FREE SPEECH and White Supremacy
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The Censure of Wanda James is about Free Speech and White Supremacy
In turn, I joined their advisory board to help guide more inclusive strategies. Together, we worked to create pathways for marginalized communities to access financial services.
Op-ed by James Michael Brodie
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n 2021, former University of Colorado (CU) Regent Heidi Ganahl sponsored an “anticritical race (CRT) theory” resolution; one that threatened to severely restrict CU from teaching Black history and the impact racist laws have had on the Black community. Her resolution constituted a direct threat to the principles of academic freedom while making baseless claims that the action would “protect our students, faculty and staff from harassment on the basis of race, ethnicity or gender.” During an open meeting where her resolution was discussed, Ganahl stated that her intent was to prevent white children from feeling badly about themselves for knowing this history. Again, she cited no evidence to support this statement. There was a counter proposal offered by CU Regent Illana Speigel to fully embrace CRT. Ganahl’s resolution went before the full regent board, which ultimately voted along party lines to reject it. Ganahl saw her “job” as standing up for the white race – which she argued was under attack. No one challenged her justifications. No one questioned the lack of evidence that undergirded her argument. No one moved to censure her for her comments or actions, which, if accepted, would have painted CU in a negative light. No one challenged her First Amendment right to express her views on a controversial topic. Instead, she was given the respect due to a colleague. Her views were debated, not silenced by the board. She would eventually include the same anti-Black history rhetoric as part of her platform in a run for governor. In short, she was defending the principles of White Supremist ideology, which seeks to sugarcoat
American history by erasing its uncomfortable parts.
Citywide Banks expanded their outreach by attending our resource fairs, hiring more Spanish-speaking tellers and improving access to fair lending products.
No one called her out on it or challenged her right to express her bigoted views. Fast forward to 2024. Regent Wanda James expressed her views about racially incendiary images of Black children as part of the “Tea On THC” campaign funded by a $2 million grant from the Cannabis Tax Fund, public money allocated to CU Anschutz by bill HB21-1317. The third Black regent in CU’s nearly century and a half of existence was accused by her colleagues of violating university conflict of interest policies by questioning the campaign’s apparent racial undertones. She asserted that the cartoon imagery was troubling and offensive. As a result, her fellow board members voted to strip her of all of her board committee assignments, and to ban her from all formal regent activities for the duration of her term, which expires in 2029. It should be noted that Regent Norbert Chavez, the only other person of color on the Board, voted against the censure. Despite the investigation not finding that any rule had been broken nor harm had been done, James was censured in an effort to silence her voice, and by extension, the voice of an entire community.
dedicated volunteer days at our food pantry and farm.
being perceived, which should tell us everything we need to know about their white supremacy and the hatred of any Black leadership they can’t control.” This is what White Supremist ideology looks like in practice – there is always a legal justification for unjustifiable actions.
There is an opportunity for companies to do good without politicizing their DEI work. By engaging in intentional and reciprocal work that centers corporate social responsibility, and partnering directly with mission-driven organizations, businesses can still live out their values, foster inclusive cultures and build authentic community ties without getting caught in the current political crosshairs. The best corporate partners we’ve worked with understand this. They ask what we need, show up consistently and invest time and resources. They see community engagement as a living expression of DEI.
There was a legal justification for the enslavement of African people; Jim Crow laws; redlining; and the exclusion of women from the political process – a legal justification that once would have silenced the voices of both James and Ganahl.
These partnerships are not a replacement for internal DEI efforts, but they serve as a powerful complement, reminding us that inclusion is best as a policy and a practice. Sometimes, the most meaningful progress comes from farm fields, food pantries or shared conversation across differences.
Today, people in seats of power are using legal justification to contribute to the dehumanization of people of color. They were wrong in the past, and they are still wrong today. ♦
While DEI is under pressure, the private sector must be thoughtful and employ mutual efforts built on shared commitment to real, long-term change. ♦
James’ First Amendment right to express her views on a controversial topic was violated. Her colleagues afforded her no respect – and failed to engage in a healthy debate. “Sadly, the white regents still don’t understand the issues they have created for the entire university and our community,” James wrote on July 14. “They don’t understand how racially insensitive, or morally and socially corrupt their actions are Denver Urban Spectrum - www.denverurbanspectrum.com - August 2025
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