Denver Urban Spectrum - February 2022 - Carlotta Walls LaNier

Rachel B Noel Distinguished Visiting Professorship

Calvin Mackie, Ph.D. March 8–9, 2022

Please RSVP Online msudenver.edu/noel-professorship

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MESSAGE FROM THE PUBLISHER

Volume 35

Number 11

February 2022

PUBLISHER Rosalind J. Harris GENERAL MANAGER Lawrence A. James EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Alfonzo Porter COPY EDITOR Tanya Ishikawa COLUMNISTS Barry Overton CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ruby Jones Angelia D. McGowan Melovy Melvin COLAB Tanya Ishikawa - Story Coordinator ART DIRECTOR Bee Harris ADVERTISING & DIGITAL MARKETING Theresa Ho GRAPHIC DESIGNER Jody Gilbert - Kolor Graphix PHOTOGRAPHERS Lens of Ansar Bernard Grant SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Theresa Ho DISTRIBUTION Ed Lynch Lawrence A. James - Manager

The Denver Urban Spectrum is a monthly publication dedicated to spreading the news about people of color. Contents of the Denver Urban Spectrum are copyright 2022 by Bizzy Bee Enterprise. No portion may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher.

The Denver Urban Spectrum circulates 25,000 copies throughout Colorado. The Denver Urban Spectrum welcomes all letters, but reserves the right to edit for space, libelous material, grammar, and length. All letters must include name, address, and phone number. We will withhold author’s name on request. Unsolicited articles are accepted without guarantee of publication or payment.

Write to the Denver Urban Spectrum at P.O. Box 31001, Aurora, CO 80041.

For advertising, subscriptions, or other information, call 303-292-6446 or fax 303292-6543 or visit the Web site at www.denverurbanspectrum.com.

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their roles in U.S. history. Also known as African American History Month, the event grew out of “Negro History Week,” initiated by noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries that devote a month to celebrating Black history include Canada and the United Kingdom.

As we celebrate Black history this month – and although Denver Urban Spectrum has recognized the achievements of African Americans monthly for the last 35 years – this issue is very special to me and very significant to DUS. Many years ago I was honored to meet Carlotta Wells LaNier, the Little Rock Nine’s youngest member. Since that encounter at a Girl Scouts Camp when we shared a cabin as mentors for young campers, our paths have crossed often over the years. However, there are encounters in life that you fail to see for what they are and what they represent. That was the case with my friend, Carlotta Walls LaNier – one of Denver’s gems. But, I believe that all things happen when they’re supposed to and for good reason. This year is the 65th anniversary of the history-making event when she and eight other courageous African American teenagers integrated Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas. She shares her journey to justice with contributor Ruby Jones as this month’s cover story. I am so honored that LaNier is gracing our cover this month in honor of Black history.

Denver Urban Spectrum is also proud to be part of Theo Wilson’s journey as he soars to new heights and makes history as the host of a new History Channel program, “I Was There,” premiering on February 20. His professions are many and include author, actor, orator, and activist. During his time as a contributor at DUS, his provocative and insightful columns received several media awards. We wish him continued success.

Each year we are proud to share the wonderful work that local African Americans are doing in the community. This year 14 people were selected as African Americans Who Make a Difference by their peers and community members who believe they are going above and beyond the call of duty to serve the Denver community. Read about one of them, a 9-year-old girl who has two businesses and is making serious waves in the business world. Join us as we celebrate them in our annual Black History Month virtual celebration on February 24.

If anyone is looking for a getaway in the mountains, look no further and read about the Majestic Lodge in Breckenridge. African American owners Ben and Melissa Wilbourn share their story on when, how and why they decided to embark on this family-owned business venture.

Other history-making stories in this issue look at Judge Gary Jackson and his plans for preserving his great-grandfather’s land, and honoring the legady of Rachel B. Noel and her many firsts in the state of Colorado.

Black history is very important: past, present and in the making. It’s also important to recognize history made but only remembered at a time of loss. That is the case with the recent passing of Odell Berry. Take a moment to read about his many contributions and firsts that will go down in history, as we dedicate this issue in his honor. May he Rest In Peace.

“Learning history from the perspective of people that look like us helps us connect with history in a more personal way. It gives us pride and inspires us. It also gives us a greater appreciation for the sacrifices made by our ancestors in their fight for the civil rights that we enjoy today.

“Studying Black history year-round is also important because it provides context for how we got to where we are today and a deeper understanding of the issues we still face in this country. Many of our present cultural and political issues are not new but rather are unresolved issues from the past. It’s important for children to understand that while progress has been made, we are still very much fighting for equal rights, equal protection, and full humanity.”

– Mishawnda Mintz, from his “WhatupHomee” blog

Rosalind J. Harris Publisher

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR the idea of not giving in to a sense of hopelessness. We need to get out there and fight for what we want.

I’m ready!

Restrictive Voting Laws Article Inspired DUS Reader Editor: I found Thomas Russell’s article (Restrictive Voting Laws, DUS January 2022 – Page 16) inspiring and a sound response to some of the crazy voting laws we’ve seen passed this past year.

It’s not that we shouldn’t work to correct the wrongs in many of those laws, but I love

Ray Stranske Denver, CO

Denver Urban Spectrum welcomes your letters, comments and concerns. Email editor@urbanspectrum.net or mail to Denver Urban Spectrum P.O. Box 31001, Aurora, CO 80041.

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – January 2022

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Denver Urban Spectrum Department E-mail Addresses Denver Urban Spectrum DenverUrbanSpectrum@urbanspectrum.net Publisher Publisher@urbanspectrum.net Editor Editor@urbanspectrum.net News & Information News@urbanspectrum.net Advertising & Marketing Advertising@urbanspectrum.net

Carlotta Walls LaNier A Mighty Long Way: 65 Years after School Desegregation Youngest member of Little Rock Nine calls for community to come together as one

By Ruby Jones

This Black History Month, as many pause to reflect on the tremendous accomplishments made by Black people throughout the history of the United States and the world, we celebrate an important milestone with a call to action from a civil rights leader and pioneer in the fight for educational equality.

This year marks the 65th anniversary of the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School, when nine courageous teenagers integrated an all-white school, changing the American education system forever.

Carlotta Walls, Melba Pattillo, Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, Minnijean Brown, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson Thomas, Gloria Ray, and Thelma Mothershed walked into Little Rock Central High School on September 25, 1957 – a revolutionary act that helped drive the fight for equality during the Civil Rights Movement.

Sixty-five years later as the fight continues, Carlotta (now Walls LaNier), the youngest member of the Little Rock Nine and a longtime Colorado resident shares messages of inspiration, empowerment, and hope for our community. Her message is accompanied by a request for organizations to work collaboratively to increase historical education among youth.

ing a summer visit with family in New York City that allowed her to live as a “normal child,” LaNier returned to the oppresPhoto by Bernard Grant sive South feeling that everything she’d been taught was validated by the trip.

“Even though I grew up in this Jim Crow environment, my parents kept telling me that change was going to take place, and yes, they told me that I did have to sit at the back of the bus,” she said, “but with dignity – with my head held high, and my back straight.”

By 14, LaNier was privy to disparities between segregated Black and white schools in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Determined to gain access to what she and others saw as the best education possible, she did not hesitate to sign her name as a willing attendee and pioneer for integration at Little Rock Central High School.

“I passed the school every day; it was my neighborhood school. Why shouldn’t I go there?” she declared. “I had every right based on Brown v.

Board of Education, number

At just 14 years old, LaNier’s decision to integrate Little Rock Central High School was informed by her experiences as a child living in the heavily segregated Carlotta Walls LaNier Jim Crow South, along with sacred wisdom passed down and sown into her by her elders. “I came up in an era where you didn’t speak unless spoken to,” she recalled, “but we listened.”

In her memoir, “A Mighty Long Way: My Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High School,” LaNier includes stories shared by her greatgreat-grandfather, who spoke about the importance of education for advancement within the Black community; and her parents instructed her to “Be prepared to go through the door whether there’s a crack in the door or the door is flung wide open.”

When it came to integrating Little Rock Central High School, LaNier said the choice was a “no-brainer.”

Determined To Gain Access Having experienced her first taste of freedom at age 8, dur

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one. Number two, the Little Rock School Board immediately agreed to abide by that law.”

Brown v. Board of Education was a landmark federal case, in which the Supreme Court ruled that segregating public schools on the basis of race was unconstitutional. The 1954 ruling followed a long and sordid history of systemic racism after the abolition of slavery in the United States.

A History Of Racial Oppression Two-hundred forty-two years after the first enslaved Africans were documented as allegedly having arrived at Point Comfort, Virginia – near the riverfront colony of Jamestown – South Carolina became the first state to secede from the U.S. in 1860. Several states followed, wanting the right to extend slavery to newly acquired territories during the genocide of indigenous empires in the American West. They formed a political union called the Confederate States of America, which operated under a separate government and eventually opposed the northern Union states in the Civil War. In 1863, as the bloodiest war in American history raged on, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that all people held as slaves within

rebellious Confederate states should be immediately freed.

This battle strategy was largely ineffective, and it wasn’t until two years later on December 6, 1865, that slavery was abolished within the United States by the Thirteenth Amendment, except as a punishment for crime.

During the 12-year Reconstruction Era that followed the end of the Civil War, formerly enslaved people were granted opportunities to vote, participate in the political process, acquire land, and work.

However, the defeated states were given free rein when it came to rebuilding their own governments, resulting in oppressive state laws called “Black Codes” that suppressed freedoms and guaranteed the continuation of forced, free labor through mass incarceration.

The Fourteenth Amendment, ratified three years later on July 9, 1868, extended United States citizenship and the protection of rights to previously enslaved people and their descendants.

This amendment also prevented states from depriving any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, in addition to asserting that all states must grant equal protection of the laws to all people.

In 1870, the Fifteenth Amendment guaranteed that a citizen’s right to vote would not be denied due to race, color, or previous enslavement, but the resulting increase in the participation of Black people within state and national governments evoked violence from hate groups. These groups used intimidation, wrongful incarceration, voter suppression, violence, and murder, to keep Black people from voting.

State laws on segregation, which adopted the name “Jim Crow” laws from a minstrel performer in blackface, required Black people to use separate schools, railroad cars, hotels, theaters, restaurants, barbershops, and more. These laws

regation would be ruled unconstitutional in the Brown v.

