Daniel Stange de Acatl
Posted August 1, 2024
Keystone, Colorado was a wonderful summer backdrop for hosting community movers from across the state to discuss advancing equity in policy, programming and public information. Special attention was afforded to the list of grantees and collaborators that partner with
The Colorado Health Foundation (TCHF). The Colorado Health Symposium, held last week on July 24-26, was a continuation of the positive work that has been moving forward as TCHF continues to diversify its staff and board along with making aims at inclusion with who it provides funding to. The Colorado Trust also had a presence with their Executive Director Don Mares who engaged with community leaders.
It was refreshing to see the event being managed, coordinated and inclusive of so many people throughout the state and especially in communities of color. Warm Cookies of the Revolution was a key figure in the event planning and execution. With host Molina Speaks and a video about his project “Future Town USA”, there was some exciting energy filling the space. This Health Symposium summit has been growing every year and they build off the previous themes. Last year was about People Power Transformations and so this year’s theme was Re-writing Narratives – Advancing Equity and Justice.
The youth voices from this Symposium were among the loudest and lifted up to share new visions of a possible future.
A special panel of media representatives was also a unique addition to this year’s activities because there has been a detrimental impact on independent media. With social media and the high cost of publications there is a growing shift to multi-media platforms and outlets. The Denver Urban Spectrum and KSUT – Four Corners Radio were among some of the panelists. The Colorado Media Project along with CoLabs was also prominent in this years’ event. Tina Griego, a long time Latina journalist gave an important workshop about the need for small community organizations and leaders to build the authentic relationships with reporters in local news outlets.
Getting the truth in media these days is not as straight forward as it once was. And with large national news conglomerates that are owned and operated by hedge funds and political donors there is not enough integrity and fact checking that should be and use to be the cornerstone of what ethical journalism was all about. Naturally the more common podcasts and social media sites that too many people get information from today are operated by individuals that have never trained in professional journalism. It might seem novel to some that YouTube and Instagram can provide a platform for the silent people in the community, but when they use their voices to divide people and spew hate rhetoric that is not based in factual evidence, the public suffers. Too many people believe the half-truths and conspiracy theories of a small fraction of people looking for likes and hits.
This year’s Health Symposium was a fresh collection of youth and community people that have been funded by TCHF grants. It was very diverse and gave a more realistic representation of people from different backgrounds. Emerging immigrant coalitions and co-operative wealth builders that are looking at new ideas to expand economic stability. The language co-op provided simultaneous interpretation at all the workshops and there were promotoras de salud from various agencies. An excellent film documentary about Commerce City’s fight against Suncor Petroleum plant and the environmental destruction that they have been causing to air pollution for years was highlighted. Activists that were “boots on the ground” for those efforts were present at the event and shared their successes.
Cultural awareness and participation was evident at the conference with Mandy Medrano and the Latino Cultural Arts Center who hosted an evening workshop about Day of the Dead altars and the significance and process that our Elders taught about grieving. The Symposium also hosted a big dance event and people were able to connect with new community members on a deeper level and network to build stronger bridges of communication and service provision. Much of the collective work that the grantees are doing is centered around filling the gaps in services for people that are most vulnerable to these rising issues of inflation, housing, immigration and substance misuse.
The youth voices from this Symposium were among the loudest and lifted up to share new visions of a possible future. This writer was very honored to be among close friends and new allies that are pushing these efforts forward. Clearly there is a lot of work to be done and the goal posts are constantly being moved, so that as we get close to achieving some political or social clout, the requirements or standards change. This is not causing our youth to lose hope. We know that there is a better way to build community voice and protect the integrity of what our community resilience has established. Many thanks to Kaizen food Rescue to whom my conference registration was paid. Kaizen provides fresh food to a variety of Food Shares and partner organization throughout Denver Metro area.
Danny Stange de Acatl is a Denver Native and Cultural activist that serves his community on various levels.
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