DUS x KGNU Metro - November 2024

[00:00:00] 90 Denver, stay tuned for Metro.

[00:00:34] Denver Urban Spectrum, sharing stories about people of color since 1987.

[00:00:54] Hello and welcome to Expanding The Narrative on Metro, a show by Denver Urban Spectrum that amplifies the voices and stories of the community.

[00:01:04] I'm your host, Ruby Jones.

[00:01:06] At Denver Urban Spectrum, our mission is to inspire, educate and empower audiences while bringing awareness to important issues.

[00:01:15] We recognize, advance and preserve stories about people of color with reliable community reporting and editorial content featuring refreshing views and news you can use.

[00:01:27] Stay tuned to hear all about this month's issue of Denver Urban Spectrum.

[00:01:31] The holiday season is upon us, and with it, we here at Denver Urban Spectrum are finding reasons to be thankful.

[00:02:03] In spite of recent events, here and in other parts of the world, we're thankful for the opportunity to share uplifting and inspirational stories as a trusted source of news for 37 years.

[00:02:14] We're thankful that publisher Rosalind B. Harris created this publication so many years ago and remained committed to the community connections forged by our local reporting.

[00:02:25] And we're thankful for you, for your support, for tuning in each month, and for strengthening Colorado communities with your good works.

[00:02:34] This month, our cover story features the voice behind the 2023 championship-winning Denver Nuggets.

[00:02:41] Kyle Speller, the announcer and spiritual leader for the team, shared his journey from playing on the court to calling the shots as one of the most recognizable voices in the league.

[00:02:52] Our award-winning writer, Wayne Trujillo, highlights his spiritual impact in the arena and the community with all the highs and lows he's endured along the way.

[00:03:01] Here's a clip from Kyle after the Nuggets became hometown heroes in 2023.

[00:03:29] So for me, I always say it was God that opened that door. Big time. It was only God that did that.

[00:03:35] I was a rookie free agent with the Nuggets in 99, and then I was released.

[00:03:41] And so while I was there, I met a guy by the name of Tommy Shepard, who I forget what his role was at the time.

[00:03:47] He's with the Wizards now. But I contacted him because I knew that I had something with my voice that, you know, I would love to try to have that opportunity.

[00:03:57] But I didn't know, you know, any kind of, I didn't know how to go about doing it or anything like that.

[00:04:02] So I reached out to him about it. Nothing ever really came.

[00:04:04] He gave me a name of an individual to reach out to by the name of Sean Martinez.

[00:04:08] And so I would reach out to him periodically just saying, hey, is there ever an opportunity to be a backup announcer?

[00:04:16] I loved watching the Bulls. I'm a Michael Jordan fan. He is the GOAT.

[00:04:20] And there is no disputing that.

[00:04:41] But in the process, one thing I would do is I would go around the state of Colorado playing on a prison basketball team through my church.

[00:04:49] And we would go and play against the prisons all over the state.

[00:04:53] And so we had like a full season of games.

[00:04:55] And so one of the things that I would do to just kind of encourage the inmates and, you know, it's kind of set the atmosphere in the prisons was I would do the player introductions.

[00:05:04] Who knew? There was this one day, you know, me being a Nuggets fan, I was always on their website and all of that, just checking it.

[00:05:11] And it was one day, it was just one headline that just said, grab your microphones.

[00:05:15] And I looked at that and I knew it was an audition.

[00:05:19] And the assignment was, if you were the public address announcer, how would you do the player introductions?

[00:05:24] Well, I had been doing that in my head for years.

[00:05:26] At that point in time, I was working at the ComGas Media Center out in Littleton and went into the studio and literally five minutes recorded.

[00:05:35] The engineer put some sound effects on the back of it, some crowd noise, and we sent it in.

[00:05:40] And Sean called me back.

[00:05:42] He said mine was the only one that they liked and brought me in.

[00:05:46] And my training, my trial run was the blue and white scrimmage at the Air Force Academy.

[00:05:50] And then the preseason opener against New Orleans at the time, New Orleans Hornets at the time.

[00:05:56] And how I found out I got the job, there was a newspaper reporter that was kind of sitting at the table.

[00:06:01] And he said, hey, is this the new announcer?

[00:06:03] And my boss looked over and said, yes, it is.

[00:06:06] And that's how I found out I got the job.

[00:06:08] And it's been an awesome run.

[00:06:14] The November issue of Denver Urban Spectrum pays tribute to several organizations around the community that are changing lives for the better.