Board of Education case, which called for the lawful desegregation of American public schools.

“I think overall, our segregated environment and segregated school, with some of the best teachers, prepared us to be able to do what we needed to do,” LaNier said, remembering the historic Brown v. Board of Education ruling.

As she and other young people stepped into their roles as agents of change, the community rose to support their endeavors, paving the way for

were upheld by a U.S. Supreme Court case based on the jailing of Homer A. Plessy, who was arrested for riding in a whitesonly train car from New Orleans to Covington, Louisiana. The 1895 verdict issued in the case upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the premise that equal rights could be granted while maintaining racial segregation.

The Landmark Ruling That Led To Little Rock It was not until 59 years later, in 1954, after the Plessy v.

Ferguson ruling, that racial seg-

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integration’s success. “The [segregated] schools really reinforced what we were learning at home, and also what we were learning at church. All those three things worked together in a sense.”

Since the early 1930s, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) had been working to challenge the segregation of schools, involving communities across the country in the fight for equality. The organization filed lawsuits in North Carolina, South Carolina, Continued on page 6

Carlotta Walls LaNier Continued from page 5 Virginia, and Delaware following student-led walk-out protests against educational inequity. With Thurgood Marshall as the head of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, a case filed

by Oliver Brown in the U.S. District Court of Kansas famously changed the tide and ended segregation in schools.

After the Kansas court upheld the constitutionality of segregation under the “separate but equal,” doctrine, Marshall appealed to the Supreme Court, which combined Brown’s case with four others under the name Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. With the Justices being divided on the topic of school segregation, the death of Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson allowed for the appointment of Earl Warren, who helped orchestrate a unanimous verdict against school segregation on May 17, 1954.

In 1956, 27 students from segregated schools in Little Rock attempted to enroll in schools throughout the district.

They were refused by the Little Rock School District Board of Education, prompting 12 parents to file an NAACP-sponsored federal lawsuit, Aaron v.

Cooper, which called for the immediate desegregation of the schools. In 1957, three years after Brown v. Board of Education, the Little Rock Nine entered Little Rock Central High School, finally putting an end to America’s legacy of segregated education.

In an effort to halt integration, Governor Orval E. Faubus deployed the Arkansas National Guard to block the school’s entrance, preventing the Black students from entering the building. President Dwight D. Eisenhower ultimately superseded the governor’s authority, placing the guard under federal command and sending the 101st Airborne

Division to escort the students.

The Black teenagers endured daily threats, vicious bullying, and devastating violence during their first year at the newly integrated high school, yet they persisted in pursuit of unrestricted access to equal education.

In 1958, Governor Faubus closed schools, pending the outcome of a public vote, which was lost 7,561 to 19,470 against integration. When schools reopened a year later, in August 1959, LaNier and Thomas were the only students to return to Little Rock Central High School.

LaNier and Green, who was a senior upon integration, were the first Black students to graduate from the school. Thomas graduated in 1960, and passed away in 2010.

Persisting Through The Pain After attending Michigan State University for two and a half years, LaNier moved to Colorado, where she married, had children, and established a well-respected career as a professional real estate broker. For 30 years, she enjoyed the “utopian environment” of Colorado provided, where she could live and work without constant attention to the activism from her past. She didn’t speak about integration or the hardships she endured as a member of the Little Rock Nine until the 30th anniversary of school desegregation in 1987.

Looking back at the journey she embarked on with a group of her peers 65 years ago, LaNier admits that she didn’t expect to still be talking about high school today, recalling the impact of the racism and brutality she endured.

“What helped me through everything, was knowing that I was just as good as the next person. They might not know it, but I know that I am just as good,” she said, addressing the significant emotional effects of trauma experienced by her,

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members of the Little Rock Nine, and others in the Black community. “Again, this belief comes from the complete environment – that includes the home, the school, the neighborhood, the church, the volunteering…all of that works hand in hand. When you’re isolating yourself, you’re not getting that.”

In “A Mighty Long Way,” LaNier writes that it was not in her nature, nor her mother’s nature, to speak about the discrimination they experienced.

For her and so many others, the traumatic effects of racial discrimination were suppressed, with damaging long-term effects on mental and emotional health. “What I do like is that we’re talking about it now.

That’s healthy,” she noted, “With that, I’m hoping that things will change within the mental health arena.”

In addition to increased mental health awareness in the Black community, LaNier discussed the impact of ongoing police brutality and the murder of innocent, unarmed Black men, women, and children at the hands of law enforcement and racist vigilante killers. From the 2012 murder of Trayvon Martin to the murder of George Floyd in May 2020 that led to explosive nationwide protests, hundreds of untimely deaths are eerily similar to the heartbreaking lynching of Emmett Till in 1955.

“When Trayvon Martin’s situation took place, I told young people, ‘That is your Emmett Till,’ and I really do feel that way.” LaNier lamented.

“Ahmaud Arbery is another one. You’re not going to forget that. Fortunately, justice has taken place in Georgia and Minneapolis, so I’m hoping we see more and more of that, and people standing up to what is right and compressing and depressing what is wrong.

That’s my hope. I’m saddened that those young people are not here today because of misun-

derstandings and being too quick to pull the trigger.…We need to address it and come up with a solution.”

When it comes to solutions for inequities within the legal system, LaNier questioned, “What happened to the policeman who used to walk the neighborhood?

We don’t have that anymore.

They understood because they were there in the neighborhood; they knew who needed help.

They knew their constituents.”

Instead of defunding the police, she believes that funds could be used toward educating officers, enabling them to better deal with issues within the community.

A Call For Collaboration By infusing civic and history education into the Black community, LaNier’s hope for our advancement lies in our education, and in our ability to work collectively to bring about change. Much like the African proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far,

go together,” she believes that change is possible with collaboration. Our community is at the precipice of major sociopolitical changes, to which LaNier advised, “I’m hopeful that there are some people out there that can pick up the baton - pick up the mantle, and move it forward.”

Moving the mantle forward starts with a better understanding of history and civic education. “You’ve got to know who you are, and whose you are,” she asserted. “With that, you have to have a passion for something. For me, it was always wanting to have access to the best.”

She offered encouragement and inspiration for young people faced with opportunities for advancement. “I think if young people would understand, and be centered, and believe in themselves, and be committed to whatever their skill level or passion - if they

can do that and live by the Golden Rule, they can attain whatever it is that they put their minds to. But they’ve got to believe in themselves.”

With startling insights that reveal a serious disconnection between young people and elders, LaNier urged young people to listen to the elders in their lives, saying, “It might not be a grandparent, or an aunt or uncle, but there are people that you have respect for, and you can learn from those people.”

She continued, “I think the whole thing is, how much do you want to learn? How much do you value being educated?”

The public education system is an incredibly limited source of historical education, especially when it comes to Black history. Recently, opponents of Critical Race Theory have launched campaigns to suppress historical education based on race, bringing awareness to the need for vociferous involve-

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ment in the fight for historical inclusion within the education system.

“I am concerned that they [young people] are not getting all that I got, even in a segregated school. Parents are paying taxes for good schools, and they’re not getting them,” LaNier cautioned. “It’s disheartening to know that these kids are not receiving the type of education that even I received in a segregated and integrated environment.”

Instead of relying on the public education system to provide comprehensive historical education, she encourages parents and community leaders to assume responsibility for equipping young people with historical knowledge through community programming and family involvement.

Like the title of LaNier’s memoir suggests, the Black community in the United States Continued on page 8

Carlotta Walls LaNier Continued from page 7 has come a long way, from the documented arrival in 1619.

After generations of enslavement and the disenfranchisement created by centuries of racially oppressive educational, economic, political, health, and legal systems, unification has been the most effective tool in the fight to dismantle racism. In addition to the many contributions Black people have made to each of these systems, a legacy of strength and resilience in America is a testament to the ability to overcome adversity by working as one to create a future that boasts a more equitable environment for future generations.

Despite having come so far, the Black community has a long way to go in the fight for systemic equity. To combat internal issues that have left the community in a fractured, disunified state, community organizations

are being called to work as collaboratively as possible in support of social justice initiatives that protect young people and provide educational opportunities, teaching “who we are,” and in what areas collective progress can be made. Instead of going around the problem, LaNier suggests that we teach young people how to deal with adversity, preparing them to go through problems and solve them, adding to the legacy of powerful change that will move us forward.

This Black History Month is an opportunity for our nation to move forward through education. “We need to celebrate what we have done,” said LaNier. “But boy, we have a lot to do!”.

Editor’s Note: To find and support historical education, visit The HistoryMakers, a national nonprofit research and educational institution that preserves Black history, at www.thehistorymakers.org

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Family Takes Center Stage in Beaufield Berry World Premier

By Angelia D. McGowan Playwright Beaufield Berry Director Gregg T. Daniel

“S

ecrets are delicious on stage,” according to actor and director Gregg T. Daniel.

The 2016 NAACP Best Director for the International City Theatre’s production of August Wilson’s Fences, Daniel is also the director of a world premier play this month at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. The Upper Room by playwright Beaufield Berry is about a multigenerational Black family living under one roof in Omaha in the ‘70s. More specifically, this play is about Berry’s family and how their lives orbit around Rose – the strong-willed matriarch whose superstitions and secrets drive her relatives nuts.

The Omaha-based playwright, novelist and arts educator says her inspiration for this work can be traced back to her family history, including some family members who are still here and others who have passed.

Through pointed wit and playful sarcasm, the family elders share fantastical stories about their collective past that call into question the family hierarchy and inspire the youngest generation to take pride in their heritage. Tender, comedic conversations between tight-knit relatives are interspersed with moments of intense drama that mirror the internal conflicts every family must face at some point.

“I don’t get plays that come by my desk often that have multigenerational families under one roof, and the melding of three generations and the tensions and the love that it can produce. In many ways, the play is

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about how secrets, rituals and traditions of the past can impact present and future generations,” Daniel says.

“It is really timeless,” says Berry of the dark dramedy that features an African American cast, addressing loyalty, spirituality and colorism in 1974. “Technology may be different.

The way we address things may be different. Going deep inside a family, that’s timeless.”

Generational differences according to Daniel include the fact that younger generations have a different road to travel. “My struggles of the ‘60s are not the struggles of my daughter. I marvel (at them).They have a different trajectory than I did.They are not questioning.They are not looking to simulate.

