DUS x KGNU Metro - April 2024

[00:00:00] Support comes from Tangerine restaurants with locations in North Boulder, Old Town Lafayette, and Downtown Longmont,

[00:00:05] providing traditional morning fare and lunch with Mediterranean and Tex-Mex twists as well as espresso coffee drinks.

[00:00:11] More information and menus can be found at tangerineeats.com.

[00:00:15] Support comes from Community Food Share A food bank fighting hunger and

[00:00:19] boulder in Brumfield counties by providing food directly to families, seniors, students and others.

[00:00:25] More information can be found at communityfoodshare.org.

[00:00:42] Hello KG and new listeners and welcome to Expanding The Narrative on Metro,

[00:00:47] a show by Denver Urban Spectrum that amplifies the voices and stories of the community.

[00:00:52] I'm your host, Brittany Winkfield. Today we celebrate a milestone, the 37th anniversary of the Denver Urban

[00:01:00] Spectrum newspaper. The Denver Urban Spectrum was founded in 1987 by Rosalyn B. Harris.

[00:01:06] As the founder and publisher, B has dedicated her life to serving the community.

[00:01:11] What makes this anniversary extra special is it's also a celebration of B's retirement.

[00:01:17] Here's B speaking to special projects assistant and writer, Tanya Ishaqawa.

[00:01:22] So I knew that this transition was coming. Different Monois talked about it.

[00:01:27] But I think that the print publication will still be around for many years but I think that we're

[00:01:33] grounded now. Thanks to some outside media support, we are prepared and stand prepared to continue

[00:01:40] to be the voice of the cleanser color in a much wider space, digitally and globally.

[00:01:49] So I think that I feel good. I'm glad that it's happening now where

[00:01:56] a younger generation is positioned to do things that I don't want to learn.

[00:02:05] I'm doing other things. But yeah, but I think that I feel good about it.

[00:02:13] You know, I just you know and I know like I said the it was like a baby.

[00:02:17] You know, like I said that in that message, it's like it was like a baby.

[00:02:22] You know, you right don't know about the Flintstones but yeah, you know like Pebbles,

[00:02:26] you know, Jane with the baby and now, you know, you go to the Jetsons because we're in the Jetsons

[00:02:32] age, you know, we're getting there. And I feel like I feel like a younger respect was a teenager.

[00:02:39] Actually, actually she's probably grown with some babies right now.

[00:02:45] She could be 35 years old. Yeah, you know, the whole transition just going from,

[00:02:51] I mean, vintage change when I think about the layout, you know, you used to put the

[00:02:56] galleys out and you know, you put pages and paste them out and then you got to make corrections.

[00:03:01] You know, you cut little things out and you know, I mean, I mean a lot has changed but you know,

[00:03:08] a lot has changed in this amount of time. Right now it's just here at home.

[00:03:14] You put it there, send it to the printer and then get it delivered. Okay?

[00:03:19] And how did you determine that it was the time to retire?

[00:03:24] I think after COVID and after well maybe before COVID but especially after COVID when

[00:03:32] when I didn't go to the salon in my hair turned to all gray. So it's turned silver. It's like, okay,

[00:03:39] it's time. And I let my hair yeah. I just knew it was time. You know, I just you know, I mean,

[00:03:48] it was just time because I was looking at the way the publication, the trend and how things were

[00:03:54] changing. And I was at a point in my life where I want to do a lot of other things and I want to

[00:03:59] pass it on to some other younger people or a younger generation that can you know, stay above

[00:04:07] the curve because I think I stayed above it for many, many years now it's time to jump over another

[00:04:12] one. You know, I think we bought, you know, we got hurdles, we got all kind of hurdles that we'd

[00:04:16] want to do. You know, it's just jump over and this is one that I like to see some, you know, other

[00:04:22] ones to jump over that hurdle and take it to the next level. And I want to spend time with my great

[00:04:28] grand baby and do some other things. Personal things that I like to do, I like to protect my Spanish

[00:04:36] I'd like to pick up my you know, start practicing my keyboards again because I did that as a child

[00:04:42] and these are kind of past times that you know, then I haven't done that I'd like to do.

