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April 10, 2014
75 cents Arapahoe County, Colorado | Volume 125, Issue 37 A publication of
littletonindependent.net
Event puts focus on equality Residents remember King’s visit 50 years ago By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@coloradocommunitymedia.com When Martin Luther King Jr. visited Littleton 50 years ago, the city’s “nonwhite” population was a mere 0.3 percent. Today it’s 11 percent, though just 1.4 percent of city residents are black. That’s despite the fact that a group of Littleton residents worked very hard in the 1960s to diversify the city’s population via the creation of the Littleton Council on Human Relations, the group that convinced King to visit what was then one of the largest — and whitest — suburbs in the state. On April 2, former Littleton residents Dr. Charles Fraser and Dr. Elinor Green-
berg visited the city’s Bemis Library to talk a little about those days during the “Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle” film discussion series, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities and Colorado Humanities Council to mark the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. “We heard King was coming to Denver, but Denver didn’t have too much of a problem,” said Fraser. “We said, `You’ve got to go to Littleton. It’s white, and there’s nothing going on down there.’ Everybody who was anybody got together and wanted to start the Littleton council, and it became almost a model for other places in the country.” Greenberg said a catalyst for the group was when Martin Marietta, now Lockheed Martin, hired a black engineer from out of King continues on Page 13
Dr. Charles Fraser and Dr. Elinor Greenberg reminisce about the days with the Littleton Council on Human Relations back in the 1960s. Photo by Jennifer Smith
Elementary school needs your votes Wilder in running for grant to build garden By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Amity Plaza residents Margaret and Wayne Splitt got into the Mardi Gras spirit March 28 to help celebrate the building’s new community room. Photo by Jennifer Smith
Local seniors party hearty New community room at Amity Plaza hosts Mardi Gras By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@coloradocommunitymedia.com Residents at Amity Plaza senior living building got their boogie on March 28 during a Mardi Gras celebration held to break in their new community room. “We’ve wanted it for a long time,” said Bea Madden while enjoying French-inspired treats with friends as disco music set the groove for the evening. The new party room is more than twice the size of the old one, leaving more room for residents with walkers or wheelchairs POSTAL ADDRESS
room to maneuver. It’s lined with windows to let in the sun, and doors open up to a new patio for summertime gatherings. New flooring and artwork enhance the contemporary design, perfect for the highenergy Mardi Gras party. “It gives everybody a chance to dress up,” said resident Patti Miller. Indeed, most of the partiers got into the spirit with masks, beads and gold, purple and green garb. Amity hosts regular events for the residents, things like potlucks and holiday celebrations, bingo and card games. “Sometimes we just make up our own excuse to have a party,” said Annie Kirk, who glittered in purple. Dan Burnham, outgoing executive director of South Metro Housing Op-
tions, joined in the festivities. He said the $450,000 project was started last November and includes a remodel of the lobby, new windows throughout the building and security cameras in every hallway. Burnham had looked forward to seeing the completed community room before his retirement on May 15. “It is our largest building, but it had the least amount of communal space,” he said. Amity Plaza is a 180-unit, seven-story subsidized housing complex of one-bedroom units at 200 W. Sterne Parkway. It was constructed in 1979, one of five buildings SMHO maintains for seniors and people with disabilities in Littleton. For more information, visit www.southmetrohousingoptions.org or call 303-794-9608.
LITTLETON INDEPENDENT
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OFFICE: 7315 S. Revere Pkwy., Ste. 603, Centennial, CO 80112 PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Englewood, Colorado, the Littleton Independent is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: Littleton Independent, 7315 S. Revere Pkwy., Ste. 603, Centennial, CO 80112 DEADLINES: Display: Fri. 11 a.m. | Legal: Fri. 11 a.m. | Classified: Tues. 12 p.m.
Wilder Elementary School staff and parents are sowing some pretty ambitious seeds, and they are hoping the community can help pour a little water on them. “We have made great strides in promoting healthy eating by improving our cafeteria options, but we want to take it further and give students the opportunity to plant, tend and harvest their own food,” said parent Renet Greer. “This `farm to table’ experience will encourage students to make healthier choices beyond their years at Wilder.” So she and other volunteers set about designing a garden and other playground improvements that, says Principal Susan Dalton, will serve the needs of all the kids. There will be a quiet area for reading, a “playcabin” and activities like hopscotch and climbing logs. “Being Laura Ingalls Wilder, we wanted it to have kind of a prairie feel, with lots of natural-looking things,” said parent Amy Guthrie. “And shade. The kids really wanted more shade.” To cater to kids restless to be outside during Colorado’s many sunshiny days, the volunteers have planned an outdoor classroom that teachers can use for science and art projects or just to spend learning time out in the fresh air. “We’re just going to create the space and let the teachers use it however they want,” said Guthrie.
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