They are looking to define a description of who they are. It’s a really interesting time.”

A mother of three, Berry believes women are in a position “to hold on tight to who you are or lose it inside of motherhood. I held on tight. I see what happens when people lose it.”

She adds that it is important for her children to see her work as well as seeing the results of that work. It’s a legacy she is leaving for them.

Berry and Daniel both believe that young people who are interested in theater should not wait for permission to start creating their own works. “Don’t be afraid to tell your own story. Mechanically today you can use devices and technology,” says Daniel, who recalls having to use film stock. He also encourages young professionals to explore multiple roles and define themselves with multi-hyphens, for example actorproducer-director like Daniel who is an accomplished actor, notably playing Reverend Daniels in the HBO series “True Blood.”

He adds that there is “not a perfect time to start. Start with what you have.”

Berry stresses that young writers should trust the process, trust their voices and take their time. When it is time to “run with it,” she stresses that they should “run with the right folks.”

“I don’t have any ‘no’ people in my ‘yes’ universe,” she explains. .

Editor’s note: The play runs Feb. 11 to March 13 at the Dorota and Kevin Kilstrom Theatre. For more information, visit denvercenter.org.

Color Me Proud!

Instructions: Color this drawing and receive a prize! Any child, 12 and under, who colors and returns this drawing to the Denver Urban Spectrum will receive prizes from the participating sponsors.

All entries must be mailed to DUS, P.O. Box 31001, Aurora, CO 80041

by Monday, Feb. 28.

Name_____________________________ School___________________________ Age__________ Grade ____________ Address_________________________ City_____________________________ Phone__________________

Carlotta Walls LaNier “Little Rock Nine”

Breckenridge is at the center of the Rocky Mountains in Summit County, Colorado.

The small community town is best known for its small shops and restaurants, year-round activities, and winter sports, bringing people all over to ride the slopes at its busy ski resort.

Just outside town, within the surrounding mountain haven of Breckenridge Highlands, sits the Majestic Lodge, a luxurious lodgepole home with stunning views and captivating experiences both inside and out. It is not your ordinary mountain lodge with its modern feel at 9,600 feet in elevation.

“When you’re here, we don’t want you to just enjoy yourself, but to really feel at home. And when you’re home, you sometimes never want to leave,” said Melissa Wilbourn.

She and her husband, Ben Wilbourn, are the proud owners of the vacation rental home. They purchased the property in December 2019, and are one of the few African American real estate owners in the Breckenridge community.

After taking multiple trips to the ski resort with their family, Ben and Melissa decided to purchase their own lodge.

“We loved coming up to the mountains and especially with every trip, we would take our family, sometimes 15 to 17 people altogether and it finally dawned on us, ‘Why rent when we can buy a lodge?’ And that’s what got the ball rolling,” said Melissa.

As they decided to enter the real estate market, they came upon the Majestic Lodge at 8 Fletcher Court, Breckenridge.

“Eight is a very special number,” said Melissa. “Eight is in our family. Ben’s and my dad’s birthdays are eight as in August. Eight symbolizes infinity. My mother’s birthday was 1944 so it’s like 4+4 is 8 and so

Opening of the Majestic Lodge Makes Getaway in Breckenridge Mountains Accessible

By Melovy Melvin

on. So, we just have that number always present.”

They already knew it was meant to be with the property before closing the deal. “It’s a great feeling to have people, whether it’s a school trip from DPS (Denver Public Schools) or people on a getaway celebration, enter the doors here at the Majestic Lodge and fall in love with and appreciates it just as much as we did when we first saw it and still do.”

While managing in day-today operations, management oversight, accounting, bookkeeping, and billing for the vacation rental, Melissa also operates CBT Logistics.

Founded by her in 2006, CBT has been providing customized solutions for various types of businesses and industries including military bases and government facilities, commercial offices, schools, and many more. She is the oversight manager and point of contact for all clients and subcontractor services. Prior to founding the company, Melissa served for 21 years with the State of

Colorado’s Department of Higher Education.

Ben is also owner and vice president of CBT Logistics and serves as manager and customer relations specialist. He has more than 17 years of experience in logistics and project management including 10plus years of subcontractor, project and employee management experience. Additionally, he has 20 years of customer service experience. Ben served his country for eight years as a proud member of the United States Army at Fort Carson, earning both the Army Commendation Medal and the Outstanding Conduct award.

He is a graduate of the 2019 SBA Emerging Leaders Colorado program, further adding to his business leadership skills and management capabilities.

Whether you’re looking for adventure or a getaway for you and your family during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Majestic Lodge is fully equipped to provide comfort and enjoyment. With around 6,700 square

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10

feet of usable space and adequate sleeping room for 21 people across six spacious bedrooms, the accommodations include six bathrooms, a Chef’s Kitchen, and a basement rec room, convenient for family gatherings, small events, and school or corporate retreats. It has updated smarthome features including Savant Software that operates the lighting, music, televisions, and networking so guests will always stay connected, a luxury high up in the mountains. The lodge has a stocked bar, JURA coffee system, pool table, foosball, and stand-alone video game system.

Behind the lodge, guests can hop in two jetted tubs or the eightperson hot tub. On the spacious front deck, guests can enjoy relaxing around two fire pits.

The Wilbourn Family

“We’ve been very blessed and truly work hard to make sure our guests take full advantage of the features of the home and enjoy their stay. We’ve done some renovations since owning it, such as adding the vanities, and are looking forward to expanding the lodge and within the community,” said Ben..

Editor’s note: For more information and booking the Majestic Lodge, visit www.mlbreck.com or by call 720-498-1552.

The Center for African American Health Presents

I'M A

MASTERPIECE In our ongoing effort to prioritize safety while bringing the community important health services, we will hold both in-person and virtual offerings held each month from February through July.

We look forward to celebrating 20 years of bringing culturally relevant health services to the Black/African American community this year!

February 12, 2022 - Health Screenings Mental Health Screenings, Men’s Prostate Screening and Women’s Mammogram screenings Center For African American Health, 3350 Hudson Street.

March - June 2022 - Online Health Education Sessions A Variety of Monthly Virtual Interactive Health Education Sessions - Online July 30, 2022 - 20th Annual Collaborative Health Fair Our celebration with exhibitors providing health education, resources and services Denver City Park Pavilion, 8am-1pm

For more information and to learn about upcoming events in this series, visit CAAHealth.org. Follow us on social:

2021-2022 NEWMAN CENTER PRESENTS Nashville Ballet with Rhiannon Giddens Mar 29 and 30

By Ruby Jones

T

Celebrate the Live Performing Arts!

Joey Alexander Feb 2

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis Feb 19 and 20

Denver Native Theo Wilson Makes History

Spinosaurus: Lost Giant of the Cretaceous with Nizar Ibrahim Feb 9

When Women Ruled the World with Kara Cooney Mar 6

303-871-7720

newmancenterpresents.com

heo E.J. Wilson is a renowned author, actor, orator, and activist, whose social media presence and community involvement have earned the respect and admiration of people around the world.

Five years after publishing his first book, The Law of Action, Wilson is embarking on a journey into television as the host of the History Channel’s new show, “I Was There.”

Premiering on February 20, 2022, “I Was There” is an action-packed historical docuseries that carries viewers

through history in an exhilarating new way. The show captures some of humanity’s most astonishing feats and chilling events, using computer-generated imagery (CGI) to merge past and present.

Years of formal performance experience and a passion for history make Wilson the perfect host for the show.

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In 2003, a personal encounter with police brutality elevated the urgency of Wilson’s community involvement. Known by some as “Lucifury,” Wilson dedicated his time to the organization of the Colorado Organization for Racial Equity (C.O.R.E.) coalition and the award-winning Slam Nuba poetry team.

Following the loss of a close friend to police brutality in 2011, Wilson recognized the tremendous value and importance of time. He ramped up community engagement, hosting community forums called Shop Talk Live, and using social media platforms to build on his legacy of empowerment.

In 2016, Wilson published The Law of Action.

“My ideas attracted folks, and I wanted to challenge myself to complete a work, if you will, of the best of what I have to offer,” he recalled. He continued to expand his viewership by posting meaningful content, but his growing influence attracted harassment and derogatory comments from antagonists.

Seizing the opportunity to explore the underlying hatred fueling the notion of white supremacy, Wilson infiltrated the alt-right. “I wanted to make sure that I had a good understanding of - what seemed to be at the time – an existential threat,” he said. “White

supremacy has always been an existential threat to Black people. My initial impetus was not to find compassion, it was reconnaissance. I needed to know. As a Black man, I felt vulnerable for not knowing.”

In 2017, Wilson recounted his experience during a TEDx Talk, earning over 17 million views. His new moniker “The New BlackKklansman,” paid homage to Ron Stallworth, a Colorado Springs police officer who infiltrated the KKK in the 1970s. His public commentary gained the attention of a nonfiction film agent in New York.

By 2017, Wilson was in negotiations for his first television show. “They kept falling apart!” he laughed, explaining the unpredictability of the television industry. In 2020, he was presented with two potential shows. “It didn’t come a moment too soon.”

When the coronavirus pandemic forced worldwide shutdowns, millions of entrepreneurs and entertainers whose industries came to a screeching halt.

Recognizing an opportunity to provide an invaluable product to poets, speakers, and business leaders, Wilson created the Spitfire Public Speaking Program. Yet, with a wife and newborn baby, he worried about the state of the country, potential threats to medical freedom, and the economy.

While volunteering at the Struggle of Love food bank, the organization’s co-founder, Coach Hodge, warned about the severe impact a shutdown would have on young people, saying, “If the economy stays closed these boys that I’m working with right now are going to go see an uptick in gang activity. They won’t have a reason to say ‘No’ to their homies this summer.”

Wilson disavowed the shutdown, calling for stores to stay open with the intention of protecting the youth. “A year later we saw that approximately 40% of Black businesses were wiped

out…gang activity certainly spiked that summer…many school teachers saw an increase in depression, suicide, and selfharm because we couldn’t connect,” he countered.

The end of summer brought good news for Wilson, who was approached about “I Was There” in late July. During the selection process, Producer Andy Awes quizzed, “What do you know about history?” The answer was a no-brainer for Wilson.