[00:04:47] I'd like to make jewelry, you know, I mean these are things that people don't know that I probably do

[00:04:52] but I make jewelry, you know, make jewelry, still African clothes from Ghana. The other thing is

[00:04:59] I'd like to write another book. I wrote a book about my mom, you know, a member more about what

[00:05:04] I won't call it a member more than his first person narrative. That's what the editor said it was

[00:05:10] because it was my voice and then the main thing that I wanted to do is work on my mom's foundation

[00:05:17] because a lot of people know that she was killed in her home and it was and I want to do a foundation

[00:05:24] that would tell the abuse foundation because it was elder abuse. That's going to be my focus

[00:05:33] for the next several years. Throughout the years, Denver Urban Spectrum has been a platform

[00:05:38] for diverse voices and perspectives. We're delighted to feature guest commentaries from community

[00:05:44] leaders and activists including Norma Page, CEO Regent, Wanda James and the Honorable Mayor Wellington

[00:05:52] Web and Wilma Web. One of the things I often think about is the evolution of how we get our information.

[00:06:01] There was a time when newspapers, that was it. Newspapers, magazines, publications and of course

[00:06:10] mainstream news. They weren't sharing and telling stories about people of color but the Denver

[00:06:16] Urban Spectrum did and so the significance of being able to pick up a newspaper and read meaningful

[00:06:25] stories about what people of color and the community were doing at that time. It just had a

[00:06:33] phenomenal impact and also it wasn't just about black people be really lived up to that mantra

[00:06:43] of spreading the news about people of color. We learned in depth about the Native American story.

[00:06:50] We learned about the Latina story because she incorporated all of that and really did shed a

[00:06:59] light on things that were happening in all communities of color. Having access to news that you

[00:07:08] would never get at other, in other outlets, it gives you a sense of pride as a black woman.

[00:07:17] It gave me so much pride to see the impact that we actually have on the world.

[00:07:26] That's something that it's priceless, you can't put a price on that knowledge and what that does

[00:07:34] to lift us up as a people. To see this woman-owned business powering through

[00:07:44] and just doing everything possible to make sure that it was a quality publication and showcasing

[00:07:55] who we are as women. I think that's good. That has impacted me.

[00:08:02] Yeah, Regent Juan de James, CEO of SimpliPure. Almost everything that I hear about that's

[00:08:07] happening in Colorado, I learned through B. She's got her fingers on every pulse and

[00:08:14] I don't think I have been to any meeting, gala, opening, protest, barbecue.

[00:08:25] That bee hasn't been at. She's just amazing and she has been supportive of every business

[00:08:34] we've had from running for office to cannabis to restaurants to even supporting when we opened up

[00:08:42] a gun range. The Denver Urban Spectrum is where we turn to find out what's happening with us

[00:08:49] and to celebrate us, right? I don't want to compare her to any other news outlet but she's

[00:08:57] kind of like the New York Times of Denver for black people. It's not just what happened last weekend

[00:09:04] but it's what's happened over the generations. Who is Daddy Bruce Randolph? Who is the new CEO

[00:09:11] at the airport? Who happens to be black? It's all of these amazing things that the Denver Urban

[00:09:17] Spectrum can always be counted on to cover. It's the voice of the people, it's the voice of our people.

[00:09:25] Yeah, spectrum, it's historic and from an influential standpoint as well too when we advertise with

[00:09:31] the, you know, or advertise with the Denver Urban Spectrum, we're assuredly going to be able to

[00:09:38] reach our community and people. There's a value there so I know that when we advertise or take out

[00:09:44] an ad in the spectrum, I know that it's us that's going to see it. I know that we hit our target

[00:09:50] markets and I can tell by the people who come after we do some type of advertising with the US.

[00:09:56] So it's not just about advertising but it's about the stories like I said, it's the voice of who

[00:10:01] we are. So as a community member, that's where I go to to get news about what's happening in our

[00:10:08] community past, like I said, the negative stuff and it is highly effective in reaching all of us

[00:10:15] in telling what our story is at that particular time, whether it's the Spencer E's restaurants

[00:10:20] or politics. So yeah, the Denver Urban Spectrum is ultimately one of the most important cornerstones,

[00:10:28] cornerstones of who we are in Denver and who the black community is. Not just a black community,

[00:10:33] but generally the black community, who we are. So that's not going to change it all, you know,

[00:10:40] at all because we're dealing with a 37 year history so that part's not going to change.

