5 STAR NEWS (also known as 5 POINTS NEWS) June 2021 by brother jeff's Cultural Center

Happenings in and around Historic 5 Points, Northeast Denver and Aurora June 2021

Black Arts Festival Returns to City Park

5 STAR NEWS

Also known as 5 POINTS NEWS. Proud Recipient of the Dr. Syl Morgan Smith Excellence in Media Award and the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Colorado Media Award

The Colorado Black Arts Festival has a legacy of presenting arts and cultural programming in the visual, performing, and literary arts in Colorado. It is essential to offer programming that nurtures creativity and supports the talent and aspirations of artists of all ages and at all stages of their development. This year’s festival theme, PROMISE, emphasizes that there is hope to pass a rich legacy. The promise of one’s creative spirit and imagination is shared intergenerationally and expressed through visual, performing, and literary arts; a promise of cultural heritage, past, present, and future. Festival detail can be found inside this edition of 5 STAR NEWS –Artistic Director M. Perry Ayers

Five Points Juneteenth Returns Bigger and Better Than Ever

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The Annual Juneteenth Parade kicked off the street festival. Denver’s Juneteenth Music Festival continued in person this year and remained one of the largest in the country. The 2021 Juneteenth Music Festival featured multiple activations to commemorate the day that, indeed, all enslaved peoples in the United States were freed. Additionally, 2021 marked the first year that Juneteenth is a national holiday. The Annual Juneteenth Parade kicked off the street festival. Thousands line the streets in celebration as performers and community organizations took over 26th street with a strolling party. Juneteenth celebrates the day African Americans in Texas learned of their freedom two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. A new edition this year featured Five Points of Culture at Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Studio. Denver’s Historic Cleo Parker Robinson Dance has been a cultural epicenter for the arts for over 50 years, displaying exemplary community standing as a 501c3 and providing enriching experiences and curriculum for the community. Cleo Parker Robinson Dance was the home for educational panels and roundtables as well as the Juneteenth Museum highlighting seven decades of the iconic Five Points celebration. –Juneteenth Music Festival

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13 This year’s Juneteenth returned in person following last year’s virtual celebration

5 STAR NEWS ONLINE NOW at www.brotherjeff.com

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I Still Wear a Mask and Wash My Hands

brother jeff Founder/Editor 5 STAR NEWS

The world seems to be reopened after being locked down for nearly a year. There are so many things we must relearn as we step outside our homes. Do you remember how to smile without a mask, shake a hand, or remember your way to work or school? Lots has changed since we last saw one another, without Zoom. Remember the world prior to Zoom? I do not want to have any more conversations or meetings via the computer screen. It has been great seeing people again, but I must admit I have not been getting too close. I still wash my hands, wear a mask and keep my distance. However, I am gradually getting back to interacting. With that said, I have also started to travel a little further than I have in the past year and I

notice most people are no longer wearing masks. This is due to more people becoming vaccinated. It was amazing to see so many people at the Juneteenth Festival. This must have been one of the first festivals in the state to return to the new normal. And for all those people gathered I noticed something, there has not be a flood of people going to the hospital I do hear about people still getting Covid 19. However, it seems as though we may be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I believe that, but don’t be surprised if you see me still wearing a mask or giving that elbow bump. Yes, I am happy to see everyone. I am also remaining cautious. –brother jeff

Full Circle, the Dual Pandemic of COVID-19 and Racism In 2020 COVID-19 took us all by surprise and did not play. COVID-19 did not discriminate. It infected and affected all , but especially Black folks and other people of color. These disparities were first brought to light by Wisconsin. Then the Congressional Black Caucus implored the CDC and HHS to collect the data. In the early months I did plenty of tea spilling about some people’s disregard of the seriousness of this disease. Even our former president did not take it seriously, soon enough. He wanted churches to be open by Easter. He refused to wear a mask. He subsequently was infected. Interestingly before he left office, he secretly received a vaccine against this virus. During the early months in 2020 I was feverishly reading and watching the news. So much was happening. I wrote about the churches, restaurants, the beaches, and more. The impact on the schools was really ugly. The school issue was one of those damned if you do, damned if you don’t situations. I was home alone and was kept mentally alive by writing about what I heard or saw. There was much to write about, as many lives were impacted and lives lost. I reached a new level of energy and my intellectual curiosity was highly stimulated during this time. I was thankful for the diversion. My jovial mood turned to anger when 8:46, the iconic time, forever marked the time it took for a police officer to kneel on George Floyd’s neck, killing him. There were a few live witnesses at the scene, but all of us were witnesses of the racism that exudes from the pores of this Nation. This was nothing new, but with

people confined to the house due to COVID-19 many more witnessed the blatant disregard for the Black body. The young folks rose up. Black Lives Matter rose up again. Black lives do matter, but some did not see the connection or perhaps they didn’t care! Two pandemics running wild and in parallel since May 2020. In my May 29, 2020 post, I wrote that no weapon formed against us will prosper. Will there be justice in November 2020?, I wrote. What a toll all these happenings had on my soul and I was still confined to home as 2021 rolled in. Fortunately, the 2021 PAC 12 basketball season happened. It was a different type of year, but it happened. Whew! Looking back I can hardly believe that just one year has passed. In one year we have come full circle: a virus – a vaccine; a murder – a conviction; an irrational president – a reasonable president. Circles are never ending so we are not at the end, but a beginning and it keeps going round and round, where it stops, I certainly don’t know!

