Denver Urban Spectrum - November 2022 - Clergy Burnout

DISTRIBUTION

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 permis sion 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, ad dress, and phone number. We will withhold author’s name on request. Unsolicited ar ticles are accepted without guarantee of pub lication 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.den verurbanspectrum.com.

MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR

A Season of Giving

We are nearing the infamous season of giving where acts of kindness and philanthropic efforts dominate news coverage as if it’s the only time of year that it happens. We know that good work happens year-round from all corners of society. For us here at DUS, we are entering this season shining the light on faith leaders and the sacrifices they make 24-7, 365 days a year.

In this issue contributing writer Brittany Winkfield pens a piece, “When the Pastor Gets Weary,” where we hear from local pastors how the pandemic impacted their lives. We are thankful that they stepped forward to put a voice on an experience that pastors around the coun try are going through but not talking about.

Also in this issue, contributing writer Michael Renee Giles shares her interview with Ron Thomas, Denver’s new police chief and his goal to move forward with community collaboration in mind. We share words from Olympian Allyson Felix’ keynote address to the Women’s Foundation of Colorado annual luncheon last month. Her journey from the track to advocate for maternal protection is a story worth sharing time and time again.

You’ll also find details about the program lineup for the 45th Denver Film Festival, running Nov. 2-13, including a special presentation where Denver Film teams with The Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival to present the Color of Conversation series.

November is also midterms, where your vote impacts elections at the local, state and federal level. We are not telling you how to vote and who to vote for in this midterm election, but we are reminding you that a lot of sacrifice has been made for your right to vote. We hope you do your part. We also hope you do your part in another sense. We are thankful for DUS advertisers for their continued support. We encourage you to support them knowing that they come to US, specifically to reach you.

Last, but not least, you will find our “Around Town” section. It is overflowing with images of US. Enjoy!

Angelia D. McGowan, Managing Editor

LETTERS, OP-EDS, OPINIONS

Let’s End TV Sports Blackout Op-ed by Wellington E. Webb

I’m calling for an end to the TV sports blackout between Comcast and Kroenke Sports Entertainment that has been a standoff for three years with no end in sight.

Recently the Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche played their first two split squad exhibition games of the season against the Minnesota Wild and Las Vegas Knights. Did any of you watch either game on TV? No you didn’t nor did I. Nor did any Avalanche fan see either game. The same will hold true for the upcoming Nuggets games.

We, along with Joe and June Six-Pack, have been stuck in this TV sports blackout purgatory for too long. You have a Fortune 500 company, Comcast, and team’s owner, Stan Kroenke, that can’t reach a compromise.

The sports TV blackout is especially unnecessary as res idents, especially those on fixed incomes, deal with increased fees and taxes. People paying their cable bill aren’t getting a fair return. At the same time,

we’re facing an outrageous new fee for trash collection, a pro posed tax to fix sidewalks, and a new tax on marijuana, with some thinking that taxing mari juana is an ATM machine.

Now we have sports black outs that are unfair to the fans.

I’m calling on fans to contact Comcast and the FCC. I know this issue has been debated to death but the bottom line is the fans have been cheated for too long. Fans should not have to pay extra fees for other cable channels, like NBA Pass, or learn how to pirate the games. I’m a Nuggets season-ticket holder.

Kroenke Sports has asked Comcast to AOR their games giving them the same deal as the Rockies. Comcast is doing the same to an affiliate in New York and the Madison Square Garden channel that has not tel evised New York teams.

Just look at your cable bill: too many taxes and too many fees. Let’s fight back when we pay for a service and don’t receive it.

My monthly bill to Comcast is equivalent to a car payment, and my Nuggets season tickets the same.

Like other fans of both the Nuggets and Avalanche, I feel cheated that I can’t watch the games on TV. I’m lending my

voice to the fans disgusted and upset by this situation. Comcast is not willing to blink and let’s be real, Comcast doesn’t care that the fans are stuck in black out purgatory.

If we can’t watch our teams on TV, lets contact Comcast and the FCC.

Editor’s Note: Wellington E. Webb was the first African American mayor of Denver from 1991 to 2003.

Metaphor of Devastation

Editor:

Consider the following a metaphor for the devastation wrought by the transatlantic slave trade: Strewn. Oppressed. Adrift and broken down, mere branches at the base of trees. Not motionless, but strongly stilled, is the daily lot of these.

Up came a savage wind, and dropped them where they lie. They flinched but will not move an inch, till a savage wind storms by.

Winds of change and wicked gales aid into bright sails go; and carried them chained into lands… lands they did not know. Their creator will redeem and to former heights restore them; no matter how dire and hopeless, their predicament may seem. Diaspora. Antonius Aurora, Colorado

We dedicate this issue to the memories of Pastor Angelica Lynette Beechum, Rev. Dr. Jules Smith, and Pastor Yvonne McCoy

Voming out of the pandemic, Black people are at the top of most of the lists for risk factors, yet the people in the community who are caring for them are not caring for themselves.

“As a pastor you put your inner self aside to meet the chal lenges of the moment. As a Black man I put my need for my own healing in reconciling these pieces of cataclysmic social events aside,” says Rev. Eugene Downing, pastor of New Hope Baptist Church.

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By Brittany Winkfield

“no” to over-committing, set ting boundaries and speaking up when harmed or disre spected.

Downing, who holds a doc tor of ministry in congrega tional renewal from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, has noticed the alarming rate of pastors who have considered quitting full-time ministry. He acknowledges that the pan demic created a sense of deper sonalization for pastors, but he explains that in the Bible pro phet after prophet endures sim ilar situations, being washed out. He pointed to Jeremiah and Elijah having moments of deep duress.

According to a study by Barna Group, the percentage of pastors who have considered quitting full-time ministry increased from 29 percent in January 2021 to 42 percent March 2022. The research group conducts primary research, pro duces media resources pertain ing to spiritual development,

and facilitates the healthy spiri tual growth of leaders, children, families and Christian mini stries.

This same study found that only one in three pastors con sidered themselves “healthy” in spiritual, physical, emotional, vocational, and financial wellbeing. The number one factor is the immense stress of the job. Unaddressed pastoral burnout leads to all kinds of severe issues, both for the pastor and their congregation.

Downing wonders what it would look like for pastors to step back to take care of them selves amongst societal upheaval through staggered sabbaticals? “As Black pastors, we’re trying to make it by tak ing vacation seven to eight days maybe if we’re fortunate because we just don’t have the capacity,” he says.

Ministry is an isolating industry because everybody sees you, but not everybody sees you. For many reasons, pastoral burnout is on the rise. Experts define pastoral burnout (also known as clergy or mini stry burnout) as a complex set of symptoms that include emo tional exhaustion, stress, loneli ness, and a low sense of per sonal accomplishment. These symptoms break down the leaders’ ability to lead. Unlike the typical 9-to-5 job, the pastor doesn’t leave work to go “home” from the already men tally-taxing job. A good pastor is constantly focused on the burdens of the people and by the burdens of God.

Many people who experi ence trauma or mental health challenges turn first to religious

leaders in their community for help. But what happens when the religious leader gets weary? A renewed conversation aims to support clergy mental health and well-being.

The Stress of 2020 and 2021 has been Relentless and Exhausting

Faith leaders in Denver contend with low pay and a high exposure to problems compounded by the pandemic. For pastors experiencing burn out, there is a gap between their expectations for life and mini stry and the reality of their life and ministry. This gap between expectation and reality can lead to extreme disappointment and depression.

“Because of my intentional commitment to wholeness and wellness, I am acknowledging to myself that I am tired and at my edge. I refuse to pretend that all is well, and I choose transparency and vulnerability by sharing with key persons in my personal and professional life that I need a break. I sched ule rest and renewal ASAP such as solitude, a nap, nail care, a movie, a long hot shower or bubble bath with lowlights and white wine, or a wonderful dining experience.”