[00:10:47] The spectrum is really quite an asset for particularly the African American community

[00:10:54] and everybody because we don't have the daily slightly used to have, but with the voice of the

[00:11:02] urban spectrum, it truly has served and underserved community in terms of communications. And B

[00:11:10] has just been the champion in that area in terms of making sure that it's produced and that

[00:11:18] the coverage is professional and that it covers all of the kinds of events and occurrences that

[00:11:25] happen throughout Denver and Colorado. And making sure that people have all voices heard,

[00:11:33] and so I think that it's very, very important that we have the Denver Urban Spectrum here in Denver

[00:11:41] and that it really does serve a purpose for which there is an absence otherwise.

[00:11:48] No, I agree with Wilma. I think that it seems like we've known B forever as well as the urban

[00:11:54] spectrum forever and that no community can really sustain itself without communication to itself

[00:12:03] and that the urban spectrum provides that communication device. I know that many of us will concern

[00:12:14] rightfully so with KDK open off the air because it was an application of what goes on in Black

[00:12:21] community by radio and with that loss it made urban spectrum even more important.

[00:12:29] So no, it's it's it's it's it's it gets the news out of what's going on in the community.

[00:12:36] I think the other aspect is that it's important to stay relevant not only with issues but also

[00:12:43] with technology older people read more young generation like small digital

[00:12:53] by virtue of being both have nerve inspection print copy as well as a digital

[00:13:03] publication to its readership that allows her ability in the community ability

[00:13:09] to get information both or about generations younger as well as older. I agree.

[00:13:16] I also think that the urban spectrum has kept in touch nationally and internationally.

[00:13:25] I know that the urban spectrum accompanied the mayor's delegation when Wellington was mayor

[00:13:31] to Africa and there was more education and information about Nelson Mandela

[00:13:39] and there was more information about the horrific experiences of slavery

[00:13:45] and B was there at all of the educational kinds of programs that we had that were given directly

[00:13:53] from the people of Senegal of Ghana of Ethiopia South Africa and it was really quite an asset for

[00:14:03] us to have the urban spectrum they're covering what had happened because it really enlightened

[00:14:09] people everywhere and how it affects those of us here in Denver. I know that there was a

[00:14:15] legislation carried to try to do away with apartheid in South Africa that was carried right here in

[00:14:22] Denver and if it had not been for source like the urban spectrum people would not have known that

[00:14:29] and so I think the extension that the urban spectrum has with regard to being in contact with people

[00:14:40] and not only in Denver and Colorado but also nationally and also worldwide so that's a good aspect

[00:14:46] that we really have a lot of benefit from. We also know that you know that's her baby she's

[00:14:55] nurtured it and she's raised it and it's always difficult hard and you get to a point where

[00:15:03] you have to let kids go on their own whether it's going to college or whether it's getting married

[00:15:09] or wherever the next step is then you have to take a more grandparent roller or advisory roller

[00:15:19] guiding from the distance and understanding that you trained them well so they didn't do the right

[00:15:26] thing but you have to give them a chance to as we all had a chance to be successful as well as

[00:15:32] for you. I think it's even more important that we support it financially and not only just financially

[00:15:40] but also promote it so that people know how important it is to the community so that many of these

[00:15:47] corporations are trying to figure out what to do a lot of things they can do is make sure they have

[00:15:51] a membership to urban spectrum. When B started the mission was simple to spread the news about people

[00:16:00] of color and provide a platform for the voice of the community today the mission remains the

[00:16:05] same and we're grateful for the support of our readers and advertisers. Here's Gettah and Janice

[00:16:11] Asfaw who operate their family business as owners of McDonald's restaurants and Richard Lewis

[00:16:18] founder president and CEO of RTL networks and RTL foundation. The spectrum 37 anniversary 37 year

[00:16:31] you know today in America for any African-American business to stay for 37 years is incredible

[00:16:40] because it's not easy all the fights all the unequal treatment all the pressure you have

[00:16:49] for her to struggle keep it for 37 years by itself is a great achievement you know

[00:16:55] in that the meantime too she really talked about a lot of African-American business owners business

[00:17:02] like ours you know that's only one way our community knows but our business that's one way

[00:17:11] black business knows the the community knows but black owned business so it is it's a great

[00:17:17] achievement 37 years organization like that can not survive unless we help unless we advertise you know

[00:17:25] so it's important today in every you know businesses my naughty business really have to start

[00:17:32] working you know supporting you know urban spectrum so that they can have another 37 years

[00:17:40] when we moved here this is then over 30 years ago we were looking for the you know the

[00:17:47] leadership of Denver throughout the metro area and one of the leaders that we met was B so it

[00:17:56] was very important that we get to know her and and you know the people that did she reaches out

[00:18:02] to and without the community so she was very helpful with that and you know people always had