Dr. TeaNT is a Medical Doctor in the Public Health Sector for Over 30 Years & Counting. Now a freelance blogger – giving the real perspective on popular medial topics. An avid biker, hiker, gardener, walker, reader, and dancer. Read her blog at www.drteant.com

Dr. Lisa Caldron to Lead Emerge Colorado

Councilwoman Candi Cdebaca‘s Chief of Staff, Dr. Lisa Calderón, is transitioning out of her role serving Council District 9 to become the first woman of color Executive Director of Emerge Colorado, where she will recruit and train Democratic women to run for elected office statewide. “My top goal has always been to build collective power for transformational change. This move represents

5 STAR NEWS Monthly Publication June 2021

Publisher brother jeff Editor brother jeff

Layout & Design Cynthia R. Martin Photography brother jeff Lens of Ansar

an exponentially increased opportunity to achieve that goal. I am proud of Lisa and Emerge, and I’m extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to establish our office with Dr. Calderón’s support,” said Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca. Calderón explained that the decision was not made lightly when she was presented with an opportunity to expand the reach of progressive women leaders across the state. “It has been a profound honor to serve Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca and the constituents in District 9 where I live,” stated Calderón. “While I am absolutely thrilled to become the new Executive Director of Emerge Colorado on July 12, the transition is bittersweet because I couldn’t have asked for a better team composed of strong, brilliant and visionary women.” Calderón will also continue to be a resource Councilwoman CdeBaca, including relocating the Emerge Colorado office to District 9. “Because I believe in the Councilwoman’s vision to increase transparency, accountability and community engagement in government.

Contributing Writers & Researchers brother jeff Jim “Dr. Daddio” Walker Jon Bowman Shay J Justy Robinson Distribution Gerald Borden 5 STAR News is a publication of brotherjeff.com 2836 Welton Street Denver, CO 80205 303.297.0823 5pointsnews@brotherjeff.com

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Black Arts Festival Entertainment

Saturday, July 10 continued

Friday, July 9

Joda Village Stage

Joda Village Stage 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Speakers Panel representing: Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, N. Sudan, Somalia 3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony

Various African Drum and Dance 4:00 p.m. will feature Intergenerational Women’s African Drum and Dance Ensemble (IWADDE)

3:30 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. Djenaba Sako Dance Group 4:15 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Jay Tendo - Afro Beats

Sunday, July 11

4:30 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. DJ Music Mix

Kuumba Stage

4:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Fatai Williams - Afro Beats

1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. The Linda Theus-Lee Project

5:00 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. Liz Wamukoya - Swahili Pan African Afro Beats

2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Tony Exum Jr

5:15 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

RL Tones - Afro Beats

Chase N The Dream

5:30 p.m. - 5:45 p.m. Juvelly - Afro Beats

5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Hazel Miller and The Collective

5:45 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

DJ Foxy will be spinning sounds in between acts starting at 2:00 p.m.

DJ Music Mix

6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Sing Sing African Drummers

Gospel Stage

Saturday, July 10

12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m. DJ Ricky Olguin

Kuumba Stage

1:00 p.m. - 1:20 p.m. Long Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church

1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Elise featuring Joseph Abiakam

1:30 p.m. - 1:50 p.m. J. L. Thompson Dance Ensemble

2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Diana Castro and The Big Time

2:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. New Life Christian Fellowship-The Royal Family

4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Rex Peoples and The X-Factr

2:25 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. Gospel Angels

5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Sammy Mayfield

2:55 p.m. - 3:10 p.m. Restoration Christian Fellowship Choir

7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Soul School

3:20 p.m. - 3:40 p.m. Shamika R. Kelly

DJ EJ will be spinning sounds in between acts starting at 2:00 p.m.

3:50 p.m. - 4:10 p.m.

brother Jeff’s Cultural Center’s Stage

4:20 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. Tim Boston & The League of Worshipers

presented by The Center for African American Health Hosted by Jason McBride 11:00 a.m. Noon PJ the DJ 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Youth Dance & Talent Showcase (Immediately Following Parade) 2:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. 1-NATVSON-1 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Sheryl Renee featuring Gregory Goodloe 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. brother jeff’s Cultural Center’s Black Arts Festival Party 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Sheldon Johnson Band 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. DJ Simone Says

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Soldiers for Christ

4:50 p.m. - 5:05 p.m.

Yeshua Praise Dancers - True Light Baptist Church

5:05 p.m. -5:20 p.m.

