Black Americans

Hundreds of people summit Mount Everest each year — but before this year, fewer than 10 of them were Black. In May, the first all Black team of climbers successfully reached the summit as part of the Full Circle Everest Expedition. Some members of the team were from Colorado.KUNC’s Samantha Coetzee spoke with Eddie Taylor, a Full Circle Everest Team member and chemistry teacher from Boulder.

Police often rely on eyewitnesses to identify suspects. But experts say witnessing a crime can be traumatic and the brain is often uncertain on the details. This is especially true when trying to identify suspects with a showup near a crime scene, which usually involves one person versus a group of people in other types of lineups. The misidentification and wrongful arrest of a Black teen led to a grassroots movement in Colorado to change this practice.

Several moments during the last two years have reflected race-based problems in Loveland — at city council, school and library board meetings, during protests and in Facebook groups. Often, a key point of contention for some residents is whether racism even exists in the city, or ever did.

Today, Moscow’s brief history as a probable sundown town seems a continent away. The northern Idaho town of 25,000 saw multiple racial justice protests last year. Black Lives Matter signs line the windows of Moscow’s downtown restaurants and cafes. But some people of color still feel uneasy here.

A congressman and community supporters are rallying behind the idea of naming a Veterans Affairs health clinic after John Mosley, a Denver native who became one of the military’s first Black pilots as a Tuskegee Airman during World War II.

"We can all finally celebrate. The whole country together," says the 94-year-old who has been working for years to make Juneteenth a federal holiday.

Erie is a town of 27,003 people, according to 2019 Census estimates, that sits partially in both Boulder and Weld Counties. Their town board issued their first proclamation recognizing Juneteenth last year. The town — with a population that is 87% non-Hispanic white and 0.2% Black — will hold its inaugural Juneteenth celebration on Saturday.

June 19, 1865, marked a huge turning point for Black people in America. But many slave owners refused to comply. And even celebrating the date was discouraged in the years to come.

The yes vote comes a day after the Senate unanimously moved to recognize June 19 as a commemoration of the end of chattel slavery in the United States.

Author Clint Smith explains why Juneteenth isn't taught in schools and how that contributes to distorted views of slavery.