. Through this renaming, the families of this community will continue to learn about her work, and all that she did to make this a better place for everyone.”

Juarez was an integral part of the effort to rename the International District in 2009. She was a community school coordinator for Whittier Elementary, a leader of the South San Pedro Neighborhood Association, and she worked for the International District Healthy Communities Coalition. In English, Reyna translates to Queen and luz to light. And her legacy is just that, Queen of Light in the International District.