Lonnie Hill & The Mile High Gospel Keynotes

BOOGALOO CELEBRATION PARADE 2021 SATURDAY JULY 10, 10:00AM | Denver City Park

Black Arts Festival Attractions

The Colorado Black Arts Festival aims to unite and enlighten the entire Colorado community through visual presentations, music, dance, special exhibitions, and food that showcase the African American and African Diaspora experience. Innovative programming was designed around this year’s theme and is woven into Festival favorites and programs and activities to entertain and enrich the entire family. • For young minds, we have the Opalanga D. Pugh Children’s Pavilion for Art and Learning that is a fun and interactive learning place for children ages 2-13. It is a venue for children and the entire family to create, learn and have fun. There are culturally relevant activities and education for enlightenment and entertainment. The Children’s Pavilion is a place for the entire family. • Boogaloo Celebration Parade’s This highly anticipated festival event is on festival grounds for 2021. It is a festive, colorful, and elaborate showcase of community pride that will thrill parade spectators-both

young and old alike. The parade will kick off at the Martin Luther King, Jr. monument and end at the Bro Jeff Cultural Center Stage. Claim your spot early to see the pageantry of the parade. The crowds are never disappointed as they feel the energy and excitement while watching drill and drum teams, step teams, youth groups, civic groups, and colorful themed floats. A parade grandstand to watch the performances will be available. • The Kuumba Stage is the Colorado Black Arts Festival’s creativity performing arts stage. It will feature Neo-Soul, R&B, Blues, Jazz, Reggae, Funk, and Hip Hop. • The F. Cosmo Harris Gospel Stage will feature Urban Gospel, Traditional Gospel, Praise Dancers, Youth Gospel Performances, and Contemporary Gospel. (Sunday only) • Brother Jeff’s Cultural Center Stage is new to the event. This exciting stage will feature youth performances as well as R&B, funk, and soul performance bands. (Saturday only) • The African American Visual Arts

Row is a prominent venue for all to enjoy and purchase artwork of professional and emerging artists. Noted elite African American Visual Artists will exhibit their finest original works. An all-media show will include paintings, oils, acrylics and watercolors, drawings, etchings, pen, ink, charcoal, and folk art, and more. • The Health Highways Pavilion is a fun and engaging zone designated for all things health and wellness! It’s an interactive health experience that is informative, engaging and lots of fun for the whole family. It’s where we’ll address health disparities with hands-on education, games, and information to promote healthier lifestyles. You can also get a free health screening by licensed health professionals. The 2021 festival is offering on-site COVID vaccinations. • The Joda Village Stage and Compound will showcase creative interpretations of Brazilian, Caribbean, and African drum and dance, spoken word, African roots music, and Reggae. Demonstrations in West African drum and dance Capoeira will be given in Joda Village. On Friday, come to celebrate African Celebration Day with cultural performances and exchanges. • Scavenger Hunt is for festival attendees of all ages exploring for answers to “the clues.” There are questions about renowned African American visual, literary, and performing artists. Questions regarding African American history and culture over 400 years await you. The Scavenger Hunt should prove to be an educational experience. This is a fun family or friend activity. • The “Watu-Sakoni” People’s Marketplace is the heart of an African village. The Festival’s Watu Sokoni is where you can enter a place decked with colorful merchandise, handmade crafts, and aromas to titillate the senses. Whether you are look-

ing to adorn the body with beautiful and unique clothing, exotic jewelry, fabrics, headgear, beadwork, or natural balms and oils, the market is where you can find it. You will also find home décor and African artifacts. You can also take advantage of many special services and resources from non-profit and socio-civic organizations in the marketplace. • Food Court will have an assortment of tasty and affordable food offerings prepared and presented by local restaurants, caterers, and confectionaries. The food court will feature delicious foods from the American South, the African continent, the Caribbean, and American favorites at affordable prices. • Art Garden, sponsored by Meow Wolf, is a principal venue for all to enjoy. The Art Garden is set along a grassy and tree garlanded path within the festival grounds. Set among large sculptures will be bottle trees. See and learn the history of the bottle tree that has its African roots in the Congo area of Africa in the 9th Century A.D. The Art Garden will also feature other art gems for your enjoyment. • The CBAF beer lounge will have adult refreshments and talented DJs spinning some of the most soulful music ever recorded. Get ready to take a musically spiritual journey. Be prepared to dance and be uplifted. It’s what soulful music was intended to do! Some of Denver’s hottest DJs will be turning the place out! For our dominoes and card lovers, this is the place to be! • Natural Hair Care Zone is everything for natural hair and beauty. The hair and beauty experts will be on hand to guide you whether you are new to natural hair care or have been rocking natural hair for a while. You may even get tips on healthy skincare and products. Don’t leave the event without visiting this dynamic group of hair professionals.

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News You Can Use With Jon Bowman - Now Go Run And Tell That

Jon Bowman 5 STAR NEWS Journalist

So, turns out the Tay Anderson attack was nothing more than an attempt to bring down The Young Bull! Turns out the Qanon attempted take-down was an insidious plot to go after a rising star in the Mile High Income City. The claim was that he and another political partner, has somehow molested or sexually harassed some 74 children who were in the ‘Dreamer’ state of living in America. Well, the message that Tay was a molestor was fought off by community activists, who also gave others a chance to be heard on the claims, and the community and Anderson came out on the side of, shall we say truth and justice? TIME TO COME HOME? For one educator, the time seems to be just right! Nicole Hannah-Jones, who was on the faculty at the University of North Carolina--home of the Tar Heels--but was not being offered tenure at the school. When national interest and pressure kinda forced UNC to offer the professor a teaching position, Hannah-Jones decided to take

