Proclaiming Colorado’s Black History

Working collaboratively to preserve Colorado’s rich and complex Black histories, sharing them broadly, and integrating them into Colorado education.

Exhibit opens the evening of September 29, 2023

Listen to an interview with Adrian Miller about this project.

Watch the videos produced from the livestream of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day events: SUNDAY, MONDAY

Check out the Daily Camera’s coverage of this project by Amy Bounds (web or pdf).

Check out Downtown Boulder’s blog about this project.

Check out The Denver Chanel’s coverage of the project.

The Museum of Boulder, in partnership with Adrian Miller, the Boulder County NAACP Chapter and the Boulder Public Library’s Maria Rogers Oral History Program, will develop activities to highlight the history of Black people in Colorado with our IMLS: Museums for America grant.

Over three years (and beyond), the Museum will employ a community-centered process and develop an exhibit and educational curricula to address the underrepresentation of Black histories in Colorado.

The program will collect original oral histories and research, consolidate research data and make it publicly available, and host a series of programs about race.

This project will give Coloradans a more inclusive understanding of the state’s history by illuminating the stories of Black Coloradans, help the local community examine attitudes about and acknowledge the experience of Black people in Colorado, and ultimately serve as a launching pad for community dialogue and a basis for community action.

Here’s an introduction to the exhibit!

Help inform the exhibit by taking this survey.

We’re seeking volunteers!

We will be inviting volunteers to contribute farther down the road. If you would like to be contacted about volunteering please add your name below.

Have an idea for the exhibit?

Do you have an amazing person or subject that should be included in the forthcoming “Proclaiming Colorado’s Black History” exhibit? Tell us more about it by filling out the form below.

College students… Come work with us!

Please apply for the Student Research Assistant Positions. The current students have been selected, and the positions will reopen in December. The Museum of Boulder has funding to support undergraduate and graduate students for part-time work to research and collect material and oral histories for this exhibit. Students from across the state should apply and can work remotely.

We’d love your support!

The Museum is responsible for a monetary match of this grant. If you would like to support these important efforts, please contact our Director of Development at brittny@museumofboulder.org.

In October of 2021, Boulder teen, Mackenzie, attended the Announcement Breakfast at the Museum of Boulder. The grandparents of Mackenzie annually challenge their grandchildren to contribute to a nonprofit of their choice. Mackenzie was so moved by the upcoming efforts of this project, she chose to donate and her grandparents matched her donation. This is the Museum’s first model of Generational Giving. Multi-generational philanthropy is an opportunity for families with funds, foundations, or other family enterprises to connect, give and serve together more effectively.

"I love the Museum of Boulder. My family and I have been members for a few years. Recently, I learned about their new project to tell the story of Black Coloradans. I was surprised to learn their stories have not been told and wanted to personally support this project. It feels important to bring to light the people who have been forgotten and marginalized. Telling their stories feels like an important first step in healing some of the wrongs of the past.
I hope you feel inspired to support this project as well.
Love Mackenzie"

Check out some of the research:

Boulder’s Black Business Ventures collection (in collaboration with the Carnegie Library for Local History)

Project Team (click here to meet the team!):

Adrian Miller: Co-Project Director and Lead Curator
Minister Glenda Robinson (representing NAACP Boulder County and supported by Annett James): Oral History Coordinator
Katrina Miller of Blackat Video Productions: Audiovisual media producer
Cyns Nelson with the Maria Rogers Oral History Program from the Boulder Public Library’s Carnegie Library for Local History: Oral history collection and dissemination
Laureen Trainer of Trainer Evaluation: Evaluator. Evaluation will be a collaborative generation process co-designed with the community and will inform iterations on content and concepts, as well as assessing outcomes.
Carol Banks of Carol Banks Design: Exhibit graphic designer
Aubrie Reed: Instructional Designer
Lori Preston: Project Co-Director
Emily Zinn: Project Manager

Advisory Council (click here to meet the advisors!):

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. Our vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow on Facebook and Twitter. In addition to this support, the Museum must match the funds contributed by IMLS. Please consider a contribution to support this project!

The Museum of Boulder is grateful for the corporate sponsorship of BAIRD – In alignment with the Proclaiming Colorado’s Black History project’s effort, is the Baird Way: “to improve lives and futures for our clients, for each other and in the communities we share”. For more than a century, BAIRD has followed the principles of integrity, transparency, teamwork and keeping clients first. Together these ideals form the foundation of Baird’s unique culture and approach to doing business — what they call, The Baird Way.