[00:18:08] really good things to say about her and the newspaper and we found throughout the years you know all

[00:18:13] of that was true she's been an important part of Colorado and I think as far as the impact

[00:18:23] she's so important with her outreach to people she's been a catalyst to bring people together

[00:18:32] not only with the information but putting on events herself for the community and inviting

[00:18:37] everybody and keeping people in touch and keeping them together she put on camps for some of the young

[00:18:43] people to teach them writing and editing skills those of them who are interested in maybe seeking

[00:18:51] the news business as a profession and she's been a real instrumental in you know keeping hands on

[00:19:00] on the kids and making a good impression and you know just trying to keep them informed and showing them

[00:19:07] the good ways well 37 years is there's no accident you know when people ask about the importance

[00:19:15] of the Denver urban spectrum it's been around for 37 years there is I don't know if there's any

[00:19:21] greater endorsement as to the importance of an organization than that I think the Denver urban

[00:19:27] spectrum is an essential part of not just the Denver Metro area but Colorado in general there's a

[00:19:34] lot that happens in our community space it just doesn't get picked up by the mainstream news outlets

[00:19:44] and the Denver urban spectrum has always been there to cover those events and happenings and

[00:19:48] occurrences and support them and support individuals and people and organizations and the work that

[00:19:54] they're doing as well I can't imagine Denver as a person in color without the Denver urban spectrum.

[00:20:01] In its 37 years the Denver urban spectrum has covered countless stories that have shaped

[00:20:06] Denver's history here's managing editor Ruby Jones digital media manager Melavie Melvin

[00:20:12] and former youth foundation editor Kea Milan. I think it's important on all levels to continue media

[00:20:23] and continue vocal media and to continue to share the stories of the people who are doing the work

[00:20:28] in the community so that their voices don't get lost and that so you know those small businesses

[00:20:34] who advertise in those community organizations who are out there doing the works so that they

[00:20:39] have opportunity to speak directly to the people I think sometimes with you know the major

[00:20:47] news outlets and media outlets and things like that they don't always capture everyone's voice and

[00:20:53] they don't always capture everyone's attention so this is really a unique platform I think Denver

[00:20:59] urban spectrum takes up a unique space along Denver's front-range communities Colorado communities

[00:21:06] and really the nation you know there's not too many black media sources left and I think it's

[00:21:13] important that they continue because that's it's like a lost art we don't want a black media or

[00:21:20] media for communities of college to become a lost art and we can always use that as a tool you know

[00:21:26] let's say that there's a technological failure somewhere down the line you know we we need to still

[00:21:31] be able to rely on writing and the written word to share stories to share information

[00:21:41] and to continue to capture the history and legacy of what people have built so I think it's

[00:21:47] important that Denver urban spectrum continues because like all media publications that represent

[00:21:54] communities of color it's just important it has to and you know there's so many people who still

[00:22:00] look to Denver urban spectrum for event information for updates for you know even opinion stories

[00:22:08] and editorials and I don't think that that should go away. I started actually as an intern right

[00:22:14] after high school and it was through an internship from the city of Denver and it was called the

[00:22:23] Yale yeah program and what it was was I had a scholarship graduating high school going into

[00:22:29] the Michigan Denver and you know I was already set on majoring in journalism it's been something

[00:22:36] always had a passion for writing stories and you know even developed more in college when I started

[00:22:44] getting into broadcasting and producing and before going into the semester they were basically you

[00:22:51] know you know lining people lining the students up from those who were part of this program

[00:22:57] and you know JC who was one of the mentors in the program had you know came to me and introduced

[00:23:05] the Denver urban spectrum to me and I had been I had been briefly I was I was familiar with the

[00:23:12] spectrum but you know being a teenager in high school I'm not really you know checking all the

[00:23:16] publications but yeah I got to I had the opportunity to go to the spectrum meet this Harris

[00:23:23] and it was actually supposed to be like a three-month internship and you know the the plan was

[00:23:30] you know if they don't give you an offer you're after the internship you know we'll align you

[00:23:36] with somebody else or find another you know another route for you and literally probably I would say

[00:23:42] within the first two weeks this Harris I was fortunate very fortunate and blessed that

[00:23:47] Miss Harris saw potential in me and offered me a permanent position right after that so

[00:23:55] and I continued you know as when I started with this spectrum I did you know I was just

[00:24:02] embraced and introduced just so much from knowing the different types of great organizations