her talents elsewhere! During a morning sit-down with CBS host, Gayle King, the professor made the announcement that she will take a tenured post at Black folks Harvard--Howard University in Washington, DC, the 51st State to-be! Hannah-Jones had been selected to join the UNC faculty as the Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism- a position which had in the past come with tenure, but for the Black woman that tenure was not in the package. Instead, Howard decided they needed to offer a similar program, so now Hannah-Jones will teach in the inaugural Knight Chair on RACE and Investigative Journalism at the HBCU School. I never liked UNC’s nickname--the Tar Heels anyway... too close to Tar Baby for me... they say the poor whites who worked making tar pitch for boat building, would walk barefoot in the tar pits and where people picked them out seems their heels would be clean... rich folks called those workers ‘low-class’ but story seems like it should be Black folks who worked the pits had soles of their feet missing some tar... I JUST NEVER LIKED THE TERM...so, glad the learned Professor took her talents HOME to HOWARD!!! Think if all black scholars and athletes took their talents and skills to Black Universities... schools would get millions playing the mandatory white schools... and scholarships and dollars would pour into our schools, where stars and entertainers could funnel money into helping our young folks get quality educations from our own scholars. Time to Come Home! Speaking of going home, one of the major donors to Black Ohio school, Central State University, Bill Cosby went home this month. The convicted sexual attacker was serving a three to ten year

Juneteenth is a Five Points Tradition

5 Star News Journalist Justy Robinson

The Five Points’ first national Juneteenth was one Denver’s Black community desperately needed; after an entire year where we couldn’t occupy space togetherbut did the news of Juneteenth becoming a Federally-Recognized Holiday change anything? To answer this question one should review the history of Juneteenth. Two years after enslavement was outlawed in the ‘Slave States’ by the Emancipation Proclamation, and two months after Robert E. Lee’s surrender to Ulysses S. Grant- functionally ending the civil war, enslavement in Texas continued as usual; and even grew because slavers from other states fled to Texas. When Gen. Gordon Granger and his army marched into Galveston Texas after he was put into command of the Department of Texas however, they came with the mission to see the federal law carried out. It is a common misconception that Gen. Granger came into Texas to inform the enslaved that they were free, but the truth is that Gen. Granger came into Texas to inform the slavers that they will release those they’ve enslaved- or else. 6 8 5 STAR NEWS

While the distinction may seem small, one version of this says that the enslaved were simply ignorant to their freedom, whereas the other says they were held captive for two more years illegally. A government does not send a Commander of Troops to deliver messages, it sends a man like Gen. Granger because he would get the job done- by whatever means at his disposal. The freed Black folks of Galveston, Texas created Juneteenth by celebrating the freedom that was always there’s. Juneteenth in Denver, Colorado began with Otha P. Rice Sr. when he emigrated to Denver from Texas in the 50’s. Rice, having lived in Texas, was very familiar with the celebration as it was celebrated since Gen. Granger came into Texas and made it a personal mission to see people educated on the event. It began as small celebrations inside of his bar, Rice’s Tap Room; but as it grew, Big Al and Jim Walker (Dr. Daddio), two prominent members of the Black Community in Denver, began to support Rice’s mission of educating people on the celebration. It would be 1986 where nearly 60,000 people would hit the points for the celebration of black emancipation- and the rest is history. One can see that Juneteenth has an extensive history in the city, and that deposits at least two states where a large Juneteenth celebration has been going on for many years (in Colorado, and in Texas). So, the size and scope of the 2021 revival after the devastating year that was 2020 for the Black community, is not surprising at all; and in fact could’ve been speculated to happen because it was something the Black community has always done- so can it be said that the signature that made Juneteenth a national holiday changed anything for us? –Justy Robinson

stint in the pokey--following more than 60 women saying that Coz would drug them with pills which would knock them out, and then rape them. Well, as them courtroom deals get made, one DA promised America’s Dad, if he told the truth in a civil case related to charges against one woman, that testimony would not be used against him in any criminal cases. When a new DA took over the case, he says he didn’t know about the verbal agreement. The judge, on appeal, ruled there was prosecutorial misjudgment at play and on a tecnacality, the Jello man was set free. And, the clincher is that while the world still thinks he is guilty of the rape allegations, Cosby thinks he was declared not guilty of the heinous crimes... NO HE WASN’T! Now tho, we might have to deal with the ego of an 83-year old man who might want parades and a stage come-back in Vegas. We see another loser who has quietly put together some $84 million to run again for the Presidency. These times are so crazy! Quoting Kid Cudi, “People that are celebrating Bill Cosby being released are

f*%#ing Idots!” CRITICAL RACE THEORY Local Metro area school boards are dealing with the old Tea Party right-wingers, when it comes to schools planning to teach the truth about how America was discovered, founded, and how she used enslaved people to build the factories in the north and do the cotton picking harder field work in the south. How Blacks were not considered people...3/5ths a man? Why the Founding Fathers wouldn’t let white women vote... and wouldn’t let Black men or women vote. They don’t want their children to know about the slaughter of this lands Natives... and how they would wantonly kill their sacred animal, the Bison... even tho we live in the land of the Buffalo.. they don’t want to let their children know about the KKK or Nazi Germany, and why Germany won’t allow people to own Nazi flags but here they use them and that traitor flag of the South Stars n Bars, to storm the US Capitol and try to overthrow the government...why would we want to teach them that old bad part of our history? NOW RUN AND TELL THAT!! –Jon Bowman

