By Amy Forliti, Stephen Groves, Tammy Webber and Steve Karnowski, The Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS — Former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted Tuesday of murder and manslaughter for pinning George Floyd to the pavement with his knee on the Black man’s neck in a case that touched off worldwide protests, violence and a furious reexamination […]
racial justice
Posted inCrime and Courts, News
Colorado judge resigns after state Supreme Court censure over multiple reports of racial bias
By Colleen Slevin, Associated Press A Colorado judge will resign after being censured for repeatedly saying a racial slur in a conversation with a Black employee, expressing her views on racial justice while on the bench as well as using court employees to work on personal business. The Colorado Supreme Court issued the censure for […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News
Black, Hispanic people disadvantaged in Denver courts, study of felony cases shows
A study of decisions made by the Denver district attorney’s office has said Black and Hispanic people charged with felonies in Denver face “a persistent set of disadvantages” compared with their white peers. The study found that white people facing drug charges were more likely than Black or Hispanic people to be referred to drug […]
Posted inNews, Opinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Some Colorado newspapers are rethinking criminal justice coverage
In 1864, when U.S. cavalry troops slaughtered more than 100 Cheyenne and Arapaho in what became known as the Sand Creek Massacre, The Rocky Mountain News didn’t report it as a mass murder on behalf of white settlers. Instead, the newspaper heralded the soldiers for what it called a “needed whipping” — and it slurred […]
Posted inColoradans, Education, News
Tired of being muted, Colorado kids are starting their own conversations on mental health and racial justice
Carmen Rodriquez has long been quiet about the day-to-day challenges she experiences living with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Slowly, she’s started to open up about the stubborn struggles they’ve created for her life as she’s found ways to cope. “Personally, I have been through a lot with mental health struggles, and only recently, in this […]
Posted inColoradans, Education
A new Denver high school modeled after historically Black colleges opens next fall
A new high school modeled after historically Black colleges and universities is set to open next fall in Denver, a school district working to improve education for Black students citywide. The Robert F. Smith STEAM Academy will open in far northeast Denver on a campus it will share with a small high school that helps […]
Posted inCartoons, Opinion
What’d I Miss?: When rappers get political
Myra has missed 30 years of her life, due to a coma, but has found a new friendship with her young neighbor, Ossie. Together, they both are searching for their place in this world. < Previous | Start from the beginning | More cartoons from The Colorado Sun
Posted inEducation, News
Denver school board unanimously backs curriculum redesign to highlight racially diverse narratives
The Denver Public Schools Board, while sporting matching T-shirts, voted unanimously Thursday night to enact a historic resolution that weaves the narratives and knowledge of Black, indigenous, Latino and other communities of color into every part of the district’s curriculum. The Know Justice Know Peace Resolution, which was first announced in September, calls for consistency […]
Posted inNews
History Colorado unveils the toppled Union soldier statue with an exhibit that seeks to tell its story. Its whole story.
The conversation started almost immediately. Three women, visitors to History Colorado’s downtown museum, happened by the statue of a Union soldier that had been defaced and pulled off its pedestal during a stretch of racial equality protests months ago in Denver. They quickly read several very different interpretations — representing historians, veterans, indigenous tribes and […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Half of state employees don’t think equity, diversity and inclusion are prioritized. Here’s how Colorado is responding.
Colorado surveyed its roughly 30,000 state employees last year and asked if they thought leadership was making workforce equity, diversity and inclusion a priority. Only a little more than half of Colorado’s workers who responded said yes. “That number should be much higher,” said Kara Veitch, the executive director of Colorado Department of Personnel and […]