[00:24:11] that are here in Colorado different stories of course and it just and what it did was it really

[00:24:18] solidified what I well you know because when you're going into college you're always like

[00:24:23] you're just trying to figure it out you know and I like I said I was I was confident you know most

[00:24:28] people go into college and undeclared or undecided on what their major is and I had really just kind

[00:24:33] of was like now I'm gonna I'm gonna go with journalism and after my internship with the spectrum it

[00:24:39] just you know made it clear for me that this was what I was meant to do or this was the work that

[00:24:45] was I was a passionate about I'm a student of the game and I continue to be you know and I

[00:24:51] I was I just keep wanting to know what's next what's next how can I improve and you know

[00:24:58] what can I do to make make this better and ask it so I work at Netflix I'm a creative content

[00:25:06] marketing manager so I create content that showcases Netflix award titles and that includes

[00:25:13] Vignettes featureettes Q&A content I'm interviewing talent so if it's somebody from one of

[00:25:19] a Netflix shows or films I'm interviewing them and then creating assets that are pushed to award

[00:25:25] voters and ultimately help in the campaign for making them contenders. The urban spectrum just

[00:25:33] was always such a pillar right they were in the lobby coming out of recreation centers they were

[00:25:42] in the lobby at church and so I was very familiar with the urban spectrum and at about 12

[00:25:48] I started writing stories and sending floppy discs into Miss Harris asking if my stories could

[00:25:55] be published in the urban spectrum newspaper and eventually we met and she invited me to be a part

[00:26:03] of the urban spectrum youth foundation that was started and I served as the editor on that

[00:26:09] youth paper for three years while in high school one year being a co-editor with Julia Sond

[00:26:17] and it was just a spectacular experience and I still attribute so much of my professional

[00:26:25] growth to those experiences right there I'm Washington going in and leading meetings

[00:26:33] story pitches and determining what stories we're gonna go in and what stories weren't working with

[00:26:39] Jody on placement and how we were gonna structure those stories and it just was a tremendous

[00:26:45] experience and I'm forever grateful for that time. As we celebrate the past we also look to the

[00:26:51] future the Denver urban spectrum continues to evolve embracing digital platforms and multimedia

[00:26:57] storytelling here's Tim Regan Porter president and CEO of the Colorado Press Association on the

[00:27:04] evolution of the Denver urban spectrum so many publications have gone out of business in the last

[00:27:10] 14 years 15 years now uh really since 20 2006 which was kind of the peak of the industry

[00:27:17] so you know that's kudos to be for having the vision to start it and then keeping it

[00:27:24] around you know when you're when you're doing it more or less as a solo pranour I mean

[00:27:30] you didn't have deep pockets and big corporations behind it it's a lot of work it's exhausting

[00:27:37] you know no matter the economic environment it's a labor of love and so

[00:27:42] you know I commend anybody who's still out there making it happen sometimes all you feel like

[00:27:47] everything's against you you've got political environments and you know enemy of the people

[00:27:53] and then you've got economic headwinds and then you've got the technology change and you've got

[00:27:58] a pandemic and the great uh resignations and people are hard to find and and through all of that

[00:28:06] you know B has continued to not only march forward but to help reinvent the Denver

[00:28:13] Respect Room so it's it's a testament to her and to the team there and it is quite an achievement

[00:28:22] I know both Wellington and I are very glad that we've known B and that we've actually become

[00:28:31] very close advocates of her and good friends and sometimes you need to tell people

[00:28:38] that I'm glad I know I'm glad that I had the experience with you and thank you thank you for what

[00:28:46] you've done and please know that we appreciate you and sometimes we just take people and take

[00:28:55] institutions like the Urban Spectrum for granted and we should not do that we should say this is

[00:29:02] a good thing and be thanking you for all that you've done all that you're continuing to do

[00:29:09] and that your influence is certainly going to have quite an impact on the future and it's certainly

[00:29:15] adding impact on us so thank you and we appreciate you. The Denver Urban Spectrum is more than a

[00:29:21] newspaper it's a community institution we invite you to join us as we honor the legacy of this

[00:29:28] influential publication and the community it serves please visit dumberurbanspecchum.com for

[00:29:34] more information and subscribe to our newsletter be sure to check out upcoming events on dumberurbanspecchum.com

[00:29:41] and add yours for free I'm Brittany Winkfield thanks for listening until next time stream

[00:29:47] this episode on kgnu.org and dumberurbanspecchum.com slash podcast