[00:06:23] In addition to celebrating nine local newsrooms for winning nationally competitive Press Forward Grant Awards,

[00:06:29] we've provided a special glimpse into the Jack and Jill organization ahead of its annual Batillion event in December.

[00:06:37] We've also highlighted the K-Tone Cares Foundation and its substantial grant award from the Colorado Health Foundation.

[00:06:44] Here's the K-Tone Cares founder, Kamau Martinez, also known as DJ K-Tone, with a message about the organization's mission, its services,

[00:06:53] and the impact the generous grant will have across Colorado communities.

[00:07:03] First off, I want to say thank you, thank you, thank you to the Colorado Health Foundation for believing in our vision and our programming.

[00:07:10] With their funding and help, we can ensure these mental health programs can run successfully and be available to the community.

[00:07:17] The K-Tone Cares Foundation is bringing mental health therapy, destigmatization, music initiatives, and more to our community in a unique way.

[00:07:26] And that grant will help us thoroughly run staff and execute our programming.

[00:07:32] And we are so grateful to the Colorado Health Foundation for their contribution.

[00:07:39] We have the annual DJ K-Tone Birthday Bash Mental Health and Wellness Week.

[00:07:43] That's always the first weekend in March, and we are going on our 18th year right now.

[00:07:48] There's also the Music Soul Child Academy, where we take kids through an eight-week program where they learn social and emotional skills as well as an instrument.

[00:07:56] The instrument of choice right now is the guitar.

[00:07:58] At the end of the program, the kids get to keep the guitar, and they can continue with lessons with the instructor if they choose to.

[00:08:06] We also have the Summer Pop-Up Block Parties, which is located in the Park Hill neighborhood.

[00:08:11] We just expanded it to the far northeast and Green Valley areas.

[00:08:15] The block parties are designed for community.

[00:08:18] Music, food, resource tables, kids, zones, vendors, and many more.

[00:08:23] We're doing once a month in the summertime starting in July.

[00:08:26] Our most recent project is Therapy in HD, which is an immersive pop-up experience that revolutionizes mental health care by using music to break down the stigma around seeking therapy.

[00:08:36] We also have our Life program, which is a social-emotional learning through music, arts, and culture curriculum that was designed for participants of all ages, from middle school to high school students to college students.

[00:08:49] The Life program empowers individuals to build self-confidence, discover purpose, and connect meaningfully with their community.

[00:08:55] We can get involved, support, or donate at any time.

[00:08:58] K-Tone Cares Foundation dot org.

[00:09:00] You can follow us on Instagram at K-Tone Cares Foundation or call us at 720-736-5793.

[00:09:13] November is Alzheimer's Awareness Month, and odds are that you or someone you know has been impacted by this terrible disease.

[00:09:21] While tremendous research is being done to identify causes and find ways to stop the progressive condition in its tracks, there is still a lot that needs to be done to help people living with Alzheimer's or dementia, along with the compassionate caretakers who keep them safe.

[00:09:36] Sadly, safety is a huge issue for aging adults, and just like health issues can make life more difficult for seniors, their physical safety is an enormous concern and one that's often overlooked.

[00:09:48] Elder abuse is a terrible phenomenon that affects millions of people.

[00:09:52] Now that she's retired and stepped away from her daily responsibilities as Denver Urban Spectrum's publisher, Bea Harris is invested in preventing elder abuse through her organization, the Ruth Boyd Elder Abuse Foundation.

[00:10:04] If you'd like to learn more about her inspiration for the foundation, read Saving Our Seniors in this month's publication and visit www.ruthboydfoundation.org if you'd like to support the cause.

[00:10:24] In the last few months of 2024, we've had to say goodbye to several iconic figures who've made an indelible mark on their respective industries.

[00:10:33] Former Denver Nuggets basketball player Dikembe Mutombo, actor James Earl Jones, and musician Frankie Beverly left strong legacies in sports, film, and music.

[00:10:44] And in this month's Goodbye to the Greats article, you'll learn more about their careers and the contributions they made to communities of color around the world.

[00:10:52] Quincy Jones, a renowned music producer who recently passed away, will be honored in the December publication with a look back at his role in the world of music and as an ambassador of the Global Down Syndrome Foundation, which is hosting its annual Be Beautiful, Be Yourself Fashion Show on Saturday, November 16th.

[00:11:13] In addition to mourning the loss of these great trailblazers, many of us are mourning the results of the very recent presidential election and looking ahead in anticipation of what's to come.