As the grandson of a Tuskegee Airman, Wilson told Awes, “I bet you’re going to have a hard time finding someone with a better connection to history than me.”

He demonstrated his historical prowess when asked by Awes’ wife, Maria, to list historical events that he would have loved to see firsthand. His answer included Emperor Mansa Musa’s rule of the Malian empire, the day Mesoamerica was discovered by conquistadors, the construction of the Cahokia mounds of East St. Louis, and more.

“I wouldn’t have been able to answer those questions the way that I did had I not been immersed in history for the past 30-some odd years of my life,” Wilson beamed.

In “I Was There,” Wilson provides firsthand accounts of important moments throughout history, with a comprehensive analysis of each event. Expert testimonials, witness statements, and special effects recreate each scene with accuracy and precision. The process of creating a television series using CGI was a remarkable experience. “It felt akin to maybe what Marvel Cinematic Universe actors go through!” he exclaimed.

In its first season, the show documents the 1942 Battle of Stalingrad, the nuclear accident at Chernobyl, and other gripping historical events. Just weeks after the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis

Voting Rights Advancement Act failed to be passed by the Senate, “I Was There” will revisit the 1965 Bloody Sunday attack, when 600 demonstrators were attacked by Alabama State Troopers in an attempt to suppress the Black vote.

“Black history specifically completes the narrative of American History,” said Wilson, whose entire life prepared him for this opportunity.

“I was raised in history. A lot of it is because of who my dad is,” he said about his father, a Black Western history enthusiast.

Whether his success can be attributed to destiny, hard work, or a combination of both, Wilson’s responsibility to his family helped him overcome challenges along the way. “My daughter can’t eat my excuses.

Period. Excuses won’t keep the lights on.” Knowing that at some point the rubber had to meet the road, his dedication catalyzed a turning point.

“Always continue to keep your wheels in motion. Always do what’s in front of you,” he instructed, sharing encouragement through the same principles he wrote about in The Law of Action. “Every moment in life comes to you as a picture – take care of what’s in this frame.”

Wilson encourages fans and supporters to watch, inviting feedback and dialogue while expressing gratitude for the people and institutions that played an integral role in his journey. “Thank you guys for always supporting me,” Wilson emphasized. “I realize that I’m a representative of the community that made me, so thank you.”.

Editor’s Note: “I Was There” premieres on the History Channel on February 20 at 8:30 p.m. MST, 10:30 p.m. EST. For more information about Spitfire Public Speaking Program, visit http://SpitfirePublicSpeaking.com.

Share the Excitement In-Person! and Honor Our

Denver Center for the Performing Arts Seawell Ballroom

March 30, 2022, 5:30pm - 9pm Located in the Helen Bonfils Theater Complex

1350 Arapahoe St. Denver, CO 80204 Tickets to be Announced

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – January 2022

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Awards & Community Celebration The 12th Annual be well Awards and Community Celebration coming this Spring.

Nominations Nominations for unsung heroes are still being accepted through Monday, March 28, 2022. Please visit https://bit.ly/3FQeUCeBeWellAwards2022 to nominate your unsung hero who has made a difference in the be well Zone neighborhoods of Park Hill, East Colfax, Northwest Aurora, Montbello, and Central Park.

Thriving in a Pandemic Join us for a virtual night of live music, food, special guests, and giveaways as we honor unsung heroes in our communities who have gone above and beyond to ensure all people’s health and well-being through the COVID 19 pandemic and racial reckoning. Stay tuned for more details.

Coming this Spring!

bewellconnect.net 303-468-3239 For current events please call or visit our website.

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – January 2022

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Amanda Gordon

Editor’s note: During Black History Month, Denver Urban Spectrum honors African Americans who are making a difference in the lives of others. Based on recognition, number of times nominated, impact and service to the commumity, 14 individuals (from 40+ nominations) were selected as the 2022 AAWMAD honorees. They shared their achievements, what motivated them, and how they would like to be remembered. Once you read their profiles you will understand why they were chosen.

Owner, GoJo Auto Co-Founder, Women of Color Automotive Network (WOCAM)

A manda Gordon is the first Black woman in Colorado to secure an automotive dealers license. Through her business, her most notable contribution to the African American community over the past year has been bringing awareness to the auto industry for people of color. She also provided a $10,000 grant for start-up costs to Trunk Desk, which won the grand prize of the Black Business Initiative Pitch Black “shark tank” business program. Gordon has a staff of 10 that is 80% African American and bridging the financial literacy gap with car purchases.

GoJo Auto was a past sponsor of the DUS African Americans Who A Difference Black History Month celebration.

When asked why she takes an active role, Gordon says, “I take an active role because it’s my obligation to give as much as I take from the community.”

As a business owner she feels that ownership of businesses, housing, land, and organizations is a big challenge facing the African American community. She also says representation and education – us by us – will be the great equalizer.

Gordon says, “In the future I would like to accomplish expanding my automotive company so we can reach more opportunity zones in our community and have a greater economic impact.”

She would like to be remembered as one who changed lives around her, so generations to come have a head start and a better understanding of economics than she did early on.

A’Sauni McClure Owner, Reign High Shine Lip Gloss Owner, Suga Water

A ’Sauni McClure is an aspiring and inspiring 9-year-old youth entrepreneur with two businesses.

This 4th grader at Iowa Elementary in Aurora is the owner of Reign High Shine Lip Gloss and Suga Water beverages.

She started her lip gloss business at the age of 8, creating a flavor for the month of May in honor of Lupus Awareness month. She held a fundraiser and donated the proceeds to Purple Healer’s Inc. A few months later she started her flavored lemonade business, Suga Water beverages, which are available at two Denver stores.

member of her church’s outreach team, she also finds time to feed the homeless and provide clothing.

McClure says she takes an active role because “I want to inspire youth by showing them there are positive things to do.”

She also says, “Gun violence is a big challenge that can be resolved by getting more positive role models involved hands on with addressing these issues.”

Future goals include having her products manufactured and distributed to stores all over the world, her own storefront and youth empowering events. She wants to continue to excel in school and graduate at the top of her class.

McClure says, “I would like to be remembered as a caring person who loved to help out people in need. I want to be an inspiration, a positive role model and motivator for youth.”

their opportunities in the fastpaced real estate market.”

Over the past year Overton served on the cabinet committee for Housing and Urban Development for State Senator James Coleman to advise on specific, urgent issues affecting the community in relation to housing and the real estate market.

He says his purpose in life is simple. Service to others! He served his country in the military.

He protected and served his community as a police officer. All his businesses have been service based.

Overton says, “Our biggest challenge is realizing our own greatness. As a people we have endured torture, enslavement, racism, financial and educational oppression, yet still continue to rise. To overcome more than 400 years of this treatment at every level, something special is clearly inside each and every one of us waiting to be unleashed. Once we as a community realize we can accomplish anything, we will create a tidal wave of victory that will become the standard greatness that we operate under. And there is no going back to ‘average living’ after that.”

Overton wants to be remembered as a guy whose grind was as big as his dream! “And while I’m here, I want to create more visionaries that execute a plan to realize their wildest dreams.”

Barry Overton International Real Estate Advisor, Gulf War Veteran, Retired Police Detective, Author/Speaker

Over the past year between school and her businesses, McClure spends her time speaking and inspiring youth about starting their own businesses. She is very involved in the community. As a

B arry Overton is best known for helping buyers and sellers with their real estate needs. He says, “I like to make a dream of homeownership a reality for as many families as possible. I have managed to find different programs and companies that assist my clients to maximize

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Benilda “Benny” Samuels Chief Reimagining Officer Imaginable LLC

B ennie Samuels’ 30-year career has been creating, leading and expanding programs and organizations that open access and oppor-

tunity for individuals, families and children living in poverty and for those living farthest from opportunity. She says, “My work has been evident throughout health and human services.”

Over the past five years Samuels has created access to the best maternal health program in the country for young mothers living in poverty. She also led the family planning project that reduced unintended pregnancies in Colorado by 40%. Last year she directed more than $1 million in credit to Black and BIPOC leaders and organizations.

She takes an active role because she can and says, “I am certain that all my community needs is an honest opportunity, and I love my people.”

She feels that obstacles to “health, healing and wellness are the biggest threats to the African American community. We need to redefine who we are, our stories, our habits, our rituals. We need to shift and straighten our mindset, moving from plantation to freedom. We need to rebuild our communities – know our neighbors’ names, support our kids and take care of one another.”

In the future she’d like to serve as an anchor and support system for the new generation of social justice and community leaders.

She would like to be remembered as an anchor for others, as someone who lived free and authentically, as a friend, sistah and supporter.

Brandon Bruce Senior Project Manager, Dish Network CEO, Distinction Group Project Management Co. CEO, Harlem of the West Hookah

B randon Bruce is the vice president of the Denver alumni

chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Inc., cochair of the Denver African American Philanthropists, board chair for Giving Back 303, and past president of the Denver Urban League Young Professionals.

Bruce was recently awarded the National Urban League Young Professionals (DULYP) YP Honors, one of the most prestigious awards in the nation recognizing community service by young professionals.

Through his service with DULYP, Bruce collaborated with Odell Brewing in Five Points to create a signature brew resulting in more than $10,000 in donations for the national organization.

He chooses to be active due to his rearing in the Church of God in Christ Baptist Church and his strong faith in God. Bruce says he is guided by Scripture Matthew 5:16: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

He says accessing financial education and the freedom it creates is the most significant challenge to African Americans. “I believe that as a whole, African Americans could be better positioned in this country if we understood better how to use money as a tool to create, replicate and sustain general wealth.”

Bruce would like to grow Giving Back 303 to be a successful international African American-led disaster relief nonprofit, own a tobacco and nicotine-free hookah franchise, and become a multimillion dollar contributing philanthropist.

Bruce says, “I would like to be remembered as a progressing but not perfect man of God, who was the leader, philanthropist, lawyer, and business owner who answered the call to uplift his community for the betterment of others for generations to come.”

Congratulations

to the Denver Urban Spectrum’s

2022 African Americans Who Make A Difference

Chad J. Nash, Ph.D. Owner, The Real Estate Doctor, LLC Owner & CEO, The Re-Doc Group Owner & CEO, Re: Works CRM Platform

C had Nash is known as a lifelong educator with leadership positions within Denver Public Schools and as a native of Far Northeast Denver (Montbello).

