On February 25, 2021, HBC will host the first of a series of four community panel discussions entitled “The Roots of Today’s Racial Exclusion in Boulder County and the Road Ahead.” The series of panel discussions is part of a larger set of racial equity initiatives begun by HBC in the wake of the killing of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter demand for change during the summer of 2020 and was spurred by a recognition of the overwhelming homogeneity of the Boulder community. Other initiatives include a public statement of support for Black Lives Matter by HBC, a firm initiative on mentoring and recruiting of minority attorneys and staff, and a re-dedication and re-invigoration of the law firm’s commitment to provide legal services to underserved communities in Boulder County.
The first three panels will discuss the history of exclusion of Black, Native American, and Hispanic American communities from Boulder County, as well as resistance to exclusion by those groups. The final panel will be a forward-looking discussion on how Boulder County can begin to create a more inclusive community through changes in law and public policy that address past injustices and discrimination.
The programs will be co-sponsored by the BlackPast.org; The Center of the American West; the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Boulder Chapter; the Native American Rights Fund; the University of Colorado School of Law; and CU Law School’s Black Law Student Association.
The February 25 panel discussion focusing on the exclusion of Black residents from the City of Boulder will feature:
· Moderator: Dr. Quintard Taylor, Professor Emeritus of American History, University of Washington, a specialist in African American history in the American West
· Penfield Tate, III, an attorney, former Colorado state legislator and son of Boulder’s only Black mayor
· Dr. Charles Nilon, professor of environmental science at the University of Missouri and son of CU Boulder’s first tenured Black faculty member
· Dr. Polly Bugros McLean, Associate Professor of Media Studies at CU Boulder and author of A Legacy of Missing Pieces: The Voices of Black Women of Boulder County.
The February 25 program will be held via Zoom due to the pandemic. Participation is free to the public, and all are welcomed and encouraged to attend. Register here: https://www.hbcboulder.com/boulderhistorypanel1