[00:11:23] In a moment, we'll hear from members of Colorado communities as they discuss the shocking election results and the re-election of President Donald Trump.

[00:11:32] But first, here's the late, great Frankie Beverly with Mays with a poignant 1983 reminder that we are one.

[00:17:04] Members and friends of Colorado communities gathered together during a town hall meeting to share words of encouragement and insights about what's next for communities of color after the re-election of Donald Trump,

[00:17:16] with concerns that the 45th president's re-election could have detrimental effects on racial equity and personal freedoms.

[00:17:23] The perspectives shared were full of hope and a spirit of resilience.

[00:17:30] Here's a clip from the town hall with former Colorado legislator Polly Baca, Colorado State Senator Rhonda Fields,

[00:17:38] Colors TV president Tracy Winchester, El Seminario CEO and publisher Chris Vresquez,

[00:17:44] and Denver Urban Spectrum publisher Bea Harris.

[00:17:49] Yes, we do have a lot to talk about after Tuesday's election.

[00:17:53] You know, we've been, what would I say, emails, phone calls, in-person conversations with so many people that, you know, the unthinkable happened.

[00:18:03] We've all been trying to digest what went wrong.

[00:18:07] How do we, as Vice President Harris said, when we fight, we win.

[00:18:12] How do we do that?

[00:18:13] We've been having those conversations long and deep, and some even crying over what took place.

[00:18:21] There's a lot of fear out there at the moment.

[00:18:23] I especially liked what she said about leadership, a true leader.

[00:18:29] And that's what we need right now more than ever.

[00:18:33] And, you know, here at El Seminario, we've always believed that a leader was not just one person.

[00:18:39] It's the community.

[00:18:40] It's the people.

[00:18:41] It's everybody is the leader.

[00:18:44] And we have to remember that.

[00:18:45] Also, you know, we've talked about this so many times, and it's about all generations.

[00:18:52] And that, I believe, is what's real important as we have stayed in touch with that, being a multi-generation media.

[00:19:01] We should, you know, we should look back at what happened in 2016.

[00:19:04] That should have been our wake-up call.

[00:19:06] I feel that at this point, as media, it's all about information.

[00:19:10] And the information has to be accurate.

[00:19:13] It has to be informative.

[00:19:14] It has to be a trusted source.

[00:19:17] And most importantly, it has to remain independent.

[00:19:20] Yeah, I'm a strong believer in that.

[00:19:23] I'm just going to jump in, Chris, because I understand what you said about 2016.

[00:19:27] As a matter of fact, you know, Wellington Webb sent me a little TikTok video.

[00:19:32] It was the same thing from 2016, the states and everything.

[00:19:36] But, you know, right now it's eight years later.

[00:19:38] So we've got a different group of young people as well.

[00:19:42] It's a whole different generation.

[00:19:44] I totally understand what you said.

[00:19:46] It should have been a wake-up call.

[00:19:47] And I think the wake-up call is the fact that the same people that were fighting in the Civil War have the same descendants today, right?

[00:20:00] I mean, the faction of people that believe that, you know, the haves and the have-nots and what is owed to me is, I think, something that has not gone away.

[00:20:12] You know, I do believe that racism did play a part in this.

[00:20:16] I do think that gender bias played a part in this and that that culture is a cultural thing that we basically have never moved away from.

[00:20:26] I mean, I think we've made some great strides, some great steps in the direction of making sure that people's rights are not impeded upon.

[00:20:34] I mean, that was the whole point behind the civil rights movement.

[00:20:37] But just the fact that the same descendants are still here alive and well.

[00:20:43] We should never lose sight of the fact that we constantly have to be vigilant about making sure that people's rights are not infringed upon.

[00:20:53] And that we, because there are people ready to take away our rights at any given moment.

[00:20:59] So we just need to be vigilant about that and remind that.

[00:21:03] I think you get complacent.

[00:21:05] I mean, clearly we've been complacent with a Democratic administration through the years.

[00:21:10] And that, but whenever a Republican administration comes in power, it is always about diminishing what steps have been made, what strides have been taken, what, you know, accomplishments that we've done.

[00:21:22] It's like one step forward and two steps back.

[00:21:24] I mean, it's always about pulling back from the have-nots.

[00:21:28] And the haves are always trying to make sure that we remain poor.

[00:21:32] We remain deprived of any of the benefits of this country that we've all worked so hard to put together.

