We must address racism in Colorado

I believe that all persons have inherent dignity and worth. This is the first principle of my faith tradition, Unitarian Universalism. It is also a core principle for the many faith traditions within Together Colorado, my multi-faith organization, and for many ethical people who do not adhere to a religious faith.

As a multi-racial, multi-faith organization, Together Colorado has been on a journey of training, caucusing and vision-setting to put racial justice at the center of all our work. This means it is critical for all of us to work to pass an important bill that advances racial justice in our state. We know that racial discrimination underlies all of the issues we are working on, including housing, climate, health care, education and criminal justice. We know that this structure of white supremacy has deep roots in our history as a nation and state.

The Colorado Racial Equity Study will mean that the state historical society will look into the origins of racial discrimination, and a steering committee will determine how Black Coloradans have experienced and continue to experience this discrimination. The study will not shy away from examining the continued and shameful legacy of slavery, as a beginning of broadly addressing widespread and historical discrimination in our state.

It is time to determine how Black Coloradans have experienced and continue to experience racial discrimination directly linked to harmful practices, systems, and policies of the state and to quantify the economic impacts of any discrimination discovered during the study.

My faith value, and our country’s founding principle, is for the inherent worth and dignity of all people. This calls us to collectively resist the harm, unjust systems, and inequalities faced by those most oppressed, because it tells us that when the most impacted rise, we all rise.

— Kathy Partridge, Longmont