DUS x KGNU Metro - September 2024

[00:00:01] KGNU FM 88.5 Boulder, KGNU 1390 Denver. Stay tuned for Metro.

[00:00:07] Support comes from Groundworks Art Lab, presenting the 9th Annual Chili Bowl Street Party on Sunday, September 15th at their Uni Hill location, the Boulder Pottery Lab.

[00:00:31] Denver Urban Spectrum, sharing stories about people of color since 1987.

[00:00:36] Hello and welcome to Expanding the Narrative on Metro, a show by Denver Urban Spectrum that amplifies the voices and stories of the community.

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

[00:01:03] At Denver Urban Spectrum, our mission is to inspire, educate and empower audiences while bringing awareness to important issues.

[00:01:12] 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.

[00:01:24] Stay tuned to hear all about this month's issue of Denver Urban Spectrum.

[00:01:57] Summertime is slowly coming to an end and Denver Urban Spectrum is ready for the cooler days and cozy nights of autumn.

[00:02:05] The September issue is filled with information about local events that took place throughout August, as well as coverage for events taking place in the months ahead.

[00:02:14] But first, I would like to acknowledge Denver Urban Spectrum staff for their hard work and award-winning storytelling.

[00:02:22] At the end of August, the Colorado Press Association held its annual convention and awards ceremony,

[00:02:27] and DUS publisher Rosalind B. Harris was inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, recognizing 37 years of community impact.

[00:02:38] Several DUS contributors won Better News Awards for stories throughout 2023, with 15 awards in all. Congratulations!

[00:02:49] August was National Black Business Month, and the September issue highlights three business leaders who are building a legacy in Colorado and throughout the world.

[00:02:58] First, we've highlighted Rico Nelson, the CEO of the Colorado-based construction management firm, Civil Technology,

[00:03:05] who discussed his vision for the company and his role in creating career opportunities for people of color.

[00:03:12] We've also highlighted the founder of the Black Business Initiative, Jice Johnson, who shared her inspiration behind the organization.

[00:03:20] She talked about her plans to expand entrepreneurial support while emphasizing the importance of economic equity and infrastructure.

[00:03:28] Last month, we caught up with Denver's former mayor, Michael Hancock, to talk about his business and philanthropic endeavors in the years since leaving office.

[00:03:38] In the September issue, you'll learn more about Hancock Global Services and the Hancock Foundation,

[00:03:44] two passion projects that the former city leader used his past experiences to build to help create a brighter future for executives and young people.

[00:03:52] In anticipation of the upcoming November elections, our cover story this month features an in-depth analysis of Project 2025,

[00:04:01] a highly controversial document by a conservative think tank called the Heritage Foundation that outlines plans for a conservative approach to leadership for Republican political candidates.

[00:04:13] The article, written by Thomas Holt Russell, outlines potential threats to democracy and implications that could affect communities of color if implemented.

[00:04:22] An exciting story this September is that of Martha Redbone, a Native and Black American singer, songwriter, and educator whose unique sound will grace audiences in Denver on September 25th.

[00:04:35] Known for an eclectic blend of bluegrass, folk, R&B, and jazz, the singer will perform her special concert titled Bone Hill at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts.

[00:04:46] Denver Urban Spectrum is distributed to businesses around Denver, but you can read the full publication online at DenverUrbanspectrum.com.

[00:04:55] In addition to these stories, the September issue features a recap of Cleo Parker Robinson's Dancing with the Denver Stars and a look at the Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival.

[00:05:07] Next month, Denver Urban Spectrum will celebrate 37 years of community reporting during an elegant evening of entertainment.

[00:05:14] If you're interested in joining us, you can find ticket information at DenverUrbanspectrum.com.

[00:05:21] Stay tuned to hear from Rico Nelson of Civil Technology, Jice Johnson of the Black Business Initiative, and Martha Redbone.

[00:05:32] From August 19th to August 22nd, Denver Urban Spectrum featured a special presentation of Spectrum Talk with Ruby with a live look at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

[00:05:45] Here's D.U.S. Correspondent Tracy Winchester with the trailblazing former Colorado State Representative and Senator Polly Baca, live from the United Center in Chicago on the final day of the DNC.