Sabbaticals are almost taboo within the African American community and scarcely adopted. The concept of sabbat ical is not a vacation. Normally, a sabbatical is a time when you can do work that you are inter ested in or have a desire for without having to engage in the pastoral work. A pastoral sab batical can only work through several conversations. This would be similar to when Moses came down from the mountain with the revelation for next steps. The church often doesn’t understand that. Moses’ brother, Aaron, was in charge and the people went wild in the absence of their leader. Sometimes the people don’t appreciate that the pastor is still human, and the needs of the pastor can get overlooked.

Rev. Dr. Valerie L. Jackson, sen ior pastor of Park Hill United Methodist Church, states, “I am a woman and a pastor and I love it. However, because of how we are often socialized about the self-sacrificing roles and responsibilities of women and pastors, I have had to do much work to embrace the path of self-value, self-respect, and self-care.”

In fact, she is in a place of burnout right now, and yearn ing for time to breathe, rest and regroup. Jackson encourages the divine practice of saying

In November 2021, a Christianity Today article by Kate Shellnutt entitled “The Pastors Aren’t All Right” addressed how the pandemic impacted pastors. “When churches called off in-person gatherings during the pandemic, pastors lost out on the boost of assurance that could come from worshipping together in a full sanctuary, hugging members after the service, and talking through issues with them in person. So in some cases, they were left navigating intense church con flict, politicized departures, and

pandemic trauma without some of the most life-giving parts of their ministry.”

ment of it being the position in the job that I have more so than it was growing with God,” shares Shannon, who served at New Hope Baptist Church as the youth and young adult pas tor. “I’ve not gone from this church indefinitely nor do I have any like negative story or bad beef, but just wanted to reconnect my relationship with God and make sure that I wasn’t somewhere simply out of obligation. It’s hard because

so many people are used to you being in a position or in a place.”

He adds, “If we are all suf fering from some degree of burnout, then none of us can bear the full weight of care. Maybe we don’t need to. We need to remember that our leaders are human beings, too.”

This work of supporting each other through burnout is not just the work within congre gations but might be a critical calling for Christians to their communities.

According to Rev. Tony Henderson, pastor of Spottswood AME Zion Church, the pressure on religious leaders has only worsened during the pandemic. He faced COVID-19 alone in a new city. He describes how the pandemic revealed a hidden side of ministry because it forced everyone to live with themselves.

Henderson is thankful that therapy helped walk him through that time of just want ing to give up and quit. His words were used to put lives together, as his life crumbled from underneath him. While Henderson was conducting marriage counseling, he lost his own.

In the Bible, Paul asks how can I preach to you and lose my house? The psychological effect of pastoring can carry heavy weight. A good Christian needs Jesus and a therapist to navi gate what I believe was a time of despondency and depres sion, says Henderson, who earned a masters of divinity degree from Hood Theological Seminary in North Carolina and a doctor of ministry at Payne Theological Seminary in Ohio.

Rev. Quincy Shannon, who became a licensed preacher in 2003 and was ordained as a national Baptist minister in 2010, describes his recent selah or rest taken to understand self.

“I found myself more at church because of the assign

COLORADO FOR ALL

Talking About Trauma and Dysfunction

Many people suffer in silence and lack trust in leader ship, but therapy is an available resource to utilize.

Dr. Robert Davis, CEO and founder of UnBoxed2Lead, says, “I believe that one of the reasons that we’re seeing an increase in pastoral turnover is that pastors often feel illequipped to deal with the emo

tional components of relation ships within the church.”

Davis, who retired from pas toral ministry in 2019, adds, “Some of the problems we see in the Black church are the same ones we see in the Black family. We don’t talk about our trauma or dysfunction. Everybody knows it, but nobody’s talking about it. Oftentimes when we have not learned how to manage family of origin relationships from the various challenges that are in our families of origin, the leader

of the congregation feels the weight on his or her shoulders.

Davis further clarifies that “when you take pastors and you put them into toxic rela tionships, which unfortunately is the reality for far too many churches, pastors become over whelmed, and yes, they become burned out because they just don’t have the emotional tools to handle the conflicts dynamics.”

To help themselves, ministry leaders can do their homework on their family origin. That means learn as much as pos sible about their own family such as information on how the family manages relationships. Begin to work on family rela tionships with their mother, father, and siblings and be very intentional. A lot of pastors give so much time trying to work on the relationship with the con gregation without ever having worked on their primary rela tionships.

He says they can also become clear about what it is that they believe. In other words, have a clear set of guid ing principles. Then, in calm consistent ways, share those principles with their congrega tion. Often, people share their principles in times of difficulty in terms of anger and frustra tion and when things are going rough. Being able to share prin ciples even during times of calm, even during times of peace is helpful.

The nature of burnout is that it occurs when day-to-day tasks become overwhelming and unfulfilling. Sometimes people don’t even notice it, but it can creep up and cause fatigue.

Shannon, who holds a bach elor’s in broadcast communica tion and received his master’s in divinity from the Samuel D. Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University, had to seek his own spiritual jour ney in a way that would allow him to be more effective. Just because he is not on a pulpit

with a robe or in a position at a church doesn’t mean he is any less of a believer.

“I didn’t anticipate in me finding my own peace that it would then become a storm for others. That has been the har dest thing to explain to people. I’m not mad at God, nor am I mad at people in the church,” he shares. “Being asked to do certain things or being relied on in certain ways started to feel disingenuous. It led to the ques tion: when are you somewhere because you should be there or when are you somewhere because you think you should be there?”

Mental health is something that Shannon experiences dayto-day in working as a dean of students at DSST Public Schools. He understands the value of moving the conversa tion from being afraid to talk about therapy to asking ques tions and recognizing that it is okay not to be okay. What is

not okay is to fake like every thing is okay to the point in which it becomes self-destruc tion.

“There was this level of resentment that I was starting to feel within myself and feel ings of abuse. So many people are going through their lives daily putting on fake smiles, putting on fake personas, wea ring certain clothes, hoping that nobody will see that they are struggling or that they’re deal ing with something in silence.

“One of the best things that could happen is we get to a point in which we don’t have to continue to live through facades and we can actually share the truth with people and talk about it. Our ancestors went through so many things but what they didn’t do is fake,” says Shannon.

A Time to Rest

Rest is not something we do well as human beings. People are living with significant new

stress and the grinding mental ity is glorified, according to Rev. Dr. James E. Fouther, Jr., senior pastor and teacher at The United Church of Montbello.

Fouther, who holds a master’s of divinity from Chicago Theological Seminary and a doctor of ministry from Eden Theological Seminary.

Fouther goes on to say, “We’re all praying for God to help us through our unprocessed trauma.”

He points out the perils of being in a hurried society. The specific stresses are different in every community, and those already suffering from the longterm impact of racism, sexism and other oppressions are further harmed by the pan demic. There’s a retraining and unlearning that must take place in the African American church from enslaved trauma, says

Historically our ancestors were assessed for their physical capacity and their ability to work. The history behind long church services comes from our ances tors not having to work in the field so long as they were in church. It stems from post-trau matic enslaved syndrome, and it always shows up. In a moment when daily life is so difficult, Fouther invites more periods of stillness and silence to listen care fully to God and each other. Imagine clergy and lay people feeling loved and replenished and going out into our everyday work sharing that compassion with everyone we meet.

Continued on page 8

Pastor Rico Wint, founder of the Purpose Center, has recently returned from a twomonth break after five years in pastoral ministry and 10 years of marriage. Naturally one may have a sense of guilt: however, he sees time off as not only valuable, but essential. When you don’t recognize the signs to take a break, you become an empty pitcher trying to pour

out something that you don’t have anymore.

Downing believes that the topic of mental health needs to be at the forefront of conversa tions with congregations. Normalizing mental health and well-being is a practice. When he hired a therapist on staff, he was met with stares and appre hension of people not believing in therapy. Over time, people went from not talking about it at all, to being comfortable talk ing about it in community, to ultimately being comfortable enough to talk about it as it relates to the pastor. Talking to a therapist lets people unload the weights they carry. That’s a model he believes can be effec tive.

.

