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Conversations for One America


Dr. Rachel Harding, Associate Professor, University of Colorado Denver

Across the United States, people are marching in the streets, demanding an end to police brutality and racial inequality. But the issue of racism and violence against people of color runs deep. While we have made progress over the years, this feels like a moment when people all over the country recognize that halfmeasures are not enough. We face a deep, centuries-in-the-making challenge to undo racism and we need decisive action.

Colorado Humanities plans a series of programs to build understanding and provide opportunities for facilitated conversation about the legacy of race and ethnicity and how we Coloradans might make changes now for a more just future.

The first conversation, ‘How Did We Get Here?’ will be broadcast live online October 21 at 7 p.m. Acclaimed author Adrian Miller will moderate a panel exploring race and ethnicity in Colorado and in the United States from the perspectives of history, economics, criminology, psychology, and faith traditions. Featured panelists are Rachel Harding, Denise Maes, Wendell Pryor, and Anthony Young.

  • Dr. Rachel Harding is a historian and poet who, as a professor, specializes in religions of the Afro-Atlantic diaspora.
  • Denise Maes oversees all legislative work that effects civil liberties at the state and local level as the Public Policy Director of the ACLU of Colorado.
  • Wendell Pryor is the Executive Director of Chaffee County Economic Development Corporation.
  • Dr. Anthony Young is the President of Denver-Rocky Mountain Association of Black Psychologists.

Colorado Humanities thanks its growing list of community partners, including NAACP Aurora Colorado and History Colorado, and event sponsor, The Durango Herald. The series is free and will be broadcast live on YouTube and Facebook.

To learn more, visit https://coloradohumanities.org/programs/changing-the-legacy-of-race-ethnicity

Colorado Humanities is the only Colorado organization exclusively dedicated to supporting humanities education for adults and children statewide. Celebrating its 46th year and its 16th year as host for the Colorado Center for the Book, Colorado Humanities is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working in partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities, The Library of Congress Center for the Book, the Smithsonian Institution, and the national award-winning educational nonprofit Motheread, Inc. Colorado Humanities works with 100 program partners throughout the state to design and implement programs that best meet each community’s needs. Colorado Humanities' goals are to improve education, strengthen cultural institutions, and enrich community life by inspiring the people of Colorado to explore ideas and appreciate our diverse heritage. To learn more, visit coloradohumanities.org.

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