[00:06:00] We are overjoyed. This is a wonderful, wonderful day. And to show that type of joy, what the women are doing here at the convention is about 5,000 delegates, 4,700 to be exact.

[00:06:17] And we are all wearing white. The memo went out for all the women to wear white. And we heard from a lot of our male delegates that they want to wear white as well in support.

[00:06:31] And the reason for wearing white, it comes from the women's suffrage movement. Because it was in August of 1920, August 18th to be exact, that the constitutional amendment passed that gave women the right to vote.

[00:06:47] So here we are, that we are now on the precipice of electing a woman president.

[00:06:54] It's been a long journey, you know, from the right to vote to the right to run for political office, the right to be elected, the right to have jobs that are professional positions.

[00:07:05] It's been a long road.

[00:07:07] And you were one of the pioneers as well. Were you not the first Latina?

[00:07:13] In the state Senate.

[00:07:14] In the state Senate.

[00:07:15] Yes, I was. But I was also thinking, you know, this didn't happen overnight.

[00:07:20] I think she's going to be the first to get elected.

[00:07:23] So this time, this year, you know, 104 years later, we're actually, I really believe we are actually going to get a woman elected, a woman of color elected president of the United States.

[00:07:54] Rico Nelson was named CEO of Civil Technology in 2022 after his older brother, the legendary Denver developer Carl Bourgeois passed away.

[00:08:04] Civil Technology has been involved in the completion of several major projects throughout Denver, such as the Denver International Airport, the Stapleton, now Central Park, Redevelopment Projects and the newly renovated Denver Art Museum.

[00:08:19] As the leader of the Colorado Construction Management Company, Nelson plays a vital role in streamlining construction projects.

[00:08:26] But his focus extends beyond local success.

[00:08:29] The business executive also serves as president of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials, or COMTO.

[00:08:37] And he is working to create opportunities in transportation and infrastructure for people of color.

[00:08:43] Here's a clip from our talk.

[00:08:46] What I knew about myself is that if I was going to be an employee or an executive, I wanted to travel the path that offered me more autonomy over my career trajectory.

[00:08:59] So I chose the path of executive.

[00:09:02] In retrospect, I didn't fully understand the career path that would lead me toward executive leadership outside of the willingness to get up every day and bet on my own capacity to go out there and make a dollar.

[00:09:21] But what specifically led me into engineering was during the pandemic.

[00:09:26] I had an ownership interest in a financial services firm.

[00:09:30] I was able to take a buyout and step into another executive role.

[00:09:34] And while I was in that role, the pandemic hit.

[00:09:36] And during the pandemic, like a lot of people, I was struggling to make peace with the existential dynamic that was unfolding that felt so confusing.

[00:09:47] Right.

[00:09:48] And I was listening to the messaging you were receiving and watching what was happening in our social environment.

[00:09:54] And if you remember, our social environment was on fire.

[00:09:58] There were riots and there was racial upheaval.

[00:10:02] And at the same time, there was a natural disaster and there were environmental deficiencies and issues, climate change, the depletion of natural resources.

[00:10:13] And then I started listening to the narrative that was coming from Washington, D.C.

[00:10:18] That was the year of an election.

[00:10:20] And during that election year, one of the big themes was infrastructure funding.

[00:10:24] And so I started to do some some research, realized that our national and really our global infrastructure score was very, very low.

[00:10:33] And huge amounts of investment was to be made in giving the world and our country an eco-friendly facelift.

[00:10:43] And that was what prompted the conversation with Carl.

[00:10:47] Did you have the opportunity to work closely with your brother in a professional role before he passed?

[00:10:52] And what did he teach you not only about the family business, but about life?

[00:10:56] Oh, gosh, a lot.

[00:10:57] It's a big question.

[00:10:58] You know, Carl at his core was about family.

[00:11:01] And so he really invested in legacy when he was getting, you know, making his his building his family in the Five Points.

[00:11:11] I was in the 70s and that community of the Five Points was was one of the most blighted communities in the nation.

[00:11:18] And so he wanted to begin acquiring real estate and redevelop land and bring some enthusiasm and some excitement back to the community.

[00:11:25] But at that time, it was very difficult for an African-American to get lending.

[00:11:29] So he was advised by King Harris to consider construction management.

[00:11:34] And that's how civil technology got its founding.