He was the #1 ranked producing African American residential real estate agent within greater metro Denver in 2020 and 2021 with a brokerage real estate team of 30 agents of color.

During 2021, Nash served as vice chair of the Inclusion and Diversity and Equity Committee of the South Metro Denver Realtor Association. He has been teaching the Pathways to Ownership Program that prepares Black and Brown Americans for homeownership. His Doing Real Estate for GOOD Charitable Giving Program donated more than $50,000 to organizations serving Black, Brown and low-income communities.

Nash takes an active role because strong leaders and mentors took time to help him and his peers was to change their life trajectories and accomplish many goals, so he sees it as his duty to serve the youth and community in the same manner.

Nash strongly feels the largest disparities between African American communities and other communities are property ownership rates and strategic financial literacy. He believes these can be resolved with more education around real estate, estate planning and investing in money management. Work also needs to be accomplished on a macro-level to devise and advise policies on affordability and ensuring that the

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Black community has access to ownership and home ownership programs.

Future goals include building the largest, minority-owned/operated real estate brokerage in Colorado; establishing a Far Northeast land trust to protect the neighborhoods from gentrification and increase affordable housing; and establishing a foundation focusing on educational attainment, healthy lifestyles and property ownership.

Nash says “I simply want to be remembered as a man who loved his community and all its members, and to leave a lasting legacy of impact.”

Chartashia Miller Secretary, NAACP Aurora Branch TT Coaching With Results

C hartashia Miller has been the NAACP adult branch secretary in Aurora since November 2015. She has worked tirelessly to encourage NAACP membership and the general public to register to vote in local and national elections. She is an avid supporter of the organization’s vision to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights without racial discrimination.

Miller’s community involvement includes serving as an adviser of the Aurora Youth Commission, City of Aurora MLK Jr. Commemoration committee member, 2019 Ambassador of the Aurora Chamber of Commerce, and board chair for the Struggle of Love Foundation. Since 2018, Miller’s business has provided toiletries during an annual Thanksgiving food drive.

Miller has been recognized for her community service and work, recently receiving the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian

Award and the City of Aurora Community Spirit Award.

Miller feels two big challenges face the African American community. “At this point it is the pandemic. With many different variants being added at an accelerated pace, we must get vaccinated, we must get educated on how to stay safe, and wear our mask,” she says.

Homelessness is the other challenge, she says, because housing costs have gone up so much, making housing unaffordable for anyone with the basic income level.

The solution is to let more voices be heard, and for people to get involved and vote.

“I want to leave a legacy of love, compassion, respect, and real forgiving,” she says, and wants to be remembered as someone who always had time, as well as for her smile, integrity, compassion, a daily life of prayer, and the quote: “I am enough!”

DeBorah A. Powell Owner/Fashion Designer DeBorah’s Designs Made With Love

D eBorah Powell is best known as a fashion designer and community volunteer. Over the past year she served as an ambassador for the 100 Men Who Cook fundraising event, and volunteered and assisted with the Colorado Beautillion Cotillion Inc. Additionally, her volunteer service over the last five years has included fundraising and planning for grassroots organizations such as The Music and Leadership Institute, Boy’s Day, Urban Spectrum Youth Foundation, Hope Center, Sisters in Service, the Retired Enlisted Association, and Struggle of Love Foundation.

“I strongly believe that taking an active role in one’s community is the most important service I can provide, not only by giving back and paying it forward, but also to help see my community move forward.”

Powell feels the biggest challenges facing the African American community is working together as a people to help one another achieve goals. We can resolve this by working together in our families, communities and places of employment.

Future goals include supporting other grassroots groups who are truly working hard and making a difference in our community.

Powell says “I would like to be remembered as someone who inspired others to give of themselves to the world, and also as a pioneer who helped to provide a better future for our children.”

Burgess says, “As an African American woman in a male-dominated industry, I have been exposed to women leaders who take on leadership roles that may present challenges and they were successful at it.This motivated me to step to the platform and use the voice that was given to me to encourage other women to do the same.”

She feels the biggest challenge facing the African American community is workforce readiness.

“We are all taught that we have to attend a university. However, there are also great opportunities in the trades. There are opportunities both as an owner and as a professional service employee. Long-term community sustainability starts with livable wage jobs today. The construction industry offers that.”

In the future she would like to develop construction certification courses that would lead to immediate employment.

Burgess would like to be remembered as a forward-thinking first mover in Colorado. “I want young Black women to remember that we have options to be included in whatever industry we want.”

Denise Burgess President and CEO Burgess Services, Inc.

D enise Burgess is best known for her community development with the Denver Urban Renewal Authority, as well as being a part of almost all major projects in downtown Denver. This has made Burgess Services a powerful resource for Denver’s urban development.

Over the last five years her accomplishments include the development of the City and County of Denver Justice Center and the Westin Hotel at Denver International Airport. Burgess Services was awarded a $39.6 million mechanical contract at the airport – the largest contract ever awarded to a Black-owned business.

During the past year she promoted community resources for COVID-19 vaccinations, ensuring that our communities had access and knowledge from healthcare providers that look like our African American community.

Archer says “As a registered nurse, educator and servant leader, I choose to take an active role as this is my calling, passion and duty to help others.”

She feels some of the biggest challenges facing the African American community are education and health disparities, attainment of progressive policies and wealth literacy, and lack of opportunities for youth ages 16 to 25. In her opinion, the best way to resolve these challenges is with the meaningful, collective impact of African American organizations converging toward a uniformity of common goals.

In the future, “I would like to plan, build and implement the Black Neighborhood Innovation Centers of Excellence (B-Nice), a one-stop shop that would house all our community needs and resources under a unified roof.”

She would like to be remembered as a Black woman who was a good daughter, sister, mother, friend, and a devoted healthcare provider, educator and philanthropist who gave unselfishly and was compassionate about her community.

Elerie Archer, MBA, BSN, RN Nurse Aide Instructor/Program Coordinator Cherry Creek Innovation Campus

E lerie Archer is best known as the convener of resources and for creating innovative health and wellness solutions that address the healthcare disparities and inequities that affect the Black community.

She has hosted and sponsored health and wellness fairs, workshops and educational seminars that promote mental health awareness and knowledge for creating a healthier lifestyle.

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Kamau Martinez a.k.a. DJ KTone Founder & CEO, KTone Cares Foundation DJ/Entertainer/Influencer/Philanthropist

K amau Martinz, is best known throughout the metro Denver area as DJ KTone and for his contributions to the music scene as well as his cultural and philanthropic

work. He established KTone Cares Foundation in May 2021 during the pandemic and launched four successful block parties in the Park Hill neighborhood over the summer. In collaboration with ECMC (Educational Credit Management Corporation) The College Place Colorado, he presented a successful FAFSA (Financial Aid - Federal Student Aid) resource fair for high school students and their parents.

KTone’s most notable contribution has been presenting the DJ KTone annual Book Award where he has provided approximately 20 monetary scholarships to high school seniors.

He says “I grew up in the same environment like a lot of the youth today, and because of my blessings, I feel it is my responsibility to give back to the community.”

DJ KTone believes one of the biggest challenges facing the African American community is the stigma associated with mental health, especially how it impacts Black men. He says, “I believe the resolution is open and honest dialogue to provide a safe environment to bring the issue to the forefront.”

Future plans include growing his foundation so he can continue to provide opportunities for the African American community as well as those that are unequally impacted, economically and socially.

DJ KTone says, “I’d like to be remembered as someone who actually came from it, saw a need, took action, and made a difference for the community and the culture.”

who trains, supervises and develops others.

Over the past year she has supervised and facilitated the credentialing of African and African American mental and behavioral health professionals. Over the past five years she has facilitated and supervised the creation of at least five African American-owned and operated behavioral health services facilities.When asked why she takes an active role, Lewis says, “I have been blessed with powerful credentials and I know they are to be used as tools to unpack the awareness and insight of as many of my people as I can reach. Since I am just one person, it just makes sense to help create other professionals committed to the same work.”

She feels the biggest challenges facing the African American community is the lack of capacity to see ourselves for who we are. “We will be much improved when we can see ourselves as a connected community, a unique culture with unique contributions to this country. As long as we emulate the ways of the status quo, without fully understanding a) who we are, b) our role in the evolution of the United States of America as a truly exceptional nation, and c) our unlimited potential, oppression will be the biggest challenge facing our African-American community.”

She looks forward to becoming a best-selling author and a nationally recognized behavioral economist.

Lewis says, “I would like to be remembered as a locksmith, unlocking the barriers to our universal peace of mind so our capacities live up to our greatest potentials as infinite and eternal beings.”

Join Dr. Marjorie B. Lee Lewis Behavioral Economist Mental Health and Wellness Professional

D r. Marjorie B. Lee Lewis is best known in the Denver community as a mental health professional

Denver Urban Spectrum as we celebrate the 2022 African Americans Who Make A Difference with a virtual celebration on Thursday, February, 24.

For details, see the ad on page 19.

Mekialaya White Anchor/Reporter/Media Personality CBS Denver M ekialaya White is best known in the Denver community as being a voice for the voiceless in her storytelling. As a journalist she says “I get to illuminate the stories of communities all across Denver and help spark change.”

She is a great listener and comforts people in their most vulnerable and thrilling moments in life.

She says, “It’s powerful and I am honored.”

White has written and produced several stories highlighting African Americans in the Denver metro area – everything from Denver’s mayor to a football player who overcame adversity as a kid from Montbello and the executive director of the Kwanzaa committee, working to preserve the holiday after COVID split people apart.

After 10 years in the industry and being a recognized African American female news professional, she says representation matters, “and using my profession to shine light on topics that matter to the community. It matters for little boys and girls to see that they can achieve their dreams to.”

As a child, she was told by a teacher that she was a student who talked too much in school.

White’s response is, “I’ve always been a people lover and it does my heart good to use my voice to help others.”

Future plans include mentoring a new generation of leaders and helping them to discover their full potential in the field journalism.

White says she would like to be remembered as kind, compassionate, passionate, loving, strong, and intentional.

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Nikki Swarn General Manager and Program Director 104.7 the DROP N ikki Swarn is a conduit for change in the leadership roles that African American women play in media and entertainment. She is responsible for establishing a new public radio format that features an all African American air staff.

