Posted inNews

Eleise Clark conjures the lives of Black women in the West, who have lessons for today

When Eleise Clark set out to research her genealogy, she ran into a brick wall: the Civil War.  “I thought we were people,” Clark said. “But my grandfather was born as property.” As Clark dug into bills of sale in search of tidbits of information on her enslaved ancestors, including her grandfather who was born […]

Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns

Opinion: In 1993, Colorado lost a Black pioneer in medicine. Now it has lost his Denver home

Not many in Denver have heard about Dr. Charles J. Blackwood, Jr., one of its most accomplished residents. Now seems like an especially opportune time to share his story, with the unfortunate and untimely demolition of his former home at 2436 Gaylord Street in Denver’s Whittier neighborhood.  His home was an important historic marker for […]

Posted inSunLit, SunLit Interviews

SunLit interview: David A. Varel sought to close “gaping chasm” between history and public

David A. Varel is an affiliate faculty member of history at Metropolitan State University-Denver and the author of two books: “The Scholar and the Struggle: Lawrence Reddick’s Crusade for Black History and Black Power” and “The Lost Black Scholar: Resurrecting Allison Davis in American Social Thought.” He earned his PhD from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2015 […]

Posted inBook Excerpts, SunLit

SunLit excerpt: “The Scholar and the Struggle” reveals the life and impact of Lawrence Reddick

Editor’s note: This excerpt from the book’s conclusion links the work of Lawrence Reddick, one of the most notable African American intellectuals of his generation, to the challenges that continue to confront the world today.  This book has sought to cast Reddick not in the individualistic frame so typical within popular biography but rather in […]