I sent the email below on July 25 in preparation for the July 28 Denver City Council hearing about a proposed bond measure for the Fall 2025 ballot.
Good morning! I was born and raised in Denver, went to Samuels, Cheltenham, Cole and TJ, and now live in Broomfield. Rick Williams of People of the Sacred Land requested that I and other area allies support the inclusion of the proposed “Cultural Embassy Project” as part of the Bond measure proposed for this fall’s Denver ballot. Hopefully, since Denver is a regional center, as well as a municipality, that’s enough of a connection to register my perspective with council.
In all the years I attended the above Denver Public Schools, I never recall a classroom presentation about the seminal event now known as the Sand Creek Massacre, or the forcible displacement of Native peoples from this area. Now, as the program director for the recently recognized Broomfield Sister Cities partnership with the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, headquartered in Concho, Okla., I have come to see telling our full history as a state and a region as part of my vocation.
That’s why, I’m adding my voice to Rick’s and others’ who have been doing similar work to recognize the long connections of Native peoples to the Front Range, not just before U.S. settlement, but also as a result of more recent government-led efforts to “encourage” Native people to relocate from reservations to urban centers like Denver.
Now is the time and this bond measure is the tool to welcome Native peoples back to their homelands in a truly tangible and respectful way. Please prioritize adequate bond funding to construct a dedicated cultural center and embassy/consulate for all our Indigenous relatives, especially those who have historic treaty relationships to this area. Put Denver on the map as a community willing to acknowledge the past in order to build a better future.
Also, as a minister and housing affordability advocate serving Broomfield and the North Metro area, I strongly support publicly owned, not-for-profit social housing for our neighboring Denver residents at all income levels, especially those on the lower end of the economic spectrum. Please also prioritize social housing funds within this bond measure, as the “housing squeeze” we are feeling all along the Front Range is real and disproportionally affects our most vulnerable neighbors.