Swarn’s contributions include supporting the LGBTQ+ community, the unhoused and those struggling with mental health. She creates radio programs that focus on community issues and develops community engagement events ranging from food and toy drives to educational opportunities.

Swarn says, “As a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, service to our community remains at the heart of everything I do.”

She takes an active role because she has always considered herself a servant leader. “It is important to support my community with grace and gratitude,” she says.

Swarn says the biggest challenges facing the African-American community are holding onto our heritage and remaining connected to the past while moving into the space of innovation. “We must continue to recognize future leaders and provide them the space and opportunities to flourish with support and love … it is critical.”

She would like to be remembered as a generous spirit who was proud to serve her community and always willing to share her journey and her wisdom, exemplified a brand of leadership that was caring composed, confident, and fun with an unwavering commitment towards the success of her colleagues and coworkers, and as someone who loved her family and friends fiercely and always wore a smile (with dimples). .

Olumide Olatawura’s, BLACK LOVE Documentary Explores Divide Amongst People Of Black Ancestry

By Steve O’Connor

O

lumide Olatawura, a Nigerian filmmaker and his team are excited to announce the upcoming release of BLACK LOVE, a documentary that explores the strained relationship between the various Black ancestry communities. The film is slated to be released in April.

BLACK LOVE is a passion project which grew from Olatawura’s trip to Washington DC that left him with overwhelming culture shock.

Olatawura visited a predominantly Black neighborhood where he experienced a quintessential Black scene straight from the silver screens of Hollywood. Children were frolicking in the street as men peddled CDs, and police cruisers lounged at the bus stop.

The scene was instantly jarring, and Olatawura was immediately struck with fear. His societal indoctrination was bursting at the seams, and the environment he found himself in was deemed unsafe. He quickly left.

But while on his sojourn home, he was struck by a stark realization.

Why was he so afraid of Black people when he himself is Black?

Why is there such discord between Africans, African Americans, and Caribbean people? These introspective musings were the foundation that inspired Olatawura to create BLACK LOVE. Olatawura uses his Nigerian upbringing as the basis for his creative vein. Though his childhood was marginalized and lacked the necessities, he was never short of love.

This unique dichotomy, coupled with his innate ability to create fresh per-

spectives at the drop of a hat, has molded the man into the dynamic artist he is. His repertoire boasts various music videos and short films, which he has written to rave reviews.

The BLACK LOVE cohort consists of Zach Klaus, a recent graduate of the Colorado Film School; James Asankoma Tandoh, artiste creator of The TolKn Mic podcast on YouTube; Rich Orman, a cinematographer and filmmaker who doubled as director and producer; and Olanrewaju Olatunji, a Nigerian director, editor, and colorist.

The documentary features Theo Wilson, national Poetry Slam champion, activist, stage actor, and TED Talks presenter; Dr. Quintard Taylor, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Washington, Seattle and founder of blackpast.org; Dr.Yvonne Captain, Associate Professor of Latin American Film and Literature and International Affairs at The George Washington University; and Rosalind “Bee” Harris, publisher of the Denver Urban Spectrum magazine.

Olatawura undertook the arduous task of filming the full-length documentary while still a full-time student at the Colorado Film School.

Despite having a full plate and having to leave the state to complete filming due to conflicting schedules, Olumide was never deterred. Instead, in the fashion of a true leader, he depended on his team’s strengths to keep the project on course.

The hard work that went into the process all paid off. Before its slated April release, BLACK LOVE was reviewed by the Colorado Film School, where it copped an Exemplary Award. Upon its release, it will be screened in Denver, Atlanta, Los Angeles, D.C, and Dallas before distribution.

When asked what he hopes to achieve by releasing this film, Olumide shared, “I aim to shed more light on the challenges going on within the African Ancestry Community. I want it to help bridge the divide, which will inevitably create more economical and financial opportunities within the community.”.

Editor’s note: For more information on Olatawura’s work, email olumideolatawura@gmail.com.

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Stronger STEM, Stronger Society: Honoring Rachel B. Noel’s Legacy Dr. Calvin Mackie, 2022 Rachel B. Noel Distinguished Visiting Professor OLETA ADAMS

By Melovy Melvin

Friday, February 18 at 8pm Since the success of her 1990 debut album Circle of One (which went Platinum), and the hit single “Get Here,” Oleta Adams takes listeners on journeys of the heart via songs that draw deeply from her roots in gospel, while crossing effortlessly into the realms of soul, R&B, urban, and popular music. In 2019, Oleta was inducted into the American Jazz Walk of Fame at the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City, MO, and in 2017, Oleta was the honoree of the Legends Award at the televised Black Music Honors, acknowledging her influence and significant music contributions to African American culture and American music worldwide.

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etropolitan State University of Denver selected Dr. Calvin Mackie, founder of STEM NOLA, as the 2022 Rachel B. Noel Distinguished Visiting Professor. Dr. Mackie is an award-winning mentor, inventor, author, former engineering professor, internationally renowned speaker, and successful entrepreneur. To date, STEM NOLA has engaged over 70,000 K-12 students in hands-on project-based STEM activities. In 2021, he launched STEM Global Action to advance K-12 STEM education across the U.S. and the world.

Mackie is also the President and CEO of the Channel ZerO Group LLC, an educational and professional development consulting company he co-founded in 1992. He has presented to numerous civic and educational institutions, government entities, professional associations, and businesses of every size and industrial focus.

He has won numerous awards including the 2019 Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Board’s Chair Phoenix Award, which recog nizes individuals whose extraordinary achievements

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – January 2022

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strengthen communities and improve the lives of individuals and families, nationally and globally.

Dr. Mackie is the author of two award-winning books: A View from the Roof: Lessons for Life and Business and Grandma’s Hands: Cherished Moments of Faith and Wisdom.

Dr. Mackie will speak to the theme, Stronger STEM Stronger Society, all events are free to attend and will be livestreamed and open to all.

•On Tuesday, March 8, the Noel community program will recognize students and community members, feature a talk by Dr. Mackie from 6 - 7:30 p.m.

•On Wednesday, March 9, Dr. Mackie will deliver a keynote presentation at MSU Denver from 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

The Rachel B. Noel Distinguished Visiting Professorship was initiated in 1981 to foster multiculturalism, diversity, and academic excellence at Metropolitan State University of Denver. The professorship brings renowned scholars and artists of distinction to MSU Denver to conduct classes, seminars, performances, and lectures for students, faculty, and the larger Denver community.

Rachel B. Noel Distinguished Professors have included such luminaries as professor Cornel West, MSNBC host Joy-Ann Reid, pianist Billy Taylor, author Iyanla Vanzant, former president of Spelman College Johnetta Cole, jazz singer Diane Reeves, the late actor and civil rights activist Ossie Davis, and executive editor of Ebony magazine Lerone Bennett Jr.

She came to MSU Denver as a teacher of sociology and African American Studies in 1969 and served as chair of the African American Studies Department from 1971 to 1980.

About Rachel B. Noel A champion of the civil rights movement in Denver and in Colorado, Rachel Noel was the first African American woman elected to public office in Colorado, the first African American elected to the Denver Public Schools’ (DPS) Board of Education, the first African American to be a member and chair of the University of Colorado Board of Regents, and the first African American woman elected statewide in Colorado.

On April 25, 1968, she presented the DPS board with the Noel Resolution, recognizing that the “establishment of an integrated school population is desirable to achieve equality of educational opportunity.” It directed the superintendent to develop “a comprehensive plan for the integration of the Denver Public Schools.” Under a cloud of threats to Noel and her family, the resolution passed on May 17, 1968. The U.S. Supreme Court would eventually affirm Noel’s position in its landmark decision of 1973, Keyes v.

Denver School District No. 1, making Denver the first city outside the American South to be instructed by the country’s highest court to address de facto segregation with school busing.

Noel also played a critical role in MSU Denver’s history.

Photo by Steve Larson/The Denver Post

Directed by Jada Suzanne Dixon

Noel died at the age of 90 in 2008. During her lifetime and after, Noel’s legacy has inspired the MSU Denver community and beyond. In 1981, the University created The Rachel B. Noel Distinguished Visiting Professorship to honor Noel. A recipient of many awards and distinctions, Noel also lived to see a Denver Public Schools middle school named in her honor. Although that middle school was closed, the building and campus is still called the Rachel B. Noel campus and is home to various charter programs. The Noel Community Arts School, housed in the former Montbello High School building, consists of both a high school and a middle school.

Noel was awarded honorary doctoral degrees from the University of Denver in 1993 and the University of Colorado in 2004 and an honorary degree from MSU Denver in 1981. She held a bachelor’s degree from Hampton University and a master’s degree from Fisk University. Noel received many other commendations and accomplishments.

For more information and to RSVP visit www.msudenver.edu/noelprofessorship.

Stick Fly is a play about a wealthy family on Martha’s Vineyard and what should be a relaxing summer weekend.

But everything goes south when the LeVay brothers bring new girlfriends home to meet their wealthy and imposing parents. Secrets are uncovered and dynamics of race, class, and cultural expectations come into play.

March 18 - May 19, 2022 Performed in repertory

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Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – January 2022

21

Judge Gary Jackson Continues Family Legacy of Breaking Barriers and Building Opportunities Gary and Regina Jackson

By Niambi Nicholes

D

enver County Court Senior Judge Gary Jackson stands on the shoulders of his great-grandfather William Pitts, a man with a vision to build a better life for his family, ultimately creating a legacy of breaking barriers while building opportunities. As a son of an enslaved woman and slave owner living through the repressive segregation era, Pitts understood the value of land and property ownership. As a carpenter, he sought opportunities to establish a foundation to build his own.

Pitts moved to Colorado from Missouri as part of the

great migration because more opportunities existed. He first purchased property to raise his family in what is now known as Denver’s Cherry Creek North area. He then purchased land in Lincoln Hills Colorado, where he built a family cabin and leveraged his expertise to help construct other lodges in the area for others to enjoy, including the famed Winks Lodge.

Lincoln Hills was a vision centered around Black entrepreneurship, ownership and creating a distinct community that

didn’t exist exclusively for Blacks at the time. Lincoln Hills became the country’s only Black-owned resort community west of the Mississippi River.

Undoubtedly, this is a critical element in Black history.