[00:21:40] Pacey, you said it well right there about being complacent.

[00:21:43] And that's the problem.

[00:21:44] I've stressed this over the last eight years.

[00:21:47] And that is that, and I'm just going to be right out with it.

[00:21:50] The Democratic Party has been terrible in its messaging.

[00:21:53] And they only come to us, meaning the Black and Latino community, is when we're in a situation like this.

[00:22:01] And it's always too late.

[00:22:03] Too little, too late.

[00:22:04] The way I see it is that, you know, we have something to really be concerned about.

[00:22:09] And that is, you know, we have democracy.

[00:22:11] And, you know, democracy is not something that we just should take lightly.

[00:22:15] It's something that we should be protecting every day of our life.

[00:22:19] It's a responsibility that we protect it.

[00:22:22] You know, we cannot go back to those dark ages.

[00:22:24] And the goal right now is what I see it and what we see it here is we have to regain the Senate.

[00:22:31] We have to hold the seats that we have in the House.

[00:22:33] And we've got to make sure that this new administration coming in is a lame duck.

[00:22:39] But that's going to take all of us.

[00:22:41] And it's going to take multiple teams and people working together, organizations.

[00:22:46] Something that even you and I, Bea, have worked on for years in our lifetime of publishing.

[00:22:51] And that is creating partnerships and creating relationships.

[00:22:55] And these have to be solid.

[00:22:57] But it can't be alone.

[00:22:59] We've all got to work together.

[00:23:01] And that is we've got to work our resources together.

[00:23:03] We've got to stand and hold the line on this.

[00:23:06] And then again, we've got to make sure that this never, ever happens again in this country.

[00:23:10] And the only way we do that, again, is we've got to work together.

[00:23:13] We've got to work across all generations.

[00:23:16] We've got to make sure that we are doing that day in and day out.

[00:23:19] And we've got to start building.

[00:23:21] We should have already 10 years ago, building new leadership.

[00:23:24] And this new leadership, again, goes across all generations.

[00:23:28] Kamala Harris is probably one of the most capable, qualified people.

[00:23:32] In my history of participating in presidential politics, one of the most, perhaps even the

[00:23:39] most qualified ever to run.

[00:23:41] She and Hillary, I think, have been the best candidates we've had.

[00:23:45] And we couldn't elect either one of them.

[00:23:46] So there's some issues about being a woman.

[00:23:49] But there's also some issues about being people of color.

[00:23:53] That we have got to really continue the education of our own communities, plus the general populace.

[00:24:00] And I feel very much like we have got to start re-energizing the kind of energy we had during

[00:24:07] the movement years, during the civil rights movement, the Chicano movement.

[00:24:11] Well, Senator Baca, I agree totally with you.

[00:24:15] And I think, though, the piece that we need to focus on is the social media.

[00:24:20] I mean, our people, they embrace the social media.

[00:24:24] They embrace all of the podcasts and all of the YouTube and all of the indoctrination that's

[00:24:31] going on.

[00:24:32] Whereas they think of themselves as just being assimilated.

[00:24:36] They're just like regular old Americans.

[00:24:38] They don't have any identity with their own civil rights and their own culture.

[00:24:44] To me, that's the gap that we need for the next time around, starting now.

[00:24:49] We need to start being more intentional in our social media presence and educating the

[00:24:56] people, the young people, about their history and, you know, and talking about how that has

[00:25:02] an impact on their pocketbooks, right?

[00:25:05] Their wallets and their pocketbooks.

[00:25:06] Because everyone kept saying, oh, inflation is so high and I need somebody that's going

[00:25:11] to be in there that's going to make sure we bring down the prices and et cetera.

[00:25:16] And I get that because that's what you see on an everyday basis.

[00:25:19] You go out, buy gas, buy groceries, try to buy a house.

[00:25:23] So yes, that's what most people are going to be faced with.

[00:25:26] And so it's incumbent upon us to make sure they understand, well, how does that tie into

[00:25:31] your history as a people?

[00:25:33] Because honestly, nothing has changed, you know, really.

[00:25:38] Again, when I talk about the Civil War and the fact that we had the haves and the have-nots,

[00:25:43] that's what we were fighting for.

[00:25:45] That is still happening today.

[00:25:47] The MAGAs are the people on the Confederate side.

[00:25:49] It's just the new Confederacy that we need to deal with.

[00:25:53] And we need to deal with it on our social media platform.