Editor’s note: If you would like to share an upcoming training or retreat to help alleviate clergy burn out, please submit your press release to editor@urbanspectrum.net for inclusion in our DUS Community Notes section.

Recognizing Signs of Pastor Burnout

Various models help explain and predict burnout, including the Areas of Worklife model by Christina Maslach and Michael P. Leiter. This model identifies six areas where pastors might experience imbalances that lead to burnout. They include:

Workload: When your workload exceeds your capacity

Perceived lack of control:

Feeling like you lack resources and say in the decisions that impact your life

Reward:

When the rewards of work do not match the amount of energy and time you put in

Community:

When you are unable to serve alongside supportive and trusting relationships on a regular basis

Fairness:

When you feel you are not receiving equitable treatment

Values mismatch:

When your church or ministry does not value the ideals, vision, or practices you highly value

Homeownership dreams?

loan amount, debt-to-income ratio, and loan-to-value ratio. Property insurance required, including flood insurance, if applicable, on the property that secures the loan.

Allyson Felix, five-time U.S. Olympian in track and field, is soaring on a different track these days working to advance women’s rights for maternal protection. She shared her journey to this new life of advocacy most recently as the keynote speaker at the annual luncheon for the Women’s Foundation of Colorado at the Colorado Convention Center.

In front of a crowd of more than 1,800 people, and later in that paragraph: She trained six days a week, five hours a day. She was on top of her nutrition. She indeed found success in the 100-meter, 200-meter, 400-meter and 4x400-meter relay—becom ing the most decorated American track and field athlete in Olympic history.

When she desired to have a family, she hit a wall.

She recalled not seeing a mother in her sport that was celebrated. She saw them losing sponsorships. She thought she had gotten to a safe place with Nike, her sponsor for almost a decade. When she was told she would get 70 percent less pay while building her family, she was prepared to deal with that.

But she also wanted time to get back to top form. That time and salary protection was not allotted for in her Nike contract.

Olympian Allyson Felix Steps up to Fight for Maternal Protection

By Angelia D. McGowan

investment in women. The foun dation’s mission is to catalyze the community to advance and accel erate economic opportunities for Colorado women and their fam ilies.

During her one-on-one inter view on the stage with Craig Hospital President and CEO Jandel Allen-Davis, M.D., Felix shared more of her journey as a mom, business owner and advocate for women’s rights.

She explained that after leav ing Nike in 2019, she faced her next Olympics with no running shoes. She explained how her brother —a male ally— encour aged her to create her own shoes. Saysh, co-founded by Felix and her brother, Wes, was soon a reality and she would eventually wear her own shoes in her fifth Olympics.

It hit her that she didn’t want this for her daughter’s genera tion.

Her brother recommended she write an op-ed for the New York Times, use her voice “even if it shakes.” On May 22, 2019, the publication ran her piece entitled, “Allyson Felix: My Own Nike Pregnancy Story.”

Her op-ed followed an earlier piece they ran on May 12, 2019, by fellow Olympian Alysia Montaño entitled, “Nike Told Me to Dream Crazy, Until I Wanted a Baby.”

The fight for maternal pro tection had the national stage. Following the public contro versy, Nike adjusted their maternal policy in August 2019, promising to not apply any per formance-related salary reduc tions for 18 consecutive months, starting eight months before the due date.

Felix said it was incredible and heartbreaking how much work needed to be done. She told the crowd how proud she was of the Women’s Foundation of Colorado for their work and

Soon after leaving Nike, she would also sign a clothing sponsorship deal with the Gap Inc.–owned apparel company

Athleta in July 2019, becoming their first sponsored athlete.

Applauding Felix’s advocacy work, WFCO President and CEO Lauren Y. Casteel said, “We will not stay in our lane.”

Romi Bean, CBS4 sports anchor, who emceed the lunch eon, referred to the Olympian as being at another level, mak ing a difference for women..

Editor’s note: For more information about The Women’s Foundation of Colorado, visit www.wfco.org.

Jandel Allen-Davis, MD, president and CEO of Craig Hospital, interviewed special guest Allyson Felix. Photos courtesy of the WFCO

Lauren Y. Casteel, president and CEO of The Women’s Foundation, delivered her speech “Dream Big.”

Faye Tate, chair of the board of trustees for The Women’s Foundation of Colorado, thanks luncheon sponsors.

Allyson Felix met and talked with athletes with the Special Olympics after the luncheon.

DUS Kicks off the Holiday Season with Damien Sneed

Making his Denver debut, multi-genre recording artist and instrumentalist Damien Sneed brings his Joy to the World: A Christmas Musical Journey tour to the Newman Center on December 1. Prior to the con cert, Denver Urban Spectrum will host a pre-performance reception for the community and readers.

Featuring original arrange ments of gospel, jazz and classi cal holiday favorites, Sneed

brings a talented group of singers and musicians to the Mile High City.

While making his Denver debut, Sneed is not new to the spotlight having toured with Aretha Franklin during her final years on the road. His work as a pianist, vocalist, arranger and producer has also included work with such leg ends as Wynton Marsalis, Stevie Wonder, and Diana Ross. His work with gospel artists such as The Clark Sisters and Marvin Sapp has led to a 2020 Dove Award and a 2021 NAACP Image Award.

The holiday concert

December 1 will include music from Damien’s 2019 four-track EP “Joy to the World” which includes some of Sneed’s favor ite holiday classics including “A Child is Born” and “Adore Him” medley from “O Come

Let Us Adore Him.” Sneed first performed his unique arrange ments of carols, spirituals and original holiday tunes at the historic Apollo Theatre in December of 2019.

A graduate of Howard University and the John S. Davidson Fine Arts School, Damien’s career includes per formances at the 2012 London Olympics and the inauguration of President Barack Obama. His debut classical album, “Classically Harlem,” was released in 2020.

Truly a treasure that many in the Denver metro area will be experiencing for the first time here, Damien Sneed is an award-winning artist whose ability to span multiple genres will be front and center on the stage at the Newman Center. .

Editor’s note: DUS’s pre-perform ance holiday reception at 6 p.m. will include complimentary hors d’oeu vres and a cash bar. RSVP’s are limited. All DUS readers can save $10 off price level one and two tickets by using the promotional code SNEEDSPECTRUM at www.newmancenterpresents.com. For information, call 303-292-6446

The Denver Press Club Hall of Fame honors journalists and communicators who have given tremendous service to the Club or had a distinguished career in Colorado journalism. The Club inducts a handful of members into the Hall of Fame each fall.

After a two-year interruption due to the pandemic, the Denver Press Club and The Colorado Sun presented the 25th Annual Hall of Fame inductees.

Sandra Dillard: A groundbreaker, Sandra was the first Black female reporter at The Denver Post, where she spent three decades in a variety of roles. She also holds another distinction: In 1975, she was among 44 people who gathered in Washington, D.C., and founded the National Association of Black Journalists.

Rosalind “Bee” Harris: The founder, publisher and editor of the Denver Urban Spectrum newspaper, Bee provided an outlet to tell the stories about people of color that weren’t being told in the mainstream media. In 2000, she launched the Urban Spectrum Youth Foundation, which worked to educate and prepare youth to get involved in their commu nities through smart media con sumption and careers in and around journalism.

Mike Littwin: A fixture in Denver for the past 25 years, Mike is a columnist for the Colorado Sun. He previously reported and wrote for the

Rocky Mountain News, The Denver Post, and the Colorado Independent – and before that at the Los Angeles Times and Baltimore Sun

Kathy Walsh: A major pres ence on Denver’s TV screens for more than 35 years, Kathy was an award-winning, highly respected reporter and anchor at KCNC. She was especially known for her coverage of med ical issues, and her work earned her a spot in the Silver Circle of the Heartland Emmy Chapter (given only to those who have won Emmy Awards over a span of 25 years). She retired from KCNC in May 2021.

Alan Berg (posthumous inductee): A man who spoke his mind, challenged assumptions, and relished a fight about ideas, the 850 KOA talk show host drew huge audiences even as he rubbed some people the wrong way. His work was a master class in the values embodied in the First Amendment. White supremacists murdered Berg in the driveway of his Denver home in 1984.