However, for Jackson, this is a part of his cherished family history. Jackson was raised on the foundation built by his greatgrandfather – his grandparents lived in the house built by Pitts, it’s where his childhood memories were established, and his path was paved. He grew up in Denver’s Cherry Creek North neighborhood - one of Denver’s wealthiest neighborhoods today and graduated from George Washington High School in 1963. He has fond memories of spending his summers in Lincoln Hills with his family. It always was and continues to be, a special place of retreat for him.

“It’s a place that represents freedom, to enjoy mountain recreations but also serves as a ref-

Zepher family cabin built by Pitts

uge to have moments of reflection,” explained Judge Jackson.

“When I look up at the Pitts Place street sign leading up to our cabin in Lincoln Hills, I’m reminded how the road less traveled can often reap great rewards.”

While Pitts’ opened the doors of opportunities within real estate, Jackson’s path led him to further his equality advocacy work and expand the doors for Blacks within the field

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of law. He began his legal career becoming Colorado’s only Black deputy district attorney with the Denver District Attorney’s Office in 1970 and became a chief trial deputy at the age of 27. In 1971, Jackson helped found the Sam Cary Bar Association, which promotes professionalism and exchanging ideas among African-American lawyers. He served as its first president and helped create a scholarship endowment for deserving Black law students. At the time, Jackson was one of roughly a dozen Black lawyers in Colorado.

Jackson established a storied career and legacy of his own, having served 43 years as a practicing lawyer and as a Denver County Court Judge for eight years until his retirement in 2020. He has received numerous awards throughout his career, including his induction into the prestigious Blacks in Colorado Hall of Fame. This honor is bestowed to a Coloradan who has been the first African American to accomplish a professional goal or a pioneer in their field while actively supporting the African American community.

However, nothing has been more rewarding than his work in the community, serving as a youth advocator and a legal mentor.

Today, he relishes being a historian working to preserve, maintain and further the family legacy established in 1919 including celebrating the 100th anniversary of Lincoln Hills this

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year. Jackson is now focused on expanding the foundation set forth by his great-grandfather. He will join his wife, Regina Jackson, to continue their family legacy in

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William Pitts (in hat) with family

SAVE THE DATE

September 17, 2022 | 6-10pm Denver Museum of Nature and Science

Colorado real estate through Action Jackson Realty.

Together, they will continue advocating for racial equity and anti-racism practices.

“The majority of American wealth is connected to homeownership,” explained Regina Jackson. “People who don’t own homes are missing the chance to build generational wealth. We are invested in promoting diversity and inclusion in real estate, ensuring opportunities are available to build from.”

They envision operating under a value system of health (physical/mental), family, philanthropy, wisdom, personal growth and integrity. Their goal is to inspire, inform, and help other people see and embrace a legacy that can be created through property ownership.

“My great-grandfather showed and taught us early that a home is where a legacy begins, but property ownership is how the legacy continues,” explained Judge Jackson.

“Together with my wife, I look forward to the next phase of life and career on a path that will continue to open the doors of opportunities to benefit generations to come.”.

Editor’s note: For more information about Lincoln Hills visit www.historiclincolnhills.com/.

For more information, contact Bruce Duran at ddhope1@comcast.net or dd@hopecenterinc.org .

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Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – January 2022

23

‘Overcoming the pandemic of racism’

By Cory Phare

The convergence of two public health crises – COVID and the continuing impacts of racism – took center stage at MSU Denver’s annual event celebrating the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. Jeff Fard delivers the keynote address at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace Breakfast at MSU Denver on Jan. 14, 2022.

T

he 2022 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Breakfast took place Friday against the backdrop of sobering health statistics: Adjusted for age, national COVID hospitalization rates in Black communities are 2.6 times that of white their counterparts, with a death rate of nearly twice that. Similar or greater disparities exist among censusdefined Hispanic and American Indian/Alaskan populations as well.

Social determinants of health were front and center at the event, an annual tradition at Metropolitan State University of Denver since 1992. The theme of this year’s celebration, held in the Tivoli Student Union, was “Overcoming the Pandemic of Racism.”

“I call this the ‘X-ray vision’ virus, since it’s shown us everything about everyone in every system, in real-time,” said keynote speaker Jeff Fard (better known ‘brother jeff’). “We can wash our hands and wear masks to fight COVID, but what are our instructions to fight racism?”

A longtime public health advocate, Fard spoke of his

time as an orderly at Denver’s Mercy Hospital in the midst of the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, noting the stigmatization of affected groups including “homosexuals, Haitians and hemophiliacs…considered ‘disposable populations.’”

Fard also called upon the need to adopt intersectional lenses to address systemic failure, and he noted the critical role that educators, such as those being honored, have in continuing the work of the marquee event’s namesake throughout the year.

“History is not dead facts of the past,” Fard said. “What happened five minutes ago affects what happens five minutes from now. What happened 50 years ago affects what happens 50 years from now.”

“You and I are responsible for creating the world we want to live in,” he added. “Let’s overcome this pandemic even though we know there’s no mask for it.”

MLK Peace Award winners MSU Denver honors individuals who keep Martin Luther King, Jr.’s spirit and dream alive through their contri-

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – January 2022

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Photo by Josh Geurink

butions to peace, justice, diversity, equality and social change.

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Winners of the MLK Peace Award included faculty, staff and community members. This year’s winners were Ally Garcia, Ed.D. – Assistant Dean/Director, MSU Denver TRIO Student Support Services; Katia Campbell, Ph.D. – Communication Studies professor; Faculty Senate President; Rosalind “Bee” Harris – Owner/Publisher/Art Director, Denver Urban Spectrum; and Soj Sirivanchai, M.S. – Retention and Success Advisor, MSU Denver’s Gender Institute for Teaching and Advocacy..

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How to Leverage Reverse Mortgages to Benefit You in the Golden Years Dispelling the Negative Rumors around Reverse Mortgages for African Americans

By Barry Overton

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ver the years, the reverse mortgage industry has gotten a bad rap in the African American community. A big reason for this, was past history of unethical lending practices that occurred prior to the mortgage industry in Colorado requiring lenders to be licensed.

The truth of the matter is “ignorance is bliss” unless it involves your finances. In order for us to progress financially as a race, it is important that we become more knowledgeable of how we can take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves. If you have all the right information on how a reverse mortgage works, it becomes a very powerful tool for your real estate portfolio.

Imagine having your dream home and not ever having a mortgage payment on it. That is the reality that many Americans over the age of 62 can experience with a reverse mortgage.

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – January 2022

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Let’s start with the basics.

What is a reverse mortgage? In its simplest terms, a reverse mortgage is a loan against your property that doesn’t have to be repaid as long as you are alive, and the property is your primary residence. So why is a reverse mortgage considered risky by some homeowners?

You’ve heard the adage, knowledge is power, and that’s really what it comes down to. If you are a senior, you must have a clear understanding of how reverse mortgages work.

As long as you live in the property, you as the homeowner will never have a mortgage payment but you do still have three main responsibilities.

As the homeowner, you are required to: 1. Pay the property taxes on time.

2. Pay the homeowners insurance on time 3. And Your home must be kept in good repair, you cannot allow the condition of the property to decline.

One note to mention is that the property must always be your primary residence. This does not mean you can’t have a vacation home. You must spend six months and one day in the home that has the reverse mortgage. Those are the only areas that can be considered for default and potential foreclo-

sure on a reverse mortgage. So traction is by using it to puras you can see it’s pretty simple chase your forever home, the to avoid default or foreclosure. It home that you will essentially has only been due to lack of grow old in. knowledge of how this works Imagine being able to purthat has caused seniors to chase your dream home and not experience foreclosure proceedhave one mortgage payment to ings on a reverse mortgage make on it, and as long as you property. take care of those responsibilities Now that you understand that we discussed in the first how to avoid the negative part of this article. Your $0 payresults of a reverse mortgage, ment will remain the same let’s talk about the more positive throughout your lifetime. So you side of it. Many homeowners see, there’s nothing to really fear that are reaching the age of 62 or in reverse mortgages as long as older are utilizing reverse mortyou understand how they work. gages in their current home in For more information on reverse order that they may use the mortgage products, seek out a equity that’s in the property to reverse mortgage specialist or continue to live in the property feel free to reach out to me and I without having a mortgage pay- can connect you with a trusted ment. Part of the requirement is reverse mortgage expert..

Editor’s note: Barry Overton is a that you have at least 50% of licensed Real Estate with New Era equity in your home. That is the general rule of thumb, but every Group at Your Castle Real Estate.

He has been an agent since 2001, lender varies in regards to the and started investing in real estate in percentage of equity.

1996. For more information, email: Typically, on a reverse mortbarrysellsdenver@msn.com or call gage, there are no minimum 303-668-5433. credit score requirements. The reasoning is primarily, the main thing lenders want to know is whether you can handle the INTERESTED IN ongoing expenses required to JOURNALISM? maintain the house, but lenders will check to ensure that you do Join an award winning team! not have any delinquent federal debt. Another added benefit to a WE’RE LOOKING FOR: reverse mortgage is you can •ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT actually take out a lump sum of WRITERS your equity or you can have •FEATURE REPORTERS monthly installments of the •ADVERTISING SALES REPS mortgage equity paid to yourself. But one of the most recent For more information, email ways a reverse mortgage has publisher@urbanspectrum.net been used that is getting a lot of

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Colorado Media Project Announces Nearly $1 Million in Grants to Strengthen Community News and Advance Equity in Local Newsrooms Across the State The Colorado Media Project announced 26 new grants totalling $957,150 that will support Colorado newsrooms, journalists, and media entrepreneurs in launching new projects and strengthening existing efforts to serve communities across the state.

These awards also kick off Colorado Media Project’s second three-year commitment as a community-informed, multi-funder coalition dedicated to supporting innovations that make the state’s local media ecosystem more sustainable, collaborative, inclusive, and accountable to the public it serves.

Collectively, CMP funders have pledged to commit funds over the next three years to support local communities’ civic news and information needs.

development, and national affiliations for this respected monthly magazine serving Coloradans of color, with a focus on Black communities.

Community News Network

KSJD News/Community Radio and KSUT Tribal/Four Corners Radio $135,000 over three years to support “Voices from the Edge of the Colorado Plateau”, a multi-year collaborative project led by these two public media outlets, with a new full-time Indigenous affairs reporter position and community engagement efforts to expand both stations’ efforts to amplify diverse voices and perspectives in rural Southwestern Colorado.