[00:11:37] So as I came into this discussion about civil technology, I wasn't as focused on the real estate development or community core community redevelopment.

[00:11:47] That wasn't my primary focus.

[00:11:49] My vision for what we needed to accomplish was was much bigger.

[00:11:54] It was taking this enterprise that had its finger on the pulse of the infrastructure dynamics that were unfolding here in Colorado and wanting to bring that to a much larger audience national and then international so that we could actually be involved in revitalizing many communities by virtue of delivering program management, project management, construction management,

[00:12:17] and other engineering and civil infrastructure services, you know, and take them as far as we could possibly take them.

[00:12:23] If you enjoyed this clip and you'd like to hear the full Spectrum Talk interview, you can find it on Denver Urban Spectrum's YouTube channel.

[00:12:42] This month, DUS contributor Stacey Noreen highlights the Black Business Initiative and its next phases of execution supporting businesses and entrepreneurs.

[00:12:52] Here's a clip from Stacey's interview featuring Jais Johnson of the Black Business Initiative, her inspiration for the organization's early efforts and her roadmap for the journey ahead.

[00:13:03] If you'd like to listen to the full interview, find it at DenverUrbanSpectrum.com backslash podcast.

[00:13:10] Tell me a little bit about you and kind of how you got to where you are and what BBI is all about.

[00:13:17] So originally I'm from Oakland, California, joined the military, spent a little time over in Iraq.

[00:13:23] When I came back, I started a young family and I was in Atlanta, Georgia for about five years.

[00:13:30] Came to visit Denver in February of 2011 and then I moved in April of 2011.

[00:13:37] Really moving to Denver, I didn't have a network. I didn't know anybody.

[00:13:40] I didn't even know where there was like community for like almost two years of being in Denver before I kind of discovered an organization called Shop Talk Live.

[00:13:50] And in Shop Talk, we were hosting community conversations mostly focused in on issues in the Black community.

[00:13:57] Fast forward that into 2014 and we were looking at a documentary that was by Tariq Nasheed called Hidden Colors.

[00:14:06] And in that documentary, Dr. Claude Anderson talks about that the Black community is a underclass in America.

[00:14:15] And he talks about why that is, but he started at the base of it with being an issue of economics.

[00:14:20] And that really intrigued me. And I came across a woman named Maggie Anderson who was talking about doing a Buy Black campaign.

[00:14:27] She did an experiment called My Black Year.

[00:14:30] There's a book on it and a TED talk.

[00:14:32] And I happened to watch the TED talk where she was basically explaining how difficult it was, even in Chicago, where they have a decent concentration of Black-owned businesses,

[00:14:39] how difficult it was to buy black. Why that was such an important concept.

[00:14:44] And that tied directly into concepts that Dr. Claude Anderson was speaking about.

[00:14:48] So that led me to the launch of the Black Business Initiative.

[00:14:52] So you guys, the summit. So from my understanding, the summit has paused this year. Is that correct?

[00:14:57] It has. Mm-hmm.

[00:14:58] All right. So what's leading to the pause? Are you revamping? Are you re-strategizing?

[00:15:04] In order for us to provide no cost services to our community, BBI was oftentimes required to go and find a lot of grants or a lot of sponsorships.

[00:15:14] If you were to take like true to cost or market costs for the services that I was providing, they would be out of reach for so many in our community.

[00:15:23] The Black Business Initiative is not a nonprofit organization. We're a public benefit corporation, meaning we're a social enterprise.

[00:15:30] So what I determined is that we don't own or control the institutions that create the entrepreneurial ecosystem or any ecosystems.

[00:15:41] So there's these foundations that exist, but there was no community foundation that existed in the Black community.

[00:15:47] So I thought we should create one. Prior to that, I was looking at another ecosystem gap and that ended up becoming a venture fund.

[00:15:54] And then the last thing that I was looking at was economic development.

[00:15:57] And I said, well, in economic development, you have groups of people and the government that are all coming together to create policy, tax incentives, legislation,

[00:16:07] and an environment that attracts and retains business in a location.

[00:16:14] And those entities are not focused on attracting or retaining Black business in this region.

[00:16:20] What ended up being created was a three part vision to create a community foundation, some form of an access to capital institution and an economic development organization.

