The New Mexico Environmental Law Center, a nonprofit law firm that offers pro bono and low-cost legal services to clients advocating for environmental and public health protections, will celebrate its 30th anniversary Saturday night with a fundraiser performance by the Yes Men at the Lensic Performing Arts Center.
The Yes Men, two comedic activists, for decades have been taking the concept of an April Fool’s Day gag to a global level — ambushing private conferences, producing fake newspapers and carrying out other bizarre hoaxes in an effort to expose what they see as real social, political and corporate wrongdoing.
Saturday’s show, focusing in part on the proliferation of fake news that aims to muddle truth rather than bring it to light, celebrates the law center’s progress in the past three decades at a time when the Trump administration is working to roll back environmental regulations approved under former President Barack Obama.
“The 30th anniversary is an opportunity to take stock of the widespread fallout from the Trump administration’s anti-environmental policies that touch everything from the air we breathe and the water we drink to civil rights,” said Doug Meiklejohn, the law center’s founding attorney, in a news release. “It is an occasion to celebrate our successes, our partners and our resolve to remain focused.”
The fundraiser is scheduled to begin at 7:15 p.m. with a private reception at the Lensic for VIP ticketholders. The cost is $100 and includes hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar.
Tickets for the Yes Men performance alone, which begins at 7:30 p.m., are $12 to $35. To purchase tickets, visit ticketssantafe.com or call the Lensic box office at 505-988-1234.