Memories of Alan Berg were shared by Kevin Flynn, Peter Boyles and Susan Reimann. Laura Frank interviewed the inductees.

Previous inductees include former sportswriter at The Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News Samuel Adams in 2019 and former editor of The Denver Post Greg Moore. .

Editor’s note: The Hall of Fame is the local equivalent of the Press Club’s Damon Runyon Award. It is the highest honor the club can bestow on a Colorado journalist.

Dillard and Harris Inducted into The Denver Press Club Hall of Fame

Colorado News Collaborative Executive Director Laura Frank with Rosalind “Bee” Harris, Sandra Dillard, Mike Littwin and Kathy Walsh...Photo by Evan Semon

Despite the countless stories published nationwide about the misuse of jurisdiction and force in handling citizen encounters in Denver, Colorado, a new feeling of hope accompanies the swearing in of Ron Thomas as the new Denver police chief. The event took place on October 18, one day after the Denver City Council consented to Mayor Michael Hancock’s nomination.

Thomas replaces former Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen, whose retirement was effective Oct. 15 after a 28-year career with the department.

Thomas hopes to change the narrative of what it means to be a police officer and public ser vant for the community.

“I think it is most important for us to understand that we are public servants, we work for the community, and I want every resident of the city of Denver to understand that we work for them,” Thomas declares.

The longtime Denver res ident has served 33 years with the Denver Police Department (DPD), starting his academy training in 1989. He was inspired by his parents to con tinue their legacy of being pub lic servants. With a mother working in social services and a father as a mail carrier, he wished to one day find his unique path to support his community. The inspiration led to his remarkable success and contribution to protecting the Denver metro area with the DPD.

Thomas was fortunate enough to intern with the DPD as a public safety cadet during his time at the University of Colorado Denver where he majored in criminal justice while minoring in sociology and psychology.

He shares, “That opportunity really brought me closer to see ing what police officers actually

New Denver Police Chief

online so working with our partners of Denver 9-1-1 to edu cate folks when they’re contact ing them on the phone that there are additional options that they have for reporting crime rather than having officers show up at their door.”

The DPD has a robust coresponder system with 40 coresponding mental health clini cians available to help respond to calls involving acute mental health crises or drug addictions. He points to the Support Team Assisted Response (STAR) program.

Aims for Community Collaborations

By Michael Renee Giles

Photo by Michael Renee Giles

do and the impact that police officers can have on their com munity and individuals that they engage with on a day-today basis, and that narrowed my focus to wanting to use the police department which is where I wanted to provide service to the community.”

The new chief hopes to emphasize just what it means to be a public servant after multi ple backlash protests against the department’s misuse of force when dealing with spe cific calls.

“I believe right now that there are some communities out there who don’t believe that the DPD works for them, and that’s not true, but I know that we need to do a better job of mak ing sure that everyone under stands that,” he explains.

Thomas hopes to focus on many issues in the community involving the re-establishment of trust within various Denver communities, lowering the

crime rate overall, and engag ing with more community part ners limiting police-citizen con tact for low-level incidents.

“There are a number of issues that I want to focus on; one is crime is significantly higher than it has been in years past, so I really want to lower that. I know that there are sev eral hotspots where the major ity of crimes (specifically violent crimes) occur, so focusing spe cifically on those hotspots using a variety of tactics and partner ing with community organiza tions and other city partners to address the infrastructure and other social correlates that relate to crimes in those commu nities,” says Thomas.

He goes on to say, “Second thing is taking a look at all of our calls and seeing which of the calls don’t necessarily need an officer to respond and address that call. There are a lot of calls for service that can be handled over the phone or

“It’s a group of mental health clinicians and paramed ics that appear in a van and respond to calls that don’t have any violent component. It’s usually someone that’s having some kind of drug addiction or mental health challenge. There are no officers involved in that,” says Thomas, who underscores that by applying the experts to those particular issues, police are allowed to more keenly focus on violent crime.

On the note of reestablishing trust within the community, Thomas recognizes that he has provided a response to the 112 recommendations that came from the Reimagining Public Safety Committee that is com mitted to working with the police department as members of society expressing the needs and requests within the com munity for advancing public safety.

“That’s a committee that got together and talked about how they really wanted to see public safety in a form that was more responsive to community needs, particularly disadvan taged community needs, so we’ve already implemented probably 74% of those recom mendations. There are very few recommendations that we have not yet adopted or are planning to adopt.

“The handful that we have elected not to adopt, there’s really more of a legal compo nent to it, or it’s really outside

of our scope in order to really make a change there, but I’m hoping that that’s going to be helpful in getting folks to understand that we really do work for them because this is a community-led task force that provided recommendations that we largely support.”

Most recommendations from the committee focus on commu nity-based policing, where officers are less involved in physical interactions with cit izens. Thomas hopes to prior itize the optimization of tech nology, including speedometers and cameras as well as commu nity crash report technicians, to enforce the law while limiting the amount of police-individual interaction in response to some of the 112 requests by the com mittee.

“The committee suggested we remove police officers from making contact with citizens for traffic and other justifications. In response, we have hired 36 crash report technicians. These are civilians that go out and respond to traffic accidents and take the reports, so there’s no police involvement in that at all,” says Thomas. “We also deploy photo radar vans so they can issue tickets to people that are speeding, and no police intervention there. There are also red-light cameras and things like that, so we are pro viding safety without having to introduce a uniform police officer. There are ways to enforce some laws without hav

ing to introduce a uniform police officer.”

The DPD veteran also addresses the efforts made in sensitivity training for Denver Police officers, stating, “Every one of our officers has gone through what we call ABLE training - Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement, and really it’s an early intervention pro gram, so it teaches officers how to kind of step in when a situ ation seems to be going in the wrong direction.”

The department has also adopted the national Integrating Communication, Assessment and Tactics (ICAT) training to support officers more in suc cessful de-escalation practices.

He describes it as “a national best practice de-escalation con cept that teaches how to use tac tical placement as well as con tinual assessment of a situation and unique communication skills to resolve things without having to utilize force. It’s just a better de-escalation concept that has proven in areas where it’s been deployed across the coun try to have significant reduc tions in physical usage of force by officers and injuries to members of the community.”

As Thomas enters the role of the new Denver police chief, he says, “I plan to do more collabo rations. There were a lot of innovations that Chief Pazen initiated, and I want to continue with those things that were pos itive, and I want to be an even greater collaborator with the community than he was.”.

Denver

lack Boss Summit Supports Economic Equity

By Elijah Hill

The Black Boss Summit powered by the Black Business Initiative, was held September 10 at Le Méridien Denver Downtown. The summit offered an opportunity for entrepreneurs to mingle and learn how to be better in busi ness.

Kicking off the event was Sebrina Hillard of Insurance Design and Placement. During her presentation on building wealth through successful suc

cession she shared how she ini tially emulated what her boss had shown her because of the fear of messing up what was in place before her.

However, Hillard’s growth came when she decided to make changes. She explained that you will have a lot on your shoulders as a boss, and that change is okay. “Do something with the trust that has been

given to you. It is not gratitude to stay the same,” said Hillard.

Hillard’s presentation con sisted of key points on building a Black business. That includes having a plan, creating and meeting deadlines, and having written agreements. She closed by saying it’s important to have your paperwork in order but also your mind. Not only that but treat your agreements as living documents but reclusive living documents, said Hillard, who serves as a risk manage ment advisor and commercial insurance broker specializing in food, non-profit, and technol ogy industries.

panelist Morgynne said that each person has a mirror that reflects on the collective and impacts people in separate ways. DJ K Tone responded that he was a healer through his craft which is music.

The panel discussed Sankofa, a word in the Twi language that means to “go back and get.” Sankofa is also symbolized by a Bono Adinkra symbol – stylized heart shape or a bird with its head turned backwards. Fes added, “the exact interpretation of that word is, it is not taboo to fetch what is risk of being left behind, thus go back and fetch it.”