[00:16:33] Since 2020, when I started going from concept to implementation, we have launched all three organizations.

[00:16:40] So we have the AYA Foundation, which is a community foundation.

[00:16:44] We had the new community transformation fund, Denver, which was a 50 million BIPOC led venture fund.

[00:16:50] And then we just launched out the Economic Development Association for Black Communities, which is an economic development organization that is centered around attraction retention for Black talent, Black business and the policies that need to undergird that.

[00:17:04] If you were to advise anyone, you know, an individual coming in and wanting to start a business, but not really sure where to go, how to start, how to get the funding.

[00:17:13] What's one key advice that you would give to someone?

[00:17:17] I would give them progress over perfection.

[00:17:20] A lot of times businesses, they do two things.

[00:17:24] They either don't ever really get started because they feel like the conditions aren't right and the conditions will never be right.

[00:17:31] So you just got to get started.

[00:17:32] And then once you do get started, you actually have to continue to make progress.

[00:17:37] And so you'll see a lot of times businesses get started and they never improve their product.

[00:17:42] They never improve their systems.

[00:17:44] They really just kind of sit there in early startup mode.

[00:17:47] And so they have to continue to make progress.

[00:17:51] Entrepreneurship requires support in a community.

[00:17:55] And we have for nearly 10 years now provided support in community.

[00:18:00] Denver Urban Spectrum amplifies the voice of the community with stories representing business, entertainment, art, lifestyle, education and much more.

[00:18:27] We offer advertising opportunities for local businesses, provide community building event coverage and deliver information across a range of multimedia platforms.

[00:18:37] We are always looking for talented new writers with fresh perspectives and a passion for publishing.

[00:18:44] If you would like to become a contributing columnist, email editor at urban spectrum dot net.

[00:18:50] To learn more about Denver Urban Spectrum, visit Denver urban spectrum dot com or follow us on social media.

[00:18:58] You can find us on Instagram at Denver urban spectrum official on Facebook at Denver urban spectrum or on X formerly known as Twitter at D U S underscore tweets.

[00:19:11] We hope you'll join our online community where there's so much more in store.

[00:19:17] Martha Redbone brings more than just music to the stage.

[00:19:38] The talented artist uses music as a vehicle to discuss her Appalachian upbringing, cultural erasure and the importance of identity.

[00:19:47] On September 25th, she will perform at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts.

[00:19:51] But you can learn more about her during my spectrum talk interview on Denver urban spectrum's YouTube channel.

[00:19:57] Here's a clip from our insightful and inspiring talk.

[00:20:02] I would love to know the story behind Bone Hill and your inspiration for the concert.

[00:20:08] Bone Hill is a theatrical concert.

[00:20:10] It's really songs with storytelling and it will be my band.

[00:20:16] There are six of us and I'm kind of the central storyteller and my musicians are like the townspeople in a way.

[00:20:23] And and I kind of talk about the story of erasure with American history and how much erasure has impacted the family trees of African-American people and indigenous people and those connections based on paper.

[00:20:38] You know genocide on paper is very real.

[00:20:41] And in my research, I saw that within my own family tree, this was something that has happened.

[00:20:49] I know there are many other friends and people who I've had conversations with who have all if you're from the originate from the southeast, you know, which was the hub of transatlantic slavery.

[00:20:59] Your roots are in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, Texas.

[00:21:03] That is where the hub of where we were brought, you know, North Carolina, South Carolina, that removal from the American Indian removal period.

[00:21:13] You know, not everyone was just completely removed.

[00:21:16] There are many different complexities in the stories that have happened and intermarriages and the erasure on paper for intermarrying.

[00:21:24] The Jim Crow, the one drop rule, all of these different things.

[00:21:28] And through these peoples, you know, the culture survives.

[00:21:32] Those are the things that I address in Bone Hill and song.

[00:21:36] It's really almost like the elephant in the room, the big untold story of American history.

[00:21:42] I read that you grew up with the influences of a gospel singing African-American father and a Native American mother.

[00:21:49] So it sounds very culturally impactful.

[00:21:52] And I can't wait to see how that translates to the stage.

[00:21:56] It sounds phenomenal.

[00:21:57] But what was it like growing up in Kentucky?

[00:22:00] Well, my family is mixed native.