[00:25:56] And I'd like to kind of weigh in on that conversation because I think the social media links had a

[00:26:03] lot to do to radicalize a lot of different voters.

[00:26:06] And I'm not on TikTok that much or, you know, X.

[00:26:10] I am on X, but I don't follow everybody.

[00:26:13] But young people aren't listening to Morning Joe or NBC News or, you know, they're not going to the way I

[00:26:20] was raised watching the nightly news on TV.

[00:26:23] A lot of the information they're getting is through social media.

[00:26:27] And a lot of it is misinformation.

[00:26:29] And it radicalizes them to a point that whatever, I don't know what the imaging they're getting,

[00:26:35] but I think they've been bombarded.

[00:26:37] Because when you have Elon Musk on there who controls the media, I mean, there's so many people that can drive

[00:26:43] perceptions based on his point of view.

[00:26:46] And then they all just feed off of it.

[00:26:48] But I just want to say this and how I'm feeling.

[00:26:50] I can tell you that I'm mourning right now.

[00:26:53] I feel like I'm grieving because I really felt like we had a shot at this.

[00:26:58] I really felt hopeful that she had a chance because I was seeing how she was mobilizing these huge crowds.

[00:27:06] And maybe I was in a vacuum or whatever, but I just felt like she was doing everything she needed to do

[00:27:13] to run this race in a short amount of time.

[00:27:19] To hear this conversation in full, subscribe to Denver Urban Spectrum on YouTube

[00:27:23] or listen to Expanding the Narrative at denverurbanspectrum.com backslash podcast

[00:27:29] or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

[00:27:32] For 37 years, Denver Urban Spectrum has served as a reliable and trustworthy source of news.

[00:27:38] We've amplified voices and shared stories that are often overlooked by mainstream media.

[00:27:44] Local community reporting is so important, but it requires the support of people like you.

[00:27:50] That's why our publication was selected as a recipient of the Colorado Media Project's

[00:27:55] News Colorado Needs Matching Grant.

[00:27:58] From Giving Day on December 10th to December 31st, donations to Denver Urban Spectrum will be matched

[00:28:04] in order to strengthen our newsroom, build capacity for our community programs,

[00:28:08] and enable us to keep delivering the news our communities need.

[00:28:12] If you'd like to contribute to this campaign or participate in early giving from now until December,

[00:28:17] call 303-292-6446 or visit www.coloradogives.org backslash story backslash Denver Urban Spectrum.

[00:28:41] Thank you so much for tuning in to this episode of Expanding the Narrative on Metro.

[00:28:47] And thank you for letting us be the voice of the community for 37 years.

[00:28:51] We're proud to bring you educational, inspirational, and impactful stories.

[00:28:56] We're thankful that you're part of our family, and we hope that as this year comes to an end,

[00:29:01] you find every reason to be thankful and let hope prevail.

[00:29:04] Next, Alternative Radio.

[00:29:14] Hear Naomi Klein on What Are We Going To Do.

[00:29:19] That's Alternative Radio, Wednesday evenings at 6, right here on Community Radio, KGNU, Boulder, Denver, and Fort Collins.

[00:30:15] Welcome to the Regional Roundup, a production of Rocky Mountain Community Radio,

[00:30:20] a coalition of public and community radio stations in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and New Mexico, including this one.

[00:30:28] I'm Maeve Conron, the coalition's managing editor, and on today's show, a beloved grizzly bear is killed in Wyoming.

[00:30:36] She's had so much of a positive impact on so many people's lives.

[00:30:40] I mean, even people that have never seen her love her.

[00:30:43] Paying farmers to cultivate ecosystems on their land.

[00:30:47] The ability for your soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains whatever you're growing.

[00:30:55] Powerlifting comes to a tiny mountain community.

[00:30:58] We have built a community of lifters here.

[00:31:03] And a water tank provides a sonic experience like none other.

[00:31:07] Oh my God, I don't think I'm going to write music the same way ever again.

[00:31:10] From Rocky Mountain Community Radio, it's the Regional Roundup.

[00:31:27] People around the region and around the country are reacting to the death of a famous bear in Wyoming.

[00:31:34] Grizzly 399's death has made national headlines and triggered memorials and gatherings across the cowboy state.

[00:31:42] The world-famous mama bear's life was lived close to Jackson for nearly three decades.

[00:31:49] KHOL's Dante Philpola Ankeny reports that the grizzlies' mostly conflict-free life was seen as a conservation highlight for her species,

[00:31:58] but made her a night.