The summit also featured a panel focused on Sankofa, selfcare and healers. Led by Cynthia Fes, the panel started the discussion with the ques tion: “Who is a healer?” Panelist Euda Best responded by saying that everyone is a healer, and that each person is responsible for their own healing. Fellow

Trauma was also up for dis cussion. Morgynne said that when trauma is mentioned, she sees inadequacy. “Not believing that we match up or are deserv ing of the place and positions that we are in, even if we have all our white man paperwork.” she said.

Cannabis and Coffee Panel hosted by Color of Cannabis

Dr. Ken Harris, CEO of the Detroit-based National Business League

Photos by Ajay Kyle (Ms Money Shot)

Best added, “Even when you just say the word trauma, when I am really focusing on helping a person I’m trying to be as present as possible. I always keep a part of my awareness in my heart, so even when you say the word trauma, I feel con striction in my heart.”

He said the key to that is you must find that magic time. The time when no one is texting you, no one is asking for any thing. This is the time that would set precedence for your entire day. Just imagine the per fect day for you and try to make that day every day.

“The Civil Rights era spanned nearly two decades, moving a significant amount of key legislation targeted towards ending legal discrimination and disenfranchisement of Black people. Our country is finally acknowledging the next phase in our fight for equality, justice and agency is the fight for eco nomic equity.”

BBI has been holding train ing classes for eight years on crucial skills in institution

building. This year they are having a class on business risk management and insurance. This class is held on zoom and BBI posts updates about it on their Instagram to keep their followers in the loop.

Next year’s summit is slated for Sept. 15-17, 2023..

Editor’s note: For more informa tion, about the Black Business Initiative, visit www.bbiprofes sional.com or follow on Instagram@bbiprofessional.

Full of dynamic presenta tions, the summit also featured the G.P.S. Podcast, hosted by D.L. Pos Ryant and Tonoa Manuel. The podcast supports the planning and execution of business objectives and targets. Their on-site guest was Kenneth Crowley, founder of the Crowley Foundation that pro vides leadership development programs for young men of color. The main topic of the podcast was success pivot, and what you can do to be success ful.

“What is it that you need to change or add or whatever that thing is, a lot of time we think it is something big. It might be something as simple as getting up early,” Ryant said. “There is only two ways to get more time out of your day. Stay awake or get up early.”

Taking care of your wellbeing, your spirit, your energy. All of that is as important as success itself.

Ryant also said to avoid excuses, pointing out that if you give yourself one it will lead to another one every time.

Having numerous people in your circle in the same industry is no reason to give up.

Manuel said, “Two nonprofits, everybody is eating though. Like it is not a battle...we can all eat, there can be a thousand nonprofits, but the benefit of this relationship is when it is time for the bigger opportunity, they are going to always use each other.

Black Boss Summit founder Jice Johnson put into perspec tive the significance of the sum mit.

Backpacks to Briefcases sponsored by JEKL Foundation

Jay Bailey,CEO of the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs in Atlanta and Rich Lewis share a warm exchange at the Sunday Brunch

Summit Attendees

AROUND

BCS Photos by Chuck Moss and Rita Jones

ULFC Photos by Ajay Kyle

DPC Pho

2022 ULFC Leadership & Legacy Walk Your Achievement Gala Fundraiser

Violin for VictoryViolin for Victory Dancing with the BreDancing with the Bre Cancer Stars GalaCancer Stars Gala

Denver P

Denver

CBWPA Photos by Mini and Alex Denver Weekly News

by Evan Semon

WFCO Photos by Jennifer Harris

Women’s Foundation of Colorado Annual Luncheon

Black Women LEADBlack Women LEAD

Annual Tribute to Black Women

Tribute to Black Women

Hall

Fame

Denver’s New $15M Malone Fund to Accelerate Growth of Minority- and Womenowned businesses

Launched with one percent of the city’s retail marijuana sales taxes, a new investment program proposed by Mayor Michael B. Hancock and led by Denver Economic Development & Opportunity (DEDO) is designed to mitigate the dis criminatory capital environment faced by local minority- and women-owned businesses. The program would open up their access to investors, grants or loan funds that are essential to building long-term viability and wealth.

Named to honor the late Denver busi nessman Herman Malone (1947-2021) and up for City Council approval this month, the Malone Fund is the city’s first equity-focused busi ness investment tool designed to level the playing field for minority- and women-owned small businesses.

The program will focus on providing capital and technical assistance to under-resourced businesses in a manner that is culturally relevant and deliv ered by a trusted community that looks like the business owners the program is intend ing to serve.

“Historic inequities and sys temic marginalization continue to prevent Denver’s under served business owners from scaling to sustainable growth and building multi-generational wealth. My administration is committed to leveling that play ing field,” Mayor Hancock said.

He added, “These challenges primarily stem from decades of a lack of access to capital. That’s

why I proposed that Denver dedicate one percent of our retail marijuana sales tax rate for this ambitious, communitycentered investment fund for disadvantaged firms.”

A competitive procurement process resulted in DEDO’s selection of the New Community Transformation Fund - Denver (NCTF-Denver) as the fund administrator and manager. A three-year, not-toexceed $15 million contract between the city and NCTFDenver, subject to City Council approval, is expected to assist and advise at least 1,000 local companies, ultimately investing in 100 of them.

NCTF-Denver is a new ven ture capital fund that invests in early-stage companies owned and operated by business leaders of color located in Colorado; it is an affiliate of the Michigan-based New Community Transformation Fund established in 2020. Along with the proposed award of the Malone Fund management con tract, NCTF-Denver launched with grants from the Colorado Health Foundation, The Colorado Trust, Bank of America, and others.

Danielle Shoots, NCTFDenver founding partner and managing director, previously served as the chief financial officer of The Colorado Trust. NTCF-Denver also had a clos ing investment round led by Bank of America. Including investments from the Malone fund, NCTF-Denver has approved capital investments of more than $24 million.

“NCTF-Denver is expanding access to venture capital in Denver, and the city’s commit ment through the Malone Fund will allow us to bring more business leaders to the forefront of our economy that statistically have not been given access to the critical tools of economic mobility like business invest ments, said Danielle Shoots, NCTF-Denver founding partner and managing director. “This

public-private partnership will create a ripple effect for under invested and underrepresented entrepreneurs across the region, and I am proud to partner with the mayor and city ahead of our fund’s historic first close.”

“This is a game-changer for Denver,” said Jen Morris, DEDO executive director. “Creating access to capital for historically disadvantaged com panies is not a simple solution of ‘writing a check.’ Through this partnership, we’ve created a comprehensive approach to meet small business owners and entrepreneurs where they are through an ecosystem of trusted community providers.”

The initial three-year agree ment is projected to be just over $15 million. DEDO’s Division of Small Business Opportunity (DSBO) will provide guidance and compliance services to the program’s established goals for using DSBO-certified advisors and sub consultants to serve program participants (a 10 per cent utilization goal is contrac tually required, with NCTFDenver aspiring to utilize up to 50 percent). DEDO anticipates proposing two one-year exten sions to this contract in the future, with the intention of ulti mately achieving a $50 million evergreen (revolving) fund to support Denver’s underresourced businesses for many years in the future.

Investments in minority- and women-owned and led com panies will be in the form of tra ditional equity as well as loans and grants. Private, nonprofit and/or other investment part ners have already committed additional funding to this endeavor, which is expected to continue, further strengthening this investment in Denver’s economy.

To further serve minority and women-owned businesses and announced in Mayor Hancock’s 2022 State of the City address, DEDO is standing up an entrepreneurship center,

with the city proposing to lease space, subject to city council approval, at Saltbox Denver in Northeast Park Hill at 4800 Dahlia St.

NCTF-Denver and its many partners will office out of this space. Saltbox, the flexible cowarehousing and small busi ness logistics pioneer, is an innovative warehousing, logis tics, and fulfillment center that provides co-working space as well as a wide array of technical and soft supports to enable its diverse e-commerce members to interact, share resources and ideas, thrive, and grow. Located in six U.S. cities and rapidly expanding, with eight co-ware housing locations to date, Saltbox was founded in Atlanta by minority entrepreneurs.

