This story by Sara Wilson appeared on Colorado Newsline on December 13, 2023.
A group of Colorado lawmakers wants the state to study the effects of slavery and systemic racism on Black Coloradans in order to better understand the types of policies and laws that could advance equity.
“We live in a time where there is an active effort to rewrite a Black history. But today in Colorado, with this legislation, we are taking a critical step forward towards a better and deeper understanding and reckoning with Black history in our state, and how it continues to affect us today,” state Sen. James Coleman, a Denver Democrat, said Wednesday as a group of Black Denver community leaders presented the legislative effort.
Coleman will sponsor the bill alongside Democratic state Reps. Leslie Herod of Denver and Naquetta Ricks of Aurora when the Legislature reconvenes in January.
The bill would direct History Colorado to oversee the far-reaching, comprehensive study under the guidance of a steering committee. The study’s goals, according to draft bill text, would be to determine the extent to which Black Coloradans experience discrimination linked to state policies, quantify the economic impact of that racial discrimination and identify measures that could address the effects of the discrimination.
That would mandate deep research into a range of policy topics, including taxes, K-12 education, higher education and workforce training, home ownership and access to housing, criminal justice, incarceration and police brutality.
That could “uncover the intricate layers of historical injustices, systematic biases and the lived experiences of Black Coloradans,” said Sade Cooper, the CEO of Denver-based nonprofit Collaborative Healing Initiative within Communities.
When completed, the study could act as data-driven guidance for future legislation — a sort of white paper to back up proposals that aim to rectify system disparities. It would also be a formal recognition from the state that this type of research is necessary.
“This is a priority bill, to put in front of our colleagues as a reminder that we are a growing and learning state and that we have the responsibility to acknowledge the good, the bad and the ugly,” Rep. Jennifer Bacon, who serves as the House assistant majority leader, said. “There is no prosperous Colorado if we are not equipped to fully understand the work we need to do.”
The steering committee for the study would include the executive director for History Colorado, people who have history quantifying the economic impacts of racism, people with track records of public service with Black Coloradans, a constitutional law expert, a state representative and a state senator. Bill sponsors said the expected timeline for completion of the study would be one to two years.
As the draft is written, the bill would be contingent on History Colorado raising $100,000 to pay for the study. There is already community-based financial support lined up.
“I anticipate seeing some resistance (in the Legislature),” Herod said. “But as people understand the bill and understand the discrimination, they say ‘OK. This makes a lot of sense.’”
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