Frederick Hammersley Fund for the Arts, New Mexico PBS Great Southwestern Arts and Education Endowment Fund and the Nellita E. Walker Fund for KNME-TV at the Albuquerque Community Foundation.

New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs and by the National Endowment for the Arts and viewers like you.

[Car honking] [Crowd cheering] >> Yeah!

There's so many cool people.

So much just like -- Everyone's so pretty!

Everyone's so pretty!

So cool!

Everybody gets to just like let it all out and just express themselves, just how happy everybody is to be here and support everybody and just celebrate really who we are as people, you know?

ALBUQUERQUE'S 2025 PRIDE PARADE FUELED BY PASSION AND PERSISTENCE TWO YOUNG PRESERVATIONISTS DOCUMENT AND FIGHT TO SAVE AMERICA'S HISTORIC BUILDINGS IT'S ALL AHEAD ON COLORES.

(beat boxing) (laughing) Hi >> Awesome.

Yeah so all the floats are going to be coming in from here, and all the cars will be lining up all along Central.

Starting at Wellesley all the way down here to Gerard.

>> Come on right here!

What color?

>> Purple?

Ok, I'm going to walk up with you and show you where to go, ok. [Laughing] >> You're our best dancer!

[beat boxing] [laughing] >> Hi!

[laughing] >> Yeah!

There's so many cool people.

So much just like -- >> Everyone's so pretty!

>> Everyone's so pretty, so cool!

Everybody gets to just let it all out and just express themselves -- just how happy everybody is to be here and support everybody and just celebrate really who we are as people, you know?

>> This is our first year as a married couple for Pride this year, so, very excited.

[Cheering] >> Yeah, this is Strawberry Lemonade, he's my persona.

Miss Matcha Berry.

>> Existence is resistance.

>> Yup!

And remember, the first Pride was a riot.

>> I feel a bit more tension and usual here.

To me this is less of a celebration and more of a defiant act -- that I am coming here to celebrate but I'm also coming here to show I'm not afraid of what's going on and that it's important that I show up and show that I'm proud of who I am and that I don't back down, no matter what's happening.

[Kiss] [Laughing] >> Show them your guns!

>> We're here today to celebrate -- the battle, the fight that's been fought generations before us So, that we can be visible and exist in this world.

>> Its the good fight to fight, its the right fight to fight.

>> I've been doing this for thirty years, so I'm always proud!

>> And as a metaphor for the fight we will be puling this truck with our bodies through the parade, all taking turns.

[Laughing] >> We want to make sure we are standing out and making sure everybody knows that they have a home no matter where they are they are not alone and we can stand together against this rising tide of hatred.

and fortunately I find that the political culture of Albuquerque is very much, stand in our diversity and that is the strongest message we get around here.

There is a lot of nervousness going around and there's a little more wrath this year.

Alongside our pride as we make sure to assert ourselves and know that we will not be intimidated into silence.

Absolutely speak up everywhere you can.

Merely articulating yourself is an extremely powerful form of speech.

That you can always do to make sure that everybody feels safe.

>> I've been an out lesbian since 1983.

I've been in every pride parade, every year since I moved here in 1996.

And I'm very grateful that it's still happening.

There's so much love in the air.

We're excited at the support we're getting from the public officials.

I'm grateful.

>> I'm going to give a little speech here.

And we will try not just survive because we deserve to live boldly, freely, and un-apologetically.

[Crowd Shouting] Yeah!

This more than a parade, it is a promise to build real community, to show up for each other everyday to ensure that no one is left behind.

It is a call to action and it starts today!

[Crowd Cheering] [Crowd counting] 3!...2!...1!

[Crowd Cheering] >> Alright, lets get this parade started!

[Crowd Cheering] >> Happy Pride!

>> Love you!

[Crowd cheering] [Car honking] [Crowd cheering] [Chanting] [Cheering] >> Happy pride!

[Cheering] >> Happy pride!

[Crowd cheering] >> Happy pride Albuquerque!

Happy Pride 2025!

[Cheering] >> Happy pride!

[Cheering] [Car honking] >> Happy pride!

[Cheering] >> Happy pride!

[Cheering] [Laughing] >> It was so much fun.

We have had so many years of protests and arguments that allows us to do this.

So, I am so grateful to be able to be a part of it, and to share that with everybody It's such a exhilarating experience.

Thank you to everyone who was out there today cheering us on, cheering us along It was truly magical -- and yeah.

Thank you.