[00:22:03] So we're Southeastern and what they called us the lower towns, Cherokee, Chickabunga Cherokees, and also mixed with black and mixed with white.

[00:22:14] I guess they would call us, you know, people who objectified our ancestors would call us like the tri-racials because our culture was indigenous.

[00:22:26] We were in these small hills, you know, in Appalachia and Harlem County and Lee County, Virginia.

[00:22:31] And all of our relations were in around those mountains.

[00:22:35] And then my grandpa, who was from Alabama, whose parents were from Mississippi, he came up to work in the coal mines.

[00:22:42] And that's where I feel like I had a real blessing of being raised in the hills of Kentucky, you know, as a kid, you know, having the country around you and surrounded in a small town.

[00:22:53] And, you know, and I think it was really beautiful because I ended up, you know, going to the same schools that my parents went to.

[00:23:00] And, you know, and there's a real long history in Harlem County, Kentucky.

[00:23:03] And then for middle school, you know, went back to New York City.

[00:23:08] So I feel like I had the high school in New York City when you become a teenager and you're like surrounded by, you know, the arts and culture and all these museums and, you know, and not giving away my age, but like hip hop was the kind of beginning, the genesis of hip hop at that time.

[00:23:22] And all of the amazing things that like a huge city can give you.

[00:23:25] So I feel like I had the best of both worlds.

[00:23:27] I think it's important for people of color, I would say, to celebrate this American music and play this American music.

[00:23:37] And because it tells a deeper story and it reminds us all that folk music really is music from all the folk who brought the music from their homelands to this new place.

[00:23:51] And the combination of the history, the good, bad and the ugly within this music has created rhythms that are influenced by every single group of people who have come from somewhere else.

[00:24:03] I hope you enjoyed that clip from Martha Redbone's 2012 song, The Garden of Love.

[00:28:11] If you're interested in viewing her live performance, visit Newman Center presents dot com.

[00:28:17] Thank you for tuning into this episode of expanding the narrative on Metro.

[00:28:39] Your support allows us to continue the legacy of trustworthy community reporting.

[00:28:43] We invite you to become a member of Denver Urban Spectrum to receive exclusive updates, first priority access to free tickets for community events and more.

[00:28:54] Visit Denver Urban Spectrum dot com to sign up today.

[00:28:57] And remember, tickets to Denver's Voice 37 are available now.

[00:29:02] The elegant evening of entertainment will feature spoken word comedy and music from local and national recording artists.

[00:29:09] Join us as we say thank you to Denver Urban Spectrum publisher, Rosalind B. Harris, and celebrate 37 years of inspiration and information in Colorado communities.

[00:30:06] Welcome to the Regional Roundup, a production of Rocky Mountain Community Radio, a coalition of public and community radio stations in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico, including this one.

[00:30:18] I'm Maeve Conran, the coalition's managing editor.

[00:30:22] And today we're looking at animals, Western horses.

[00:30:26] If human beings didn't have horses, settlement of the West would have been at a much, much slower pace.

[00:30:34] Trumpeter swans.

[00:30:35] It was assumed that the trumpeter swans were going to go extinct in North America.

[00:30:40] Juro sheep and their connection to the Navajo people.

[00:30:43] We're the ones that helped save this breed of sheep.

[00:30:47] They took it with them across the San Juan River.

[00:30:50] And the language of animals.

[00:30:53] They have in many cases more complex communication than we thought.

[00:30:58] From Rocky Mountain Community Radio, it's the Regional Roundup.

[00:31:12] Horses and the American West go hand in hand.

[00:31:15] And the history of the American West and the history of horses are significantly intertwined.

[00:31:22] It's something Randy Samuelson Brown writes about in her new book, The Western Horse, a popular history of the wild and working animal.

[00:31:30] So I was one of those people who perhaps I was ignorant or perhaps I was taking like the standard stereotypes, you know, and I really honestly thought as a starting point that all Mustangs, you know, and this is kind of crazy, but that Mustangs were really the byproduct of Conquistadors horses.

[00:31:49] So that is where I started my idea.

[00:31:52] And I found that it's partially right, partially wrong.

[00:31:56] You know, just even getting the horse reintroduced into North America.

[00:31:59] Thank you.

[00:31:59] Thank you.