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The Inclusion Illusion
A three-part series looking at the experience of people of color in Boulder and efforts to make the city more inclusive
Part 1: Boulder prides itself on being welcoming to all. But its citizens of color tell a different story
Part 2: After Boulder diversity officer's unexplained exit, city seeks outside help on race and equity
Part 3: As pressure increases to confront racism, can Boulder change its story?
"My gut feeling is that no committee or task force will have much effect on everyday racial intolerance in Boulder," wrote Gregory Todd in the Daily Camera's Sunday edition on Oct. 28, 1990. "Not on the convenience store clerk who bristles every time a black walks into the store late at night. Not on the indescribable feeling when someone stares at you like a curio. Not on the person who doesn't tip a black waiter as much as a white waiter.
"Organizations and committees cannot change what's in people's hearts."
Todd was writing about his experiences as a biracial man in Boulder. His words were part of a six-page spread on racism in the area published by the Camera. Written nearly three decades ago, the stories of minority residents - hassled by the cops; subjected to racial slurs by strangers and well-meaning but ignorant statements from friends and co-workers; left out of the civic process - still resonate today.
So, too, do the responses of local government. In 1990, there was the Community Task Force on Race Relations and the Minority Issues Coalition; today we have the Human Relations Commission and the Safe and Welcoming Community Work Plan.
"Nothing has changed," said Fred Davis, a black small-business owner who has lived in Boulder for 40-plus years. "It's a shame that hasn't even begun to diminish."
Meanwhile, in the wider world, the conversation about race moves on. Some fear that Boulder, however progressive the city might be on other issues, has fallen behind.
We are stuck "in the middle of the 20th century," said Courtney Prusmack, Boulder County's diversity and inclusivity manager.
The national dialogue around race should not be muted here as the chorus of voices calling the city out grows louder, said the Rev. Pedro Silva, an associate minister at Boulder's First...