All the News About Denver’s Best Residential Community Since 1960 • Volume 60, Issue No. 1 • January 2021
Losing The
COVID 19
It’s a new year, a time when many are determined to kick-start their fitness routines. This year’s resolution may be particularly meaningful. Here’s an example: One of the most self-deprecating moments I witnessed last year came during a Park Hill Town Hall meeting, via Zoom. A number of people were queued up to speak, including one neighbor who couldn’t get her video to work. “Sorry, folks,” the woman announced in a note in the chat room, “you’re just going to have to miss seeing my fat COVID face for tonight.” It was an honest moment, and one that brought much laughter. A year of pandemic-induced restrictions has left many of us joking and fretting and frustrated about what to do about the resulting extra COVID 10, or COVID 19, or even COVID 29 — pounds, that is. With that in mind, we asked a few local fitness and gym gurus for advice on how to best jump-start a solid workout in 2021 — and also weigh in on how they’ve been coping as business owners under great strain for the past year. Their tips and insights appear starting on page 10. — Cara DeGette
Skiers waiting in line for the Santiago lift on Keystone’s North Peak on Dec. 6. Pandemic restrictions on the number of people who can ride a lift together are leading to longer lift lines and wait times.
To Shred Or Not to Shred
It’s Not A Normal Day On The Slopes For Skiers This Year. Some Weigh Sitting Out The Season Story and photos by Reid Neureiter For the GPHN
Park Hill resident Charles “Chuck” Bennett has been skiing for 65 of his 77 years and usually gets in 50 to 60 days on the slopes. You might call him a ski fanatic. But during the pandemic, Bennett, who
For the GPHN
Happy New Year, neighbors! With 2020 now officially in the rear-view mirror, I am so thrilled to usher in what is hopefully a much better, safer, and more joyful new year. This past year, for all of its heartaches and upheaval, had a few silver linings. For one, it brought about an increased awareness of the many injustices that face so many in our community. In particular, the onset of COVID-19 shined a bright light on the many inequities facing our schools. At
Park Hill Neighbors for Equity in Education (PHNEE), we have considered how the pandemic may have brought about an opportunity to shed the “old normal” and build a new normal that moves closer to true equity for every student. In order to design something better, however, we believe that we must understand the real story of how we got here. With that in mind, we are excited to share a new digital timeline, a historical chronology of the Keyes v. School District No.1 desegregation case that changed Denver Public Schools forever. The timeline (which you can access at
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By Erin Pier
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Timeline Helps Crystallize Denver’s Rich History of Black Activism and Park Hill’s Critical Role In The Push To Desegregate Schools In Landmark Court Case
Erin Pier: The Keyes case began in 1969. Why did you begin the timeline more than 100 years prior? Laura Lefkowits: I thought it was important for readers to know that Black people were here as part of the pioneer movement and the founding of Denver. They established a rich history of activism that began long before the Keyes case. In fact, Black leaders successfully convinced Congress to deny Colorado statehood in 1867 because the proposed state constitution denied them the right to vote. Their settlement of Five Points as a culturally rich Black enclave created a place where they flourished as musicians, physicians, and business owners. As their numbers grew, they moved into Park Hill and brought their activist spirit and skills with them. Understanding
Inside This Issue
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Deconstructing Keyes
continued on page 13
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Ed/Equity Corner
tinyurl.com/keyeshistory) was created by PHNEE member, Laura Lefkowits for the National Coalition on School Diversity. Lefkowits was a member of the Denver School Board in 1995 when the Keyes case came to an end, and she has spoken and written about the case extensively ever since. Keyes was filed on June 19, 1969 on behalf of a number of Park Hill and other DPS students. It asserted that DPS had deliberately segregated Black children through boundary changes, new school construction, and overcrowding. The case wound its way through the courts and ultimately was decided by the US Supreme Court for the plaintiffs in June of 1973. As a result, DPS was required to implement a court-ordered desegregation plan that included transporting students from their neighborhood schools to other parts of the city. The order was terminated on Sept. 12, 1995 with the claim by the judge that DPS had “removed the vestiges of past discrimination to the extent practicable.” I had a chance to sit down with Lefkowits and discuss her work and vested interest in this case. Below is what she shared with me.
the cameras at the ski areas and at least on weekends it looks pretty congested.” Bennett is not alone in questioning whether it makes sense to take to the slopes this year. A November Colorado Skier/ Snowboard Community Survey of 788 ski-
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Circa 1970, students stand in line waiting to board the bus as part of the Denver Public Schools desegregation busing system. Credit: Denver Public Library/Western History and Genealogy
has owned a Winter Park ski condo with his wife Stel for more than 30 years, is having second thoughts. “Being in a vulnerable age group, the contact in lift lines and on lifts is of concern,” he says. “I feel like [the resorts] are really trying and that the plans are reasonable given the situation, but then I watch
Gear Up For The Maximum Challenge: The Manitou Incline
Upcoming GPHC Meetings Community meetings are currently conducted virtually on the first Thursday of each month. The next meetings are Jan. 7 and Feb 4 at 6:30 p.m.
Link to attend at greaterparkhill.org/ join-us/community-meetings/ Jan. 7 Meeting Agenda Is On Page 13.