By Hilary Olivares

Posted June 6, 2024

 

A few hundred people gathered on June 1^st for “The Reunion at Ninth Street Historic Park” organized by the University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver) on the Auraria Campus in Denver.

 

The celebration marked the 100^th anniversary of St. Cajetan’s Church, a historical landmark on the campus, and the two-year anniversary of the expansion of the CU Denver Displaced Aurarian Scholarship Program, as well as the unveiling of a mural by  renowned artist Carlos Frésquez inside the Centennial House  on Ninth Street, located on the campus in west Denver.

 

In the early1970’s, numerous families were displaced from the Auraria neighborhood to make way for the development of the three higher education institutions on the Auraria Campus—the Community College of Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver and the University of Colorado Denver.

 

The community demanded assistance for the residents of Auraria, with a promise to offer tuition-based scholarships to the Displaced Aurarians and their descendants.

 

“At CU Denver we recognize how incredibly valuable it is to include displaced Aurarians in our educational mission and this is by honoring the commitment to provide scholarships to descendants of the families that lived here. This was a promise that was made decades ago and now is being fully honored,” stated Michelle Marks, Chancellor, CU Denver.

 

There are ongoing efforts by Displaced Aurarians and longtime activists to remind the stewards of the campus –Auraria Higher Education Campus board of directors—that the community must be involved in the continued restoration and development of the land.

 

“There are demands we are making with this campus, and the major demand is to have oversight of Ninth Street from St. Cajetan’s, from Ninth St. and Lawrence to Ninth St. and Colfax where the Irish Catholic church and school, St. Leo’s once stood,” explained Frances Torres, Vice President, Auraria Historical Advocacy Council, and Displaced Aurarian.

“So, I’m inviting you all to be supportive of us at our presentations – we have done four in the last six weeks—and we present to the Auraria board of directors, and they are the decision makers, and what we are going to do on June 26^th is to present for the first time these demands which include parking – free parking,” exclaimed Torres.

 

Virginia Castro, President of the Auraria Historical Advocacy Council

“Our organization is made up of primarily displaced Aurarians and our main purpose in volunteering to do just this,” said Castro, referring to the Saturday gathering. “And that is to get the people back where they belong. Our next goal is to work on St. Cajetan’s because it’s an empty shell now and we don’t want it to be.”

 

Torres shared her family history as displaced Aurarians. “I lived at 1033 Ninth Street. I’m the last, and seventh child of Philip and Petra Torres.” She lived in the home until she was 19 and forced out among many others.

Marks shared remarks on the Auraria Historical Advocacy Council’s efforts. “Earlier this year, the Auraria Historical Advocacy Council presented demands and a strong belief to the campus board of directors that the displaced Aurarian community should have oversight of future development on our historic Ninth Street. I know that I represent CU Denver in saying how much we support this community here today, and I support the creation of a Ninth Street Park oversight committee, composed of Displaced Aurarians or descendants. I believe it’s just the right thing to do, and I know because of some very recent conversations with my colleagues that I am not alone, and there are very serious efforts underway to find a path forward as we look to complete our master plan in the near future,” assured Marks.

The Chancellor explained the opportunity for the Campus to rebuild its’ relationship with the Displaced Aurarian community.  “I believe that we should be a leader for campuses around the country on how universities and communities reconcile over urban renewal and displacement,” said Marks. “We also know that this work is really built foundationally on trust. And so, I want to thank each and every one of you who has placed trust in these conversations and in this community, and this dialogue that we are having together, and I look forward to a continued partnership.

 

Marks also noted the importance of Latina/o inclusion among its’ student population offering unique opportunities in higher education.

 

“In the spirit of truly serving this community I wanted to share that I’m so excited that CU Denver has had our Hispanic Serving Institution status reaffirmed by the U.S. Department of Education, which means that all three of institutions here on the Auraria Campus – the Community College of Denver, MSU, and University of Colorado Denver – are all HSI’s and this means a lot of things including that there are federal grants available to create better experiences for students and help graduation and helps with student retention and help hiring more people to support students and growing programs.”

 

The Council is continuing to maintain the Displaced Aurarian Scholarship throughout the Auraria Campus and is working towards creating a Peace and Healing Garden next to the Centennial House.

 

The Garden will honor those who have lived and passed through these spaces across many generations. To learn more or donate to the Garden visit their website here.

 

At The Reunion, cards on every table of the event read: “I don’t think you can tell the history of CU Denver without telling the history of Ninth Street and the Auraria neighborhood,” said Nolbert Chávez, CU Regent. On the back it reads: “At CU Denver, we study, teach, and work at a special place rooted in deep history. From the Indigenous Peoples who first settled here to the Aurarians who built a thriving neighborhood starting in the 1870s and were displaced to build the Auraria Higher Education Center, we must honor those who came before us.”

 

This was a promise that was made decades ago and now is being fully honored.”
Michelle Marks, Chancellor, CU Denver

 

The Centennial House at 1050 Ninth Street was the first among all the other homes to be renovated. Everyone who attended the event was able to check out the inside of the home and see all the new renovations and a new mural “Westside Wedding” created by renowned artist Carlos Frésquez, and retired Art Professor. The mural creates an uplifting message of the home and all of the memories that have traveled alongside it. The renovations have also created a place of creativity and learning throughout the centuries. Being able to acknowledge the prosperity and hard work of these colleges and the community have given hope to a community that was forever changed.

 

The Auraria Historical Advocacy Council invited the community to gather again on June 26^th, 9:15am, at the Tivoli Building, on the second floor, Room 325, to present for the first time, demands to have oversight of Ninth Street, also advocating for the entire community, and for the original West Side of Denver, to the Auraria Higher Education Board of Directors.

 

Watch a video of the event by El Semanario Live Stream.

 

CU Denver hopes to continue educating the community about Displaced Aurarians. Click here to learn more about CU Denver’s Displaced Aurarian Scholarship Program.

 

Hilary Olivares is an Independent Reporter for The Weekly Issue/El Semanario.