Currently, of Saltbox’s now more than 400 member busi nesses, half are led by women or people of color.

“Since being welcomed into Park Hill, we have seen how our location has had an imme diate impact on fueling entre preneurship and business growth for the area’s already eager and motivated business owners. We’re thrilled to be partnering with Mayor Hancock, the Denver Economic Development & Opportunity and NCTF-Denver as a resource for more local businesses in the area” said Tyler Scriven, Saltbox CEO and co-founder. “Saltbox was created to democratize access to human-centric logistics infrastructure for small-and medium-sized businesses. We are looking forward to support ing Denver on this important initiative, and we hope to part ner with more cities on similar programs.”.

Editor’s note: For more information about the Denver Economic Development & Opportunity visit www.denvergov.org/economic development; The New Community Transformation Fund - Denver (NCTF-Denver) visit www.new communityfund.com/denver; and Saltbox visit www.saltbox.com.

Aspiring Restaurateurs Getting Support to Move from Dreaming to Opening Doors

Starting any business requires an abundance of com mitment, know-how, and resources, and a new city pro gram funded through Denver Economic Development & Opportunity is working to ensure that seven aspiring local restaurateurs have significant support from EatDenver, the Denver Metro Small Business Development Center (SBDC), and some of Denver’s top minds in the restaurant indus try. The city’s innovative Restaurant-Up program is pro viding industry-specific training and resources to the seven selected participants with fund ing through the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA).

As the city’s contracted part ners, Denver Metro SBDC and EatDenver have just completed a specially-designed, 10-week curriculum, connecting the seven-member cohort with core startup knowledge and essen tial industry insights from res taurant and business experts. Guest speakers have included Charlie Berger (Denver Beer Co.), Juan Padró (The Culinary Creative), Kelly Cummings (Big Red F Restaurant Group), Tim Maness (Shamrock Foods), Liz Quaid (The Kitchen Restaurant Group), Matt Vannini (Restaurant Accounting Services, Inc.), and Allison Dodd (Messner Reeves LLP).

“Fueled by ARPA, Denver’s vision for sustainable economic growth has inspired creative and bold economic develop ment ideas,” Mayor Michael B. Hancock said. “This is a great example. We’re expanding our future restaurant industry one concept at a time, providing intense coaching and mentoring to offset the many potential bar riers that restaurant startups historically face.”

“We designed this program with EatDenver knowing that federal recovery dollars must be employed effectively where the needs are the greatest, with the strongest possible outcomes for job creation and wealth-build

Left to right: Donald James, April Yiadom, Hadiya Brown, Eric Norberg, Aiden Wren, Taylor Herbert (not pictured Elena Martinez)

Photo courtesy of DEDO

Denver

ing,” said Deborah Cameron, DEDO’s Chief Business Development Officer. “We’re optimistic that focusing on cre ating a new wave of independ ent restaurants for Denver, fold ing in nuts and bolts education with the expertise of our top local talent, will serve up years of future success.”

“There is no playbook for opening your first restaurant, and it is extremely hard work, but finding mentors and com munity in this industry helps immensely. We’re thrilled to connect each of these first-time restaurant owners with an experienced restaurateur and their team for guidance and support,” said Katie Lazor, the former EatDenver executive director who led the program over the summer. “We’ve intro duced the participants to as many helpful resources as pos sible, including a mentor, indus try experts, the Leading Edge curriculum, and an EatDenver membership, so that these con cepts can launch with the best chance of success.”

“The Denver Metro SBDC is thrilled to support these indi viduals in bringing new restau rant concepts to life. I have no doubt that their journey will be one of the great successes to come from intentional recovery efforts in our city,” said China Califf, Denver Metro SBDC executive director.

The participants of Restaurant-Up were selected mid-year from a pool of appli cants, with each entrepreneur bringing at least seven years of hospitality experience that include two years in manage ment. Each has proposed a res taurant start-up concept. The cohort has completed their group curriculum and each par ticipant has been matched with an experienced restaurateur mentor. Finished business plans are expected this month.

Participants who fulfill all the program requirements will be eligible to receive a grant

award of $30,000 to put toward the opening of their restaurant. Grants will be distributed in the coming months as reimburse ments for approved start-up expenses, not in the form of cash.

The Restaurant-Up cohort consists of the following partici pants: Hadiya Brown – Concept: world foods/soul food fusion (not yet named); Donald James –Concept: Pit Stop BBQ www.milehighpitstop.com; Taylor Herbert – Concept: plantbased restaurant inspired by their pop-ups under the name The Easy Vegan – www.theea syvegandenver.com; Elena Martinez – Concept: EHijole Tacos – www.ehijoletacos.com; Eric Norberg – Concept: Harper Chili Parlor, inspired by Cincinnati-style chili; Aiden Wren – Concept: incubator kitchen with rotating bar program (not yet named); April Yiadom –Concept: BBQ N’ Kenya www.bbqnkenya.com

Restaurant-Up mentors include the following: Dave and Dana Query, Big Red F Restaurant Group; Peter Newlin, Gastamo Group; Nicole Mattson, Nocturne; Andy Niemeyer, Cart Driver; Daniel Asher, Working Title Foods; Hal Reynolds, Denver Beer Co; and Meaghan Goedde, Sage Hospitality Group.. Editor’s note: Denver Economic Development & Opportunity works to ensure an inclusive and innova tive economy for all Denver res idents, businesses, and neighbor hoods. For more information, visit www.denvergov.org/economicdevel opment. To learn about EatDenver, visit www.eatdenver.com and the Denver Metro SBDC, visit den versbdc.org. Denver’s plan for recovery includes direct distribution of $308 million in ARPA Local Relief Funds. Denver offers a dash board to show precisely how ARPA funds are being deployed to support the mayor’s priority of Rebuilding for an Inclusive and Sustainable Economy (RISE) and a Recovery Index to demonstrate how our neighborhoods are recover ing.

Contemporary Art, Material Culture, and the Sonic Impulse Honorees Announced for 2022 National Philanthropy Day in Colorado

National Philanthropy Day in Colorado is a celebration of giving, volunteering and chari table engagement and the indi viduals and groups whose con tributions make a difference in our community. Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Colorado Chapter is the host for National Philanthropy Day in Colorado.

AFP Colorado is proud to announce the individuals, organizations and businesses who will be recognized at the 2022 National Philanthropy Day in Colorado luncheon. Each of the honorees is uniquely con tributing to the vibrancy and heart of our region and their own individual communities.

The National Philanthropy Day in Colorado honoree lunch eon will be held at the Seawell Ballroom at the Denver Performing Arts Complex on Nov. 10. Attendees will have the opportunity to celebrate the award winners and connect with fellow change makers who care about philanthropy and the nonprofit sector.

West, Denver; Outstanding Volunteer: Heather Dearman, Aurora; Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser: Dawn & Andy Marshall, Denver; Outstanding Youth: Skye O’Toole, Denver; Outstanding Youth Group: Montrose High School Interact Club, Montrose; Lifetime Achievement: Shari Shink, Wheat Ridge; and Inspiration: Urban Leadership Foundation of Colorado, Denver.

The Outstanding Youth and Outstanding Youth Group winners will each receive $3,000 scholarships to support their continuing education and phil anthropic work. The scholar ships are provided through the generous support of The Daniels Fund..

Editor’s note: For tickets to the luncheon visit afpcc.org.

About National Philanthropy Day

Tickets are available online at

or by scanning the

above.

The 2022 honorees are: Outstanding Large Business: Weifield Group Contractors, Centennial; Outstanding Small Business: Horse and Dragon Brewing Company, Fort Collins; Outstanding Foundation: Caring for Denver Foundation, Denver; Outstanding Philanthropists: Carrie and John Morgridge, Denver; Outstanding Professional Fundraiser: Sarah Harrison, Denver; Outstanding Professional Grantmaker: Dace

National Philanthropy Day is both an official day and a grass roots movement. Every year, since 1986 when President Ronald Reagan first proclaimed November 15th as National Philanthropy Day, communities across the globe have celebrated by hosting events to recognize activities of donors, volunteers, foundations, leaders, corpora tions, and others engaged in phi lanthropy.

