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Influential veteran Garrett Reppenhagen presents Democracy and War on Thursday, April 22 at 7 p.m. MDT. This conversation is proudly presented by History Colorado’s acclaimed election-year speaker series, This Is What Democracy Looks Like. More information and tickets ($5–15) are available via h-co.org/lectures and the event page at h-co.org/war.

National defense is an enormous element of our democracy and its people. America’s defense budget, which consumes half of the federal government’s discretionary spending, is larger than the next 10 countries’ combined. There are almost 20 million veterans in the United States today. In Colorado, veterans account for more than 8% of the total population. Fifty years after veterans of the Vietnam War became one of America’s most vocal forces for change—helping, for example, to lead a global movement against land mines that resulted in the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize—what does the next generation of soldier- and veteran-led activism look like? What are its goals, and where is it headed in Colorado and beyond?

About Garrett Reppenhagen
The son of a Vietnam Veteran and grandson of two World War II Veterans, Garrett Reppenhagen served in the U.S. Army as a Cavalry/Scout Sniper in the 1st Infantry Division. He completed a deployment in Kosovo on a nine-month peacekeeping mission, an extended combat tour in Baquaba, Iraq, and received an Honorable Discharge in May of 2005. Reppenhagen is currently the executive director of Veterans For Peace.

About the Speaker Series
Part of an ambitious election-year initiative, History Colorado’s 2020–2021 speaker series aims to be as multi-dimensional, provocative, and participatory as democracy itself. It leads a host of programs at History Colorado, such as the Borderlands Speaker Series, that have drawn an enthusiastic, increased following during the Covid-19 pandemic. Indigenous artist Gregg Deal joins Reppenhagen among upcoming presenters through June of 2021. All events take place online in a live, interactive format. A discounted full-series ticket ($40–140), single-event tickets ($5–15), and complete details are available at h-co.org/lectures.      

The This Is What Democracy Looks Like Speaker Series is supported by:
Walter S. Rosenberry III Charitable Trust  | Abarca Family Foundation | Richard and Mary Lyn Ballantine | Peter and Rhondda Grant | George and Mary Sissel | Donors to the Executive Director's Innovation Fund | Donors to the Women’s Vote Centennial  

About History Colorado
History Colorado is a division of the Colorado Department of Higher Education and a 501(c)3 non-profit that has served more than 75,000 students and 500,000 people in Colorado each year. It is a 142-year-old institution that operates Colorado’s oldest museum, nine additional museums and historic sites, a free public research center, the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, and the History Colorado State Historical Fund (SHF), which is the nation’s largest preservation program of its kind. The SHF currently administers more than 280 grants across Colorado, of which more that 70% are allocated in rural areas.

History Colorado is currently seeking an Assistant Curator for Black History and Cultural Heritage. Beginning in 2019 it has added curators of Latino Heritage and LGBTQ+ History to its staff, and added a full-time position to its Museum of Memory team, which works proactively to incorporate underserved communities and voices into its contemporary collecting initiative and other efforts. The History Colorado Center is the nation’s first state history museum to display a monument toppled last summer with new, inclusive interpretation. History Colorado now shares anti-racist grounding virtues in all of its job postings, and asks all applicants to describe how these principles show up in their work.

History Colorado’s mission is to create a better future for Colorado by inspiring wonder in our past. We serve as the state’s memory, preserving and sharing the places, stories, and material culture of Colorado through educational programs, historic preservation grants, collecting, outreach to Colorado communities, the History Colorado Center and Stephen H. Hart Research Center in Denver, and nine other museums and historic attractions statewide. History Colorado is one of only six Smithsonian Affiliates in Colorado. Visit HistoryColorado.org, or call 303-HISTORY, for more information.