Lawsuit Filed Over Park Hill Golf Course

In a new and critical development regarding the Park Hill Golf Course land, Save Open Space Denver (SOS), along with plaintiffs from each City Council District – today filed a Complaint in Denver District Court seeking a court order regarding the City-owned 2019 conservation easement that preserves the Park Hill Golf Course land for open space and recreational conservation purposes - preventing development on that land. The Complaint claims are based on the Colorado conservation easement statute that prevents termination, release, extinguishment, or abandonment of a conservation easement without a court order that (based on changes on or surrounding protected land) it has become impossible to continue fulfilling an easement’s conservation purposes. SOS and the other citizen plaintiffs seek a court order stating that the City is violating the Colorado conservation easement statute by expending significant taxpayer-funded, government resources to engage in an expensive planning and development process without first securing a statutorily mandated court order allowing termination, release, extinguishment or abandonment the 2019 conservation easement. The plaintiffs also seek a court order requiring the City to cease and desist from further actions and expenditures inconsistent with the open space and recreational conservation purposes of the 2019 conservation easement until the City might secure such a court order regarding that easement. “What this boils down to is the simple fight over green space versus concrete, and we have citizens from all walks of life who put their names on this lawsuit, ” said Penfield Tate, one of the plaintiffs named in the complaint, “The City is waste-

fully spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on a major planning and development process for land that cannot be developed without a court order under Colorado law. Since the City refuses to address the Colorado conservation easement statute mandate, we’re seeking a court order that it must do so, now.” The complaint also alleges that the City’s planning and development process “is effectively a real estate development joint venture project between the City and Westside Investment Partners.” To support this, the plaintiffs cite an internal December 2019 email from the Executive Director of the Planning and Development Department, Laura Aldrete, in which she refers to the developer (Westside) as the City’s “client.” Another allegation cites an admission by Ms. Aldrete at a January 2021 City Council Budget and Policy Committee meeting that her department’s planning and development process for the Park Hill Golf Course land is “market driven by a developer.” The plaintiffs, representing every Denver City Council District: Rafael Espinoza • Xochitl Gaytan • Jason Paul McGlaughlin • Anthony W. Pigford • Laurie B. Bogue • Joan Fitz-Gerald • Anne McGihon • Phebe Lassiter, Nancy Young, Penfield Tate • Jeff “Brother Jeff” Fard • Yadira Sanchez • Wellington Webb • Regina Jackson • Gabriel Lindsay Save Open Space Denver (“SOS Denver”) is a grassroots community group focused on the future of the Park Hill Golf Course land. We are dedicated both to the preservation of the beautiful 155-acre open space and to the eventual acquisition of the land by the City to create a fabulous park for all. – www.sosdenver.net

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The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro Fellow-citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here to-day? What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us? and am I, therefore, called upon to bring our humble offering to the national altar, and to confess the benefits and express devout gratitude for the blessings resulting from your independence to us? Would to God, both for your sakes and ours, that an affirmative answer could be truthfully returned to these questions! Then would my task be light, and my burden easy and delightful. For who is there so cold, that a nation’s sympathy could not warm him? Who so obdurate and dead to the claims of gratitude, that would not thankfully acknowledge such priceless benefits? Who so stolid and selfish, that would not give his voice to swell the hallelujahs of a nation’s jubilee, when the chains of servitude had been torn from his limbs? I am not that man. In a case like that, the dumb might eloquently speak, and the “lame man leap as an hart.” But such is not the state of the case. I say it with a sad sense of the disparity between us. I am not included within the pale of glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common.ÑThe rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought light and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn. To drag a man in fetters into the grand illuminated temple of liberty, and call upon him to join you in joyous anthems, were inhuman mockery and sacrilegious irony. Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to speak to-day? If so, there is a parallel to your conduct. And let me warn you that it is dangerous to copy the example of a nation whose crimes, towering up to heaven, were thrown down by the breath of the Almighty, burying that nation in irrevocable ruin! I can to-day take up the plaintive lament of a peeled and woe-smitten people! By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down. Yea! we wept when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there, they that carried us away captive, required of us a song; and they who wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How can we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land? If I forget thee, 0 Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth. Fellow-citizens, above your national, tumultuous joy, I hear the mournful wail of millions! whose chains, heavy and grievous yesterday, are, to-day, rendered more intolerable by the jubilee shouts that reach them. If I do forget, if I do not faithfully remember those bleeding children of sorrow this day, “may my right hand forget her cunning, and may my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth!” To forget them, to pass lightly over their wrongs, and to chime in with the popular theme, would be treason most scandalous and shocking, and would make me a reproach before God and the world. My subject, then, fellow-citizens, is American slavery. I shall see this day and its popular characteristics from the slave’s point of view. Standing there identified with the American bondman, making