Community News Network grantees were selected from a competitive pool of 30 applicants representing small nonprofit and/or locally-owned civic newsrooms that serve Colorado residents who — because of language, race or ethnicity, and/or geography — are not adequately served by other news outlets in the state.

In making the awards, CMP prioritized news outlets that have a clear track record of service to communities of color and/or rural communities, demonstrate fiscal sustainability, and have a robust plan to use grant funds to expand or sustain their impact. Finally, we tried to balance our grantee cohort in terms of geographies and racial/ethnic communities served.

These six newsrooms will receive a total of $680,000 in CMP grants over three years (20222024) and participate in cohort learning opportunities, knowledge sharing, and evaluation made possible through generous support from The Colorado Trust: Denver Urban Spectrum $135,000 over three years to support digital innovation, business

El Comercio de Colorado $135,000 over three years to support Spanish-language coverage of a newly created congressional district in Northern Colorado, and a social media manager to strengthen digital distribution of this bi-weekly newspaper serving Latino Coloradans on the Front Range.

Entérate Latino $80,000 over three years to support local reporting and production of this monthly newspaper, which is a vital resource for Spanish speakers in Grand Junction and surrounding cities on the Western Slope.

Rocky Mountain Community Radio $120,000 over three years to support a new managing editor or reporter position to expand thematic story collaboration, partnerships and distribution for this network of 19 mostly-rural or mountain community radio stations, who collectively reach more than 415,000 unique listeners per week.

Southeast Express $75,000 over three years to strengthen hyperlocal reporting and increase production for this community newspaper serving residents of Southeast Colorado Springs, in the city’s lowest-income ZIP codes, through support for diverse staff and local contributors.

Advancing Equity In Local News Collectively, these 18 grantees were awarded a total of $277,150 to support projects that address one or more of these three priorities identified by community members and journalists of color through News Voices: Colorado, a collaborative project led by Free Press, Colorado News Collaborative and Colorado Media Project in 2021: •Support internal efforts to strengthen diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in Colorado newsrooms; •Strengthen connections and build trust between Colorado newsrooms and the diverse communities they serve; and/or •Support more diverse and inclusive civic news leadership, entrepreneurship, ownership and narratives.

Grantees will receive cohort support and share lessons learned at a Reporting on Inequities conference in Fall 2022.

2022 is the first year of CMP’s three-year Advancing Equity in Local News grant program. Two more rounds of funding will be made available for new or continuing work, with applications opening in Fall 2022 and Fall 2023.

Funding for this program comes from: The Colorado Health Foundation, The Colorado Trust, Democracy Fund, Gates Family Foundation and Rose Community Foundation.

Internal DEI capacity-building for Colorado newsrooms Total Awarded: $113,950 •Colorado News Collaborative: $25,000 •Open Media Foundation: $25,000 •Mile High Asian Media: $25,000 •The Denver VOICE: $11,950 •Public News Service: $10,000 •Rocky Mountain Public Media: $10,000 •The Denver Newspaper Guild: $10,000 •KOTO Community Radio (Telluride): $5,000

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – January 2022

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Strengthening connections and building trust between Colorado newsrooms and the diverse communities they serve Total Awarded: $128,200 •Colorado News Collaborative: $25,000 •Colorado State University – Pueblo: $25,000 •KGNU Community Radio (Boulder): $25,000 Afrik Digest: $15,000 •Colorado Community Media: $15,000 •Fresh Water News: $10,000 Sentinel Colorado (Aurora): $7,200 •Denver North Star/G.E.S. Gazette: $6,000 Supporting more diverse and inclusive civic news entrepreneurship, leadership, ownership and narratives Total Awarded: $35,000 •Hablemos Hoy: $15,000 •KETO Multicultural Community Radio (Aurora): $15,000 •FactorX LLC: $5,000

Editor’s note: Colorado Media Project (CMP) started in spring 2018 as a community-led response to the decline in local news across the state, producing and helping initiate media research, collaborative reporting projects, and funding opportunities. In January 2022, CMP named executive committee members from foundations making multi-year commitments to Colorado media through CMP: The Colorado Health Foundation (Jaclyn Lensen), The Colorado Trust (Johanna Ulloa), Democracy Fund (Teresa Gorman), Gates Family Foundation (Melissa Davis) and Rose Community Foundation (Sarah Kurz). Colorado funders interested in joining the CMP Funder Table, which will include a series of learning opportunities, should email Melissa Davis at mdavis@gatesfamilyfoundation.org.

Celebrating the Life of Odell Carl Barry October 10, 1941 – January 3, 2022 Odell Carl Barry was born October 10, 1941. He departed this life on Monday, January 3, peacefully at his home in Westminster, Colorado. He was born to the union of the late Elsie Miller and Odell Barry Sr. in Memphis, Tennessee.

Odell met Glenda Corbitt as students at Jessup W. Scott High School in Toledo, Ohio.

Odell went on to Findlay College and after staying in touch, he and Glenda married in June, 1966. They had two sons, Jay Sr. and Damon, from their 55 years of marriage.

Odell was a Denver Broncos football player from 1964-65, the state’s first Black mayor elected to the city of Northglenn and a prominent local leader. In the years to come, Odell became a successful entrepreneur and a community leader. His impact with the Denver Broncos included chairing a committee that was instrumental in the creation of Empower Field at Mile High, serving as a member of the Denver Broncos Alumni Association’s Board of Directors and a founding member of the Denver Broncos Alumni Charities.

It was because of his remarkable speed playing college football at Findlay College that the Broncos took a chance on him as their 145th overall pick in the 1964 AFL Draft.

As a rookie, he sparked the Broncos to one of their two wins that season with a 48yard punt return for a touchdown against the New York Jets and 139 total return yards.But Odell’s promising football career would end abruptly in 1965, when he underwent surgery to remove an infected kidney.

He stayed in the Denver area and proceeded to start anew in Northglenn’s recreation department, where he would spend several years, eventually rising to the position of Director of the Northglenn Recreation District. Even though he originally planned to be there only six months, he would discover his desire to help his new community far outweighed any desire to go somewhere new.

In the years that followed, Odell remained active in the community even as he moved on from a focus on recreation. In 1972, he was sworn in as a Northglenn City Councilman, and he would also venture into business more, eventually opening Dairy Queen Brazier and working as a partner in a real estate firm. Odell served on the Northglenn City Council from 1972 to 1979 before being elected mayor, and then remained a major figure in the Colorado Democratic Party after leaving office. Still, football and recreation would hold a significant place in his heart, and he took off two weeks every summer to run the Northglenn Recreation Center’s football camp.

As the 1970s came to a close, he mounted his campaign for mayor of Northglenn, ultimately defeating the incumbent in the election in 1980 and,

serving two terms. It was an historic moment for the state, as Odell broke a color barrier as Colorado’s first Black mayor of a major city.

Odell returned to private life in 1982, remaining a pillar in the community. He served on the Colorado Economic Development Commission, which helped bring the Colorado Rockies as a Major League Baseball team to Denver, organized a yearly dinner to benefit a multiple sclerosis foundation for nearly two decades and was an important figure in politics in the region, including a role model for Denver’s current mayor, Michael Hancock, and the city’s first Black mayor, Wellington Webb.

Odell founded Barry & Associates, a real estate and consulting company. He has served as a chair, president, director, or board member for many boards and organizations including the Democratic National Conventions from 1972 - 2012. He served as At-Large Committeeman of the Democratic National Convention, Vice Chair of the Site Selection Committee for the 1996 Democratic National Convention and Cochair of the 2nd Congressional District for Jessie Jackson’s Presidential campaign.

Odell’s other community involvement included being the first African American to become a charter member of Rotary International, the first African American to become President of the Colorado Civil Defense Association; VP of the National Black Caucus for Elected Officials; Chair and Member of the Colorado Economic Development Commission; Emeritus Member of the Board of Directors of the Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce; National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Central Colorado Chapter, Executive Board; National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, life member; Delta Eta Boule of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Inc.; Denver Alumni of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., life member; National Urban League, life member; Urban League of Colorado, Inc.; former Board of Directors member; University of Northern Colorado Foundation Board member; Vice Chair of Community Development Credit Union; Adams County Chamber of Commerce; Denver Broncos Alumni Association, past president; North Suburban Board of Realtors, member and past chairman; Kent Country Day School of Denver Board of Trustees; and Emeritus Member of the Board of Trustees-Findlay University.

Whether as a pioneering political leader, a remarkable businessman or in his years of work to help Northglenn’s recreation projects, Odell’s impact was most felt by children who grew up in the region.

He leaves to cherish his memory his wife Glenda C. Barry and two sons Jay Barry Sr., Damon Barry (Heather) five grandchildren, Jaydyn, Jiselle, Jay Jr., London and Alexis and a host of family members, friends and business associates.

Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – January 2022

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Rev. Dr. James E. Fouther, Jr., Pastor 4879 Crown Blvd., Denver, CO 80239 303-373-0070 http://ucm.ctsmemberconnect.net

Jazz by Yaz Straight-ahead jazz on alto and tenor sax for events and recordings.

Making transmissions well since 1983.

www.riverstonejazz.com yasuo@riverstonejazz.com Denver Urban Spectrum — www.denverurbanspectrum.com – January 2022

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Black pride from one generation to the next HONORING

BLACK

HISTORY

©2022 McDonald’s

MONTH

February 6–May 8, 2022 Explore the enduring legacy of Mexico’s La Malinche—one of history’s most enigmatic and fascinating figures.

Image: Alfredo Ramos Martínez, La Malinche (Young Girl of Yalala, Oaxaca), 1940. Oil paint on canvas; 50 x 401⁄2 in. Phoenix Art Museum: Museum purchase with funds provided by the Friends of Mexican Art, 1979.86. ©The Alfredo Ramos Martínez Research Project, reproduced by permission.

Traitor, Survivor, Icon: The Legacy of La Malinche is organized by the Denver Art Museum. This exhibition has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. Additional funding is provided by Furthermore: a program of the J. M. Kaplan Fund, University of Denver: College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, the donors to the Annual Fund Leadership Campaign, and the residents who support the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). Promotional support is provided by 5280 Magazine and CBS4. Special thanks to the National Institute of Anthropology and History and Mexico’s Secretary of Culture.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.