>> Happy Pride!

>> A lot of people are against what you are it can feel like you are alone, so, sometimes its really good to have celebrations like this where you can see you are not alone and actually when I was walking up this street yelling "Happy Pride," and people yelling it back at you, it felt really good and that is from someone who does not do parades very often >> I think that today is all about spreading lots of love around because it doesn't matter who you love, how you love, where you love.

It's all about love.

BUILDING HISTORY [Ambient Music] >> When you look at historic buildings, it is the backbone of our country and unfortunately we are losing it at a rapid pace.

It's important for these buildings to be saved because it shows us who was here before us.

>> It almost feels like buildings are people in a way, because they have their own stories.

They have their own presence.

They have their own personality.

>> And once it's gone, it's gone forever.

That's not something that you can get back.

>> Just because a building is abandoned doesn't mean it's the end of the story.

[Ambient music] >> Michael: I'm Michael Schwarz >> Emily: I'm Emily Cowan >> Michael: I'm the President of Abandoned Atlas Foundation >> I'm the president of Abandoned Atlas Foundation [Upbeat Music] >> Michael: My goal as a Co-President with Emily is to help find ways to get people interested in wanting to see these places restored.

Show them how it can be done, why it should be done and to help give a voice to buildings that oftentimes get overlooked.

>> Narrator: What started as a simple website over 15 years ago has grown into a full-fledged nonprofit covering 25 different states.

>> Emily: We photographed the properties inside and out as thoroughly as possible as if we were to lose the building tomorrow.

We then take those photos and publish them online for free.

Along with a full historic write-up.

I believe that research should be free.

History should be free.

>> Michael: Every time that I walk through an abandoned building I just -- it just it speaks to me!

[Music] >> Michael: I enjoy talking to people and finding the firsthand stories and doing the firsthand digging through libraries digging through documents found inside the buildings.

That's what excites me.

Something's been hidden under a shelf for 60 years and it's a piece of the puzzle of what happened there.

>> Oklahoma Coaches Association regional Coach of the year.

>> Emily: I'm more of, "Behind-the-Scenes."

I'm the one who does all the research on the background.

Newspapers.com is vital.

We use Google Books a lot.

If you go on Google Books and you put in a search term it will show you every book that has that search term.

At any given time I'm working on over 60 articles across 25 different states.

>> All right so down here, is the science lab.

>> Michael: I've now become in charge of the YouTube channel, or like more of the documentary work to really advocate for these places.

Like, that's the beauty of YouTube!

Like, if you can create something that captures somebody's interest that may not have known about that thing before.

I mean, that's so much power.

[Jazz music] >> Michael: My interest in abandoned buildings actually started when I was in high school.

>> Emily: Back in 2019, I was freshly out of high school.

>> Michael: I was always wanted to be a filmmaker.

>> Emily: I had no idea what I wanted to do in life.

>> Michael: My friends and I were shooting like, "Bang-Bang, Shoot-em-Up" movies with fake guns.

>> Action.

>> Emily: And then I had started exploring abandoned buildings.

[Camera clicks] [Gun clicks] [Grunt in pain] >> Narrator: Michael and his friends use abandoned locations as backdrops for their action packed short films.

>> Michael: So, we went there to go film, and then I found myself just taking pictures 'cause I thought it was so cool.

[Camera clicks] [Camera clicks] And I was like, "I wonder if there's any more of these?"

I went home and googled it.

I found a very early version of the website.

Van and Oklahoma was started by Justin Tyler Moore and Cody Cooper, in 2008-2009 area.

I contacted the owner, just being a fanboy and to my surprise the owner was like, "Yeah, come on in, join what we're doing!"

>> Well, here we are inside the library of Dungee Academy -- >> You good?

>> Yep.

>> Go, you've got this.

You've got this, man.

>> Narrator: Michael joined the team in 2011 and contributed for many years before moving away.

During the same time the original team moved on and the site fell dormant.

>> Emily: And started going on my own road trips.

I was just tagging abandoned Oklahoma and my stuff knowing they weren't active.

I was like, "Maybe one day."

>> Michael: So, I was living out in California for a few years.

I went out there to be the next "Hollywood Director."

When I decided to come back to Oklahoma to try something different.

The first thing I thought was, "Alright, going back to Oklahoma, I want abandoned Oklahoma."

>> Emily: And then I got a DM from Michael.

I think it was the day before my birthday.

And he had said, "Hey -- abandoned Oklahoma's back would you like to join?"