his wrongs mine, I do not hesitate to declare, with all my soul, that the character and conduct of this nation never looked blacker to me than on this 4th of July! Whether we turn to the declarations of the past, or to the professions of the present, the conduct of the nation seems equally hideous and revolting. America.is false to the past, false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future. Standing with God and the crushed and bleeding slave on this occasion, I will, in the name of humanity which is outraged, in the name of liberty which is fettered, in the name of the constitution and the Bible which are disregarded and trampled upon, dare to call in question and to denounce, with all the emphasis I can command, everything that serves to perpetuate slavery Ñ the great sin and shame of America! “I will not equivocate; I will not excuse”; I will use the severest language I can command; and yet not one word shall escape me that any man, whose judgment is not blinded by prejudice, or who is not at heart a slaveholder, shall not confess to be right and just. But I fancy I hear some one of my audience say, “It is just in this circumstance that you and your brother abolitionists fail to make a favorable impression on the public mind. Would you argue more, an denounce less; would you persuade more, and rebuke less; your cause would be much more likely to succeed.” But, I submit, where all is plain there is nothing to be argued. What point in the anti-slavery creed would you have me argue? On what branch of the subject do the people of this country need light? Must I undertake to prove that the slave is a man? That point is conceded already. Nobody doubts it. The slaveholders themselves acknowledge it in the enactment of laws for their government. They acknowledge it when they punish disobedience on the part of the slave. There are seventy-two crimes in the State of Virginia which, if committed by a black man (no matter how ignorant he be), subject him to the punishment of death; while only two of the same crimes will subject a white man to the like punishment. What is this but the acknowledgment that the slave is a moral, intellectual, and responsible being? The manhood of the slave is conceded. It is admitted in the fact that Southern statute books are covered with enactments forbidding, under severe fines and penalties, the teaching of the slave to read or to write. When you can point to any such laws in reference to the beasts of the field, then I may consent to argue the manhood of the slave. When the dogs in your streets, when the fowls of the air, when the cattle on your hills, when the fish of the sea, and the reptiles that crawl, shall be unable to distinguish the slave from a brute, then will I argue with you that the slave is a man! What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are, to Him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy -- a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages.There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States, at this very hour. - Frederick Douglass , July 5, 1852

Will Blacks Benefit from Juneteenth National Holiday

James “Dr. Daddio” Walker Sr.

Darnella Frazier is a name everyone in the world should know. It is sad, most do not and that is a shame. Seventeenyear-old Frazier changed the world as we know it. The largest social justice movement in world history would not have happened if she did not pull out her phone and record the murder of George Floyd. Without Frazier’s recording, there would be no evidence to counter what the police presented as another clean day on the job for the murderer who had a file full of bad policing. Everyone knew who he was, and Frazier showed him to the world. She deserves all the awards, recognition and every opportunity for higher education and positions this society offers. We must always remember the name Darnella Frazier and never forget George Floyd and the countless Black men and women that were murdered by law enforcement. Speaking of remembering, Congress and President Biden have made Juneteenth a national holiday and I guarantee

you white people will be the ones enjoying the economic benefits and another day off. Juneteenth has become commercialized and has moved far away from how it was originally celebrated. Juneteenth originated in Texas and I grew up celebrating it in Louisiana. It was a day when meat markets and supermarkets donated meat, watermelons, drinks and more. It was a day when everything was Free. Those days are gone. I participated in the first Five Points Juneteenth planning meeting with Big Al Richardson and his brothers. I remember Mr. Roundtree, Mr. Cousins and other Five Points businessmen and women at the time making sure everyone had a great celebrations. Local markets donated the meat and everything. That changed when booths was sold and the rest is history. Looking at Juneteenth now it is a huge money making festival. Looking down Five Points most of the the vendors making the money were white. That is what happens when the meaning of Juneteenth becomes lost and the opportunity to make money moves to center stage. Juneteenth is not the only celebration that is becoming more white. Blacks have also lost Jazz. I see all these Jazz events happening in Five Points and they are also white dominated. Sure there are a few Black players, but they also are outnumbered by white musicians. It is very upsetting to see the direction all of this is going and Black people support this. Heck, we do not even live in Five Points anymore. Their efforts are nothing more than money-making opportunities for whites. Think about the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations. There was a time when people took a day off to remember and now many use the holiday to go fishing. We have to change this. –James “Dr. Daddio” Walker Sr.

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Civic Engagement, Elections and Leadership

Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca I’m reflecting on a discussion panel on “Civic Engagement, Elections, and Leadership” I participated in two months ago alongside some of my Council colleagues, hosted by the Denver Clerk and Recorder. As a closing question, we were asked how to productively engage protesters and/or people who are unable to vote (due to age or citizenship status) in city government. This is my response: Protest is an entry point, and pivoting to policy is the next step. You don’t have to be a citizen, you don’t have to be 18, you don’t have to be an English speaker to be pissed off or affected by government policies. I think that the most important thing that anyone can do is pay attention. This newsletter is intended to be a tool that can help you in paying attention. A lot of politicians and governments have relied on our ignorance and our inability to pay attention to create systems of oppression. So show up, know who your elected are, and how they are voting—not just what they’re telling you during a campaign season or in a

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news story. Make sure you’re paying attention to how your elected officials vote on the things you care about. When you’re paying attention, you can show up and testify about the issues you care most about. And you can organize other people to testify. You can call and write to your legislators about the issues you care most about. And if you’re interested and passionate enough, you can even propose legislation that we will carry at the city level and at the state level. That is not something that is reserved just for elected officials: Anyone can collect enough signatures to get something on a ballot to change the things that we as City Council or in the state legislature won’t or can’t change through our processes. You can also take part in stakeholder groups. We convene multiple stakeholder groups for a variety of issues in my office: BIPOC small business, budget, cannabis equity, climate action, safety & crime solutions, food desert solutions, multimodal transportation, parks & recreation, safe outdoor spaces, and much more. If you see a topic that interests you, contact my office at District9@denvergov.org to get involved. There are also advisory committees and boards and commissions that residents can take part in; see the Action Alerts below for some current opportunities! And of course, run for office! For communities that don’t trust government and/or who have historically been excluded from participating in government, it’s hard to walk that line and and and trust the people who represent you. So make sure you find people you can trust—help others run, help their campaigns with your time and resources. Or become that person yourself and run for office! –Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca

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The Power of Self Development

5 Star News Journalist Shay J

President Biden Makes Juneteenth a National Holiday= On June 19, 1865 — nearly nine decades after our Nation’s founding, and more than 2 years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation — enslaved Americans in Galveston, Texas, finally received word that they were free from bondage. As those who were formerly enslaved were recognized for the first time as citizens, Black Americans came to commemorate Juneteenth with celebrations across the country, building new lives and a new tradition that we honor today. In its celebration of freedom, Juneteenth is a day that should be recognized by all Americans. And that is why I am proud to have consecrated Juneteenth as our newest national holiday. Juneteenth is a day of profound weight and power. A day in which we remember the moral stain and terrible toll of slavery on our country –- what I’ve long called America’s original sin. A long legacy of systemic racism, inequality, and inhumanity. But it is a day that also reminds us of our incredible capacity to heal, hope, and emerge from our darkest moments with purpose and resolve. As I said on the 100th Anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, great nations don’t ignore the most painful chapters of their past. Great nations confront them. We come to terms with them. On Juneteenth, we recommit ourseles to the work of equity, equality, and justice. And, we celebrate the centuries of struggle, courage, and hope that have brought us to this time of progress and possibility. That work has been led throughout our history by abolitionists and educators, civil rights advocates and lawyers, courageous activists and trade unionists, public officials, and everyday Americans who have helped make real the ideals of our

founding documents for all. There is still more work to do. As we emerge from the long, dark winter of the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, racial equity remains at the heart of our efforts to vaccinate the Nation and beat the virus. We must recognize that Black Americans, among other people of color, have shouldered a disproportionate burden of loss — while also carrying us through disproportionately as essential workers and health care providers on the front lines of the crisis. My Administration is committed to building an economy — and a Nation — that brings everyone along, and finally delivers our Nation’s founding promise to Black Americans. Together, we will lay the roots of real and lasting justice, so that we can become the extraordinary country that was promised to all Americans. Juneteenth not only commemorates the past. It calls us to action today. NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 19, 2021, as Juneteenth Day of Observance. I call upon the people of the United States to acknowledge and celebrate the end of the Civil War and the emancipation of Black Americans, and commit together to eradicate systemic racism that still undermines our founding ideals and collective prosperity. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth. –Joseph R. Biden Jr.

If we take a look back at the very beginning of the journey, we realize we were never taught about the journey of self-development. Our perception was confined to limited worldly achievements, merely related to academics and our respective professions. We often ignore ourselves in the hustle to achieve our targets and chase the perfect professional life we dreamt of. Our worldly journey might race rapidly, but our self-development is paused. Therefore, even after achieving our goals, many of us experience a void that can only be filled by personal growth and self-development. Once we start investing in ourselves and reviving our souls, things around us become better. Ways to harness the power of selfdevelopment: Once you begin your self-development journey, there is no stopping. You may retire from your professional life, but the journey of self-development continues until you reach your maximum potentials. Self-development is all about growing and working from the inside out on yourself. It helps you explore new horizons of life with your internal potential. Therefore, it’s crucial to make daily deposits into selfdevelopment by: Enhancing your strengths: Strengths shape your personality. It also helps to build self-esteem and awareness about ourselves. Therefore, it is essential to recognize them and maintain them. If you consistently leverage your strengths, you might succeed in further enhancing them and excelling in them.

Dealing with your shortcomings: It’s vital to come to terms with your shortcomings. Brushing them under the carpet and ignoring them might only hamper your self-development journey. It’s crucial to realize your weaknesses and work on them. With consistency and determination, you can quickly transform your weaknesses into strengths. Walking out of your comfort zone: As a leading and highly professional individual in your respective careers, you must learn to welcome positive changes and walk out of your comfort zone. It helps you discover and unleash the anonymous potentials that lie within you and prepare you for unforeseen circumstances. Ways to increase self-love: In our hectic working schedule, we often forget the shower love on ourselves. In stressful times, self-love motivates you and keeps you going. Here are some of the ways through which we can cultivate selflove in ourselves: Trust your decisions: Self-love begins with trusting in ourselves and our decisions. It’s a mutual feeling we all share that we don’t trust ourselves to make the right decisions. Know that you are your best advocate. Therefore, you possess the ability to make the right decisions. Appreciate your efforts: To improve relations with yourself and love yourself, you need to appreciate the little efforts and celebrate them. These little achievements push and motivate you towards achieving bigger goals. Take little breaks: As dictated by conventional wisdom, taking breaks is unproductive. However, in reality, downtimes increase productivity. You function more efficiently. Therefore, shower love on yourself by allowing yourself to take little breaks and relax. Gearing up for the next half of the year: It’s understandable if you haven’t focused on your self-development journey in the first half of the year. It’s never too late to begin again. While preparing for the next half, start with reflecting on your selfgrowth and development journey. Restart all over again with a clean slate, and don’t forget to sprinkle some love and affection on yourself. Hopefully, you will have a much more productive and joyous year ah ead. –Shay J