About the Association of Fundraising Professionals

Colorado Chapter

AFP Colorado Chapter is a membership organization com mitted to advancing philanthro py. AFP offers resources and to help fundraising professionals be the best they can be and brings fundraisers together to network and grow profes sionally.

Dobale to the Spirit, 2017, Fahamu Pecou (American, born 1975), acrylic on canvas. Courtesy Fahamu Pecou, Image © Dr. Fahamu Pecou, Courtesy Studio KAWO/Fahamu Pecou Art

2022 National Philanthropy Day in Colorado Judges

Denver

Denver Film announced its complete program lineup for the 45th Denver Film Festival (DFF45). With opening night scheduled for Nov. 2 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, the Festival will run through Nov. 13 with a robust lineup of inperson red carpet presentations, feature length film screenings, documentaries, shorts, music videos and episodic content, as well as immersive and virtual reality programming, events, panels, parties, industry guests and films in competition.

Screenings, events and enter tainment will be held at venues throughout the city including the Sie FilmCenter, Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Denver Botanic Gardens, AMC 9 + CO 10 and the Tattered Cover East Colfax. Tickets on sale Oct. 3 to Denver Film members, Oct. 7 to public.

The DFF45 curtain rises with the opening night red carpet presentation of ARMAGED DON TIME, James Gray’s semiautobiographical telling of his childhood in New York. The film, starring Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong, and Anthony Hopkins, has already received rave reviews and is anticipated to be a serious awards season contender. Also featured on the Red Carpet will be the Nov. 8 centerpiece presentation of the Sam Mendes helmed, Olivia Colman starring Empire of

Light. Big Night, Nov. 10 fea tures the Al Sharpton-centered documentary Loudmouth. The festival’s Nov. 12 closing night red carpet film features Sarah Polley’s long-awaited return to the director’s chair with Women Talking, a film with an ensemble cast including Frances McDormand, Claire Foy, Rooney Mara, and Jessie Buckley.

Special presentations include The Whale, with its much-touted performance by Brendan Fraser as a severely obese man trying to reestablish a relationship with his teenage daughter. She Said stars Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan as the New York Times journalists who together broke one of the most impor tant stories in a generation – a story that shattered decades of silence around the subject of sexual assault in Hollywood. THE SON follows director Florian Zeller’s Oscar-winning The Father, this time with Hugh Jackman balancing increasingly fraught relationships. Fans of documentaries will want to check out All The Beauty and the Bloodshed, an examination of artist Nan Goldin and her efforts to shed light on the opioid epidemic and one-time pharmaceutical titans the Sackler family.

“We could not be more excited to bring this year’s diverse, global film lineup to our Denver-area audiences,” said Denver Film Festival Artistic Director Matthew

Campbell. “We’re thrilled to have so many incredible films from across the world and to present the latest works by so many acclaimed directors. These wide-reaching creations and performances go well bey ond entertaining and often deliver experiences for our guests as they generate conver sations, debate and growth around serious topics that touch on the lives of so many in our community and beyond.”

Other films of note to Colorado audiences include How to Blow up a Pipeline, direct ed by Boulder native Daniel Goldhaber; R.M.N., which recently screened in the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival, and Amazon’s upcom ing horror film, Nanny. Also drawing notice is The Inspection, a highly personal film of a marine facing homophobia dur ing bootcamp.

In addition to four red carpet and 15 special presentation screenings, this year’s festival also focuses its lens on a wide range of spotlight sections including: Sheila K. O’Brien Spotlight on UK/Ireland Cinema; Italian Showcase; CineLatinx; J’Adore; Late Night; CinemaQ; Women+Film; Colorado Spotlight; Colorado Dragon Boat Spotlight; The Color of Conversation; and Retrospectives.

“Our annual celebration of the world’s best films presents opportunities to experience groundbreaking content, to see, experience and understand new perspectives of our world through the eyes of the indus try’s most creative writers, directors and actors”, said Denver Film CEO Kevin Smith. “Over four-and-a-half decades, Denver Film has been instru mental in delivering these shared, communal opportuni ties with Denver-area film lov ers and, now more than ever, we understand and appreciate just how important it is to experience these works in per son.”

A Special Presentation

The Color Of Conversation: The Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival teams up with Denver Film to present the Color of Conversation series. This selection of films features illuminating conversa tions with filmmakers and sub jects, detailing the creative pro cess along with narratives and topics within the African American community.

•After Sherman – USA/ Director: Jon-Sesrie Goff

•The Cave of Adullam – USA/ Director: Laura Checkoway

•Katrina Babies – USA/ Director: Edward Buckles Jr.

•Loudmouth – USA/ Director: Josh Alexander

•Master of Light Netherlands, USA/Director: Rosa Ruth Boesten

•Nanny – USA/Director: Nikyatu Jusu

THE HOLLY (a documentary by Julian Rubinstein) goes deep inside a gentrifying community in Denver, where a shooting case involving an activist becomes a window into the political machinations of urban development and the city's gang activity. It will be shown on Thursday, Nov. 10 at the Ellie Caulkins Theater..

Editor’s note: Tickets to individual screenings, special presentations, red carpets, panels and creative con versations go on sale to Denver Film members Oct. 3 at 6 p.m. and to the general public Oct. 7 at 10 a.m. The complete lineup of films, screenings and ticketing information is avail able at: https://www.denverfilm.org /denverfilmfestival/dff45/

INTERESTED IN JOURNALISM?

“Test Drive”

Your Dream Home Before You Purchase

Why lease with the right to purchase may be a viable option with rising interest rates

By Barry Overton

In the light of the increasing interest rates all over the country, there have been many instances where home ownership has been placed on pause. That pause is usually because of home buyer’s fear and concerns of being unable to handle a mortgage payment. We’re also seeing increased rental rates as well. So the real ity of it is, is whether you’re paying for a home you own or

you’re paying rent, you’re pay ing a mortgage. The question is, will it be your mortgage or your landlords? In an effort to help more renters become homeowners, I am constantly seeking new and unique oppor tunities to be able to make that happen, where it’s comfortable and affordable and potentially very profitable.

One of the best areas that I’ve had with helping homeowners recently is through lease with a right to purchase programs, which have been very beneficial for renters who want to become homeowners. Because the inter est rates have increased, it has put home buyers out of a posi tion to purchase the type of home they want. Specifically, instead of qualifying for a single family home because of higher interest rates, they may only qualify for a town home. This is causing a lot of home buyers to have to settle for a purchase that does not really fit their wants or needs.

Lease with the right to pur chase programs have been a great way to alleviate the stress of not qualifying for a large enough loan to purchase your dream home. For example, I just had a client that was approved for 300,000 in the metro Denver area. If she’s lucky, that would’ve got her a town home, but she was more likely to end up with a condo minium. Going through one of my lease with a right to pur chase contributors, she was able to qualify for $525,000. We located a property that she fell in love with that has four bed rooms, enough space for her and her adult son to have sep arate parts of the house, a huge backyard and a two car garage. It checked all the boxes of everything that she needed in a dream home – and she moved into the house on Oct. 27. She now has five years to allow the interest rates to drop down, which will allow her to qualify for more, at which point she will be able to purchase the home and make it her own.

With the rising interest rates, there are many families that have fallen into this predica ment without realizing there is a remedy. Two companies offer solutions to this current prob lem. Home Partners of America is an organization based out of Chicago, Illinois and has helped hundreds of families all across the country become home owners – by leasing first. The qualification criteria are lower than qualifying to purchase a home. Once qualified, it allows a resident to find a home on the market for properties that are for sale. Once the resident finds the home of their dreams, they advise Home Partners who then purchases the property for the resident. Home Partners then becomes the temporary landlord until the resident is in a position to purchase the prop erty. The resident has up to five years to purchase the property from Home Partners, and if they decide they do not want to purchase the property, the res ident is not obligated to follow through with the purchase.