And I remember fan-girling a little bit.

I was like, "Oh my Gosh, I've never been asked to be part of something like this.

When I started, I remember the first time that Michael and I explored together he made me go up and knock on the next door neighbors and ask them about that building and I was so terrified at first.

I was not a people talker.

I did not like doing that.

But then I started listening to this person talk about their memories there.

And that was when, I think, the switch flipped of the passion of being able to give people these tangible memories that they can hold on forever.

Once its on the internet, its not going anywhere, even if the building comes down.

>> Where is it -- >> It exposed original ceiling -- it'll be so much more room in here.

>> Narrator: With their powers combined and with the help of photojournalists across the country, Emily and Michael expanded to The Abandoned Atlas Foundation a nationwide nonprofit, dedicated to preserving history all over the country.

>> Michael: I think that is a part of our mission is to help save things that we find and document in these buildings before they get demolished and thrown away forever.

>> Emily: That is the reason why I do it, is it's not just for the buildings and giving them a voice but it's also for the people that have memories here.

[Gasps] >> Michael: I've found it!

Emily!

>> Emily: What?

>> Michael: Seminole Chieftain Football 2005.

Oh my Gosh, Seminole Chieftains 2001 football highlight video Oh Gosh, we found it!

We found the jackpot.

>> Michael: I found kind of a new passion recently it's the VHS tapes, sometimes there's old VHS tapes laying around.

I'm not really interested in the mass produced ones I'm talking about the ones that are unique, one of a kind that are specific to either that building or that town, that city, that has been forgotten about and there's only one copy of it.

Those moments that might be special to somebody that live on those VHS tapes will now not lose it.

>> Right now you can buy a abandoned home in Pine Bluff, Arkansas for as low as $400.

>> When it comes to YouTube ultimately our goal is to get people to be more actively interested in what buildings we're talking about the history behind them and most importantly the advocacy.

[News Broadcast on TV] >> Michael: This iconic church was featured in Time Magazine in 1955.

I dive deep into the analytics, the retention rate to figure out, "Alright, where am I losing people?"

Where do they stop watching and I try to figure out why they've stopped watching and how can I -- How can I create more interest?

[Drone powering up] [Drone buzzing] >> Narrator: Abandoned Atlas now partners with preservationists, property developers and activists to create videos for at-risk buildings.

>> I'm 74 years old.

I can remember laying on pews looking up out of the windows up top.

I had a dream, and in that dream I felt like, the Lord told me that He wanted this restored and so that's been purpose in my life for over 20 years now.

But, you know, just gotten to know Michael and their -- their heart seems really good because it's been one of the most encouraging things that someone -- is really -- has the same heart towards these buildings and these type of projects that, that we do.

[Natural ambient sound] [Music] >> Emily: This is not a field that you get many wins in and when we do get wins like this building here it's something that we shout from the rooftop.

Seminole High School is going to be restored into affordable housing apartments apartments.

This is a huge win for the community and neighborhood.

We're having a huge housing crisis in America right now and being able to turn this building into affordable housing rather than just sitting here being vandalized.

I think is a lot more of a better purpose.

We have a huge success story in Topeka, Kansas of the Menninger Clock Tower that was actually slated for demolition.

So, we came in and actually -- was very nerve-wracking.

had to sign a contract with their attorney that if we were not successful in finding a buyer within 90 days then they would have demolish the building.

>> Michael: We put together a developer search video saying "Hey, this building is about to be demolished, This is the time to buy it."

and they were willing to donate the property.

>> Emily: It was within a week or two of putting out a developer search video that found a buyer out of Kansas City, Missouri and they are underway to restore that now.

>> I don't think we've been here before.

>> Okay, especially the weather.

>> Emily: My mom was like, "You need to get a real job if you're ever gonna move out you need to get a job!"

I was just like, "No, I have to stick this out, I know it's gonna pay off like -- it just needs time!"

>> Michael: The way that I've changed through this is realizing that, I don't need to be in Hollywood to make a difference.

I don't need to be in Hollywood to -- to do something I'm passionate about.

>> Emily: It is just incredible and I love doing what I do every day and just being able to -- again, follow that passion.

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Funding for COLORES was provided in part by: Frederick Hammersley Fund, New Mexico PBS Great Southwestern Arts & Education Endowment Fund, and the Nellita E. Walker Fund for KNME-TV at the Albuquerque Community Foundation, New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, and by the National Endowment for the Arts and Viewers Like You.