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Denver school board member Angela Cobián will not run for reelection

Chalkbeat Journalist Melanie Asmar

One of three Denver school board members eligible to run for reelection says she will not seek another term. Angela Cobián, who was once a Denver teacher, said her decision was inspired by her former students and what she called “a natural type of transition point.” “This year, my third-grade students graduated,” Cobián said. “As I started thinking about that and what that meant, I started thinking about these other pages of DPS history that are turning. We have had four years of really intense events that have hit the district, and we’re finally at this point where I feel super hopeful.” Although Denver Public Schools faces big challenges, including fallout from the pandemic and declining enrollment, Cobián said she’s confident that the new superintendent the board hired last month, Alex Marrero, will lead the 90,000-student

district to success. Cobián is a bilingual former Denver student who grew up in the southwest region she now represents. She said the ending of her four-year term seemed like a juncture where she could do the same thing her predecessor, Rosemary Rodriguez, did: inspire new Latina leaders to help shape policy for a district where more than half of the students are Hispanic. No candidates have yet filed to run for Cobián’s seat, according to the Denver Elections Divisions candidate tracker, but Cobián said an announcement is coming. Four of the seven seats on the Denver school board are up for grabs in November. One incumbent, board President Carrie Olson, has announced she is running for reelection and was endorsed this week by the Denver teachers union. Another incumbent, board Vice President Jennifer Bacon, has not said if she will run again. Separate from her seat on the school board, which is an unpaid volunteer position, Bacon was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives last year. The other incumbent, Barbara O’Brien, cannot run for reelection due to term limits. Cobián was first elected to the board in 2017. As a candidate, she had the backing of education reform groups that support independently run charter schools and school choice. In 2019, the board majority flipped from reform-backed candidates to candidates backed by the Denver teachers union, which opposes the expansion of charter schools. But Cobián said politics did not play into her decision to leave the board. She does not think of herself as a “reformer,”

she said. Instead, Cobián said her policy votes were always driven by her own experience and the experiences of the families who live in southwest Denver. When she was elected, there were already charter schools in her board district, in addition to traditional district-run schools and semi-autonomous innovation schools. “I owe it to the students and families in my district to be active and involved in all of those types of schools,” she said. “If charter schools are successful, that means my neighbors are also going to be successful.” Cobián counts small practical changes and big policy shifts among the things she is proud of in her board service. She pushed for traffic safety upgrades to make it easier for students to cross busy Alameda Avenue. And she helped revise a controversial school closure policy to give schools with lagging test scores the opportunity to improve rather than be shuttered or replaced. Cobián has served as the board treasurer since 2019. She’s proud of establishing a citizen budget advisory committee during the pandemic that helped decide how to cut the budget in the face of state funding shortfalls. That committee will now be permanent. Her hardest moment as a school board member was not the pandemic or a 2019 teacher strike, she said, but rather when one of her former students was shot

outside of his school. Helping his family navigate the hospital system, and then helping them decide where to send him and his siblings to school once he recovered, taught her a hard but valuable lesson. “That experience showed me there are a lot of ways to be involved in the lives of my students at a systemic level,” Cobián said. And she promises she will. Cobián works for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America as director of coalition advocacy, a nationwide job that she does from Denver. She also serves on the boards of several local nonprofit organizations. After she won her school board seat in 2017, Cobián had her campaign logo tattooed on her arm. The logo was inspired by a poem by Luis Valdez that starts, “Tú eres mi otro yo,” or “You are my other me.” She said she chose the logo because when she encountered Denver students and their families, she saw them as extensions of herself. She still does. “I will continue to think that way and act that way until we are able to not just graduate from college but be upwardly mobile people who have the agency to make decisions about our community with power,” Cobián said. –Chalkbeat Journalist Melanie Asmar

BOOGALOO CELEBRATION PARADE 2021 SATURDAY JULY 10, 10:00AM | Denver City Park June 2021 8

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Bill Restricts Law Enforcement Use of Ketamine

Representative Leslie Herod released the following statement after Governor Jared Polis signed legislation to prohibit law enforcement from compelling or unduly influencing a paramedic to administer ketamine. We took a significant step forward in our state to improve policing and end the misuse of ketamine, which has had dangerous and deadly consequences for Coloradans,” said Rep. Leslie Herod, DDenver. “No longer will law enforcement be able to direct paramedics to administer a potentially deadly drug, especially for a condition of ‘excited delirium,’ the diagnostic validity of which is disputed by medical professionals. I applaud Governor Polis’ support for this bill and for working to stop the misuse of chemical

restraints in interactions with law enforcement.” HB21-1251, sponsored by Representatives Leslie Herod and Yadira Caraveo, a physician, prohibits law enforcement from compelling, directing, or unduly influencing a paramedic to chemically incapacitate someone by administering ketamine. It adds strict new requirements for the circumstances under which a paramedic can administer ketamine in prehospital settings in the presence of law enforcement, including attempting to obtain a verbal order from a medical supervisor, an accurate estimation of weight to ensure proper dosage, and equipment on site to monitor the person’s vital signs and provide urgent transport to a hospital.

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