We Are Colorado

History Colorado has become a force for finding new and inclusive ways to serve Coloradans. In 2018 History Colorado provided programs to more than 18,000 students in their own schools, and assisted more than 40 schools with bus funds, to expand efforts that now serve more than 85,000 students annually. Its all-day Hands-On History program at El Pueblo History Museum responds to the four-day school week that is now administered by 61% of Colorado school districts.

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  Year of La Chicana

  A partnership between History Colorado and the El Movimiento Community Advisory Committee, Year of La Chicana celebrates and honors La Chicana past, present and future and shares her story with a wide range of audiences.

  During this year we are working with community to connect the core issues of the Chicano movement with present day issues of social justice, identity and inclusion.

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  Museum of Memory Initiative

  Museum of Memory is a public history initiative that works together with Colorado residents to co-author a shared history. We collaboratively work to reanimate, center and amplify the histories that have long existed only in the margins and create the opportunity for the community to decide how to remember its collective past.

  History Colorado has assisted with nine Museum of Memory projects to date, with more to come.

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  Lost Highways: Dispatches from the Shadows of the Rocky Mountains

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  NAGPRA Program

  History Colorado has adopted an active program of implementing the provisions of the 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). Our NAGPRA program philosophy is summarized in the following statement:

  NAGPRA calls for the establishment of new relationships between museums and Native Americans—relationships that reflect a spirit of cooperative interaction and partnership. It is of critical importance that History Colorado staff and administrators support an approach to NAGPRA issues that reflects a commitment to sustaining such relationships. This requires open and full communications with interested Native American communities and lineal descendants regarding History Colorado collections, as well as an institutional intent to consider repatriation claims for human remains and objects that fall under the law.

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  LGBTQ+ Coloradans

  The scene: 1992, my parents’ kitchen. I’d made a special trip to their house to say something to them that I’d been rehearsing in my head for years. Once there, feeling very nervous, I found my father fixing his lunch. 

  
      Dad: “What are you doing out here?”
      Me: “I need to talk to you about something.”
      Dad: “What’s going on?”
      Me: “Well…I need to tell you…um...Well...about my ‘lifestyle,’ as you’d say…”
      He stops what he’s doing.
      Me: “I…well…I…I’ll just say it. I’m gay.”
      Dad: “Oh. I was waiting for you to figure that out.”

  That’s the extent of my coming-out story. Rather uneventful, I know. Although I couldn’t have hoped for a better ending, I realized this wasn’t my entire story. Since that day, I, like so many others, have had to continually “come out.” When you start at a new school, start a new job, move to a new neighborhood, or even go on vacation, someone will say something and you’ll have to come out all over again. Two months ago my eight-year-old niece asked why I don’t have a girlfriend or a wife. So, there I was, almost 30 years after that talk with my father, coming out to my niece. 

  October 11th is National Coming Out Day. Robert Eichberg, a psychologist, and activist Jean O’Leary chose the date in 1988 to commemorate the previous year’s National March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights. The intention is to show that most everyone knows someone who identifies as LGBTQ+, and having a dedicated day of recognition helps break down long-held stereotypes and raise awareness for LGBTQ+ rights. 

  Unfortunately, not everyone has a positive, uneventful story for this huge moment in their life. All too often it ends in tears, screaming, violence, or even being disowned by family or friends. 

  Thankfully, October is also LGBTQ+ History Month, so there are many resources available. Started in 1994 by Rodney Wilson, the first openly gay high school history teacher in Missouri, it’s grown to be celebrated in many countries and cities around the world. For more information, visit History Colorado’s LGBTQ+ page or the Human Rights Campaign.

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  Italian Coloradans

  Shaped by the country they left behind, Italian immigrants made their way to Colorado in the late 1850s, spurred by the mining boom.

  Upon arrival, they faced many challenges, often living in segregated communities. Despite their struggles, Italian immigrants persevered and prospered, making an impact on the communities they were becoming a part of.

  Today Colorado’s Italian American community is experiencing a revival, with members committed to preserving their history. Below are personal histories and rare photographs collected in collaboration with this community.

  Check out our recently re-published book Italy in Colorado for more!

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  Hispano Coloradans

  No matter where you live or travel in Colorado, the Hispano influence is powerfully felt. So many people have made their mark on Colorado’s rich history, and our state’s Hispano residents have been here longer than many.

  Join us in celebrating their stories — stories of discovery, patience, persistence and resilience.

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  Hecho en Colorado

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