As each year passes, the value of the property increases by 5%. This is important to know because over the past 10 years the Denver market prop erty values have increased any where from eight to 15%. With the changing winds that are prevailing now, prices may go down, but with recent purchas es through the Home Partners program, they’ve purchased homes significantly less than what they were on the market.

Another great program is Divvy homes which also allows you to qualify for a home. Their minimum credit score is 550, and in addition to allowing residents to search for current homes on the market, when paying rent, a portion of the rent goes back to you, the resident when purchas ing the property. This can be used for down payment and or closing cost. Again, you’re not committed to purchasing the property. Divvy Homes gives the resident a three-year time frame to make their decision, and if the resident should decide not to purchase the property, the money that has gone into reserves for down payment or closing costs will still go to the resident in the form of cash that can be used however they see fit.

While, what we often hear in the media is discouraging for home buyers, what you must remember is there has never been a better time in the last 10 years to purchase than right now because there’s less com petition and more opportunity. There also plenty of different types of programs that can fit your particular needs. It’s just a matter of speaking with a real estate professional, telling them what you need, and they can place you into the proper pro gram that fits those needs..

Editor’s note: Barry Overton is a licensed Real Estate eXp Realty, LLC. He has been an agent since 2001 and started investing in real estate in 1996. For more informa tion, email: barrysellsdenver@ msn.com or call 303-668-5433.

Remembering Sherman Hamilton

May 26, 1942 ~ 2022

Sherman Hamilton was the second child born to Lenon “Jack” and Tenola Thomas Hamilton on May 26, 1942. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Tonya Hamilton of Denver, CO, both parents and three sisters, Letha Gatson, Hazel Robertson and Cynthia Hamilton. He leaves to cherish his memories, daughter, Shylah Pacheco Hamilton (Hodari Toure) of Oakland, CA; sons; Rodney Hamilton Utley (Kristen Courtney) of Tucson, AZ, and Raymond Webster Hamilton of Denver, CO; granddaughters, Hannah Honor (Dannie Ransom) of Chicago, IL, and Kimani Honor of Denver, CO; five brothers; Douglas Hamilton (Maudie) of Lufkin, TX, Ottis Hamilton (Dholly) of Washington, DC, Frank Hamilton (Flo) of Port Arthur, TX, Donald Hamilton (Leti) of Hemphill, TX and Denman Hamilton of Ashburn, VA. He also leaves a faithful and loyal friend, Elsa Ramirez-Romero of Denver, CO, a close cousin, Marjorie Rhodes of Denver, CO and many other family members and friends from Colorado to Texas.

Hamilton grew up in Hemphill, TX and in 1960 graduated from Thomas Johnson High School. After high school he attended Jarvis Christian College (HBCU) in Hawkins, TX. Hamilton left Jarvis Christian College and joined the United States Army where he was elevated to a Military Police serving in Germany. After being honorably discharged from the Army, he came back to Texas where he met and married Carolyn Nash. Afterwards, Hamilton left his family in Texas and moved to Denver, CO.

In Denver, he went back to college and graduated from Metropolitan State University. He became a news anchorman for a local Denver television station. Hamilton later started his marketing company (Hamilton-Tilton, which later became Hamilton -Sweeney) and through his relentless business savvy he became one of the top 10 marketing firms in the state of Colorado. He finished his illus trious business career with Virtegic Group, Inc.

Sherman later married Joni Honor, a friend and colleague.

Hamilton spent a short time in Washington, DC before moving back to Denver reestablishing his business ventures. He remained business-minded until his health declined. Hamilton had a love for all types of music from old school soul, to jazz, R & B, and a little country. His musical skills included blowing the trumpet and playing the guitar.

Hamilton’s legacy will be his business savvy, zeal to be successful, intriguingly intelligence, unique personality and ability to gen uinely love and impact the lives of children with varying challenges. He is and will always be loved and missed by his family, friends, colleagues and those who loved him.

He was laid to rest at Fort Logan National Cemetery in a private ceremony for his family.

Remembering Jamil Ameer Shabazz Jr.

October 12, 1985 – September 28, 2022

Jamil A. Shabazz Jr. was born on October 12, 1985 to Jamil Shabazz Sr. and Valencia Bates. Raised in Aurora, Colorado, Jamil graduated from Overland High School and Metropolitan State University of Denver, earning his Bachelor of Arts in African American studies. Jamil always had a giving heart. He loved serving and giving back to the community. Jamil loved making others laugh and often would put on a show for his family and friends. As a child, he was very curious and loved being the center of attention and the life of the party. He would often get in trouble at school for being the class clown. One of his favorite things to do in school was to question the ability of the teacher to give him a proper education.

From an early age, Jamil loved working and having his own money. His grandparents taught him that men should always work and not depend on others to take care of their needs. He often spoke about his job and career path at United Launch Alliance (ULA). He was excited to showcase his talents and skills by working on several projects and was recognized for his excellence in execution. Jamil had a passion for writing and music and went to concerts and shows whenever he could. He grew up listening to artists such as Johnnie Taylor, Bobby Blue Bland, Al Green, Bobby Womack, and many more soulful artists with his Papa. Because of Jamil ‘s love was writing, he was inspired to share his talents and published two books under his publishing company Shabazz & CO. “Not Another Night’’ was published in 2016 followed by “Hiding Behind The Night” in 2017. He also contributed his talent to the Denver Urban Spectrum as a freelance writer.

Jamil A. Shabazz Jr. passed away just short of his 37th birthday on September 28. He is survived by his parents Jamil Shabazz Sr. and Valencia Bates; three siblings Dr. Marlon A. Peoples (Alisha Peoples), Jaulisa M. Johnson, Mikal Shabazz (Kayla); grand mother Annie B. Bates; three aunts Marlos U. Bates (Shreveport, LA), Charmon R. Bates (Shreveport, LA), and Linda Dean (Denver); uncles James R. Bates (Gina Bates, Denver), Omar Shabazz (Denver) , and Andrew Shabazz (Denver; nephew Charlie; nieces, Jalaiya, Alaiya, A’shyla, Autumn, Ari, Cousins Jeremie Jasmine, Dalisa, Jami, Louis James, Jenice, Marlinda, Shafeeq, Rashid, and many friends, and colleagues.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents and great grandparents Wali K. Shabazz, Dorothy Shabazz, James R. Bates, Ida Knotts, Elizabeth Thomas, Thomas Porter, and aunt Melissa Hines.

(Email: chapelhill@dig nitymemorial.com and Password: CAJ9ZQ.)

Editor’s note: To view the service via livestream, follow the link, https://www.oneroomstreaming.com/login

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Public Notice

Salud Family Health Centers (Aurora location) will hold a public meeting November 17, 2022 from 6-7pm at the Dayton Street Opportunity Center located at 1445 Dayton St. Aurora CO, to advise and engage the Aurora community on its plans to seek a grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s FY 2023 Brownfields program. If received, Salud would use the EPA funds to support the development a of a community health service center located at 16800 E. Colfax Avenue Aurora, CO 8001 to serve the Aurora and surrounding communities. The Property has been vacant or used for agri cultural purposes since at least 1937. A former agricultural irrigation ditch on the property was closed and filled sometime in the 1950s. The results of environmental investigations recently conducted at the property indicate that the ditch was filled with a mixture of soil and trash when it was closed. Some of the materials in the ditch could represent an environmental concern if encountered during construction. Salud has worked with the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment (CDPHE) to limit any environmental impacts from the materials in the ditch during construction. Salud’s work with CDPHE to enter the property in Colorado’s Voluntary Cleanup and Redevelopment Program, which included a cleanup plan to safely address any environmental conditions encountered during construction in a manner that protects human health and the environ ment. CDPHE has reviewed and approved the cleanup plan. Salud looks forward to engaging with the community about this exciting project.

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