In Good Health

Over the past 25 years, Coloradans experienced some of the deadliest mass shootings in our nation – at Columbine High School (1999), a Century 16 movie theater in Aurora (2012), and a Walmart in Thornton (2017), to name a few. Far too many Coloradans have endured this grim reality.

On the heels of the shootings in Atlanta, Georgia, which left eight people dead, six of whom were of Asian descent, Monday’s mass shooting at a King Soopers in Boulder, Colorado is only the latest in an increasing prevalence of gun violence in the U.S.

The lives of 10 families changed in an instant Monday. Parents lost children. Children lost parents. People lost friends, coworkers and caretakers, too. The senseless

Transgender^[1] people and their loved ones are watching and listening as policymakers at the national, state and local levels – including in communities across Colorado – debate whether all Americans, including our transgender neighbors, should be treated fairly and equally.

Misinformation about what it means to be transgender compromises health, safety and well-being, and laws excluding transgender individuals from protections afforded to cisgender^[2] people send a message about who we value. The collective impact of this hurtful rhetoric and oppressive policies is clear: transgender Americans – especially transgender young people and people of color – are harmed, pushing health even further out of reach.

We believe transgender people should be treated with dignity, love, and respect, and that

In April of last year, we signed Asian American/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy’s call to take action against racist targeting as the coronavirus began to spread. Nearly a year into living with the impacts of the pandemic, we are still seeing how misinformation and hateful rhetoric can harm Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) people and communities.

In the shadow of another year’s Lunar New Year celebration, individuals, journalists and community organizations are reporting increased incidences of discrimination, harassment, hate and violence towards members of the AAPI community throughout the country. Since COVID-19 first made headlines, there have been more than 3,000 self-reported incidences of discrimination against AAPIs nationally. Some have occurred in Colorado, in communities across the state

We saw something yesterday that wounded this nation we love: an attempt to stop the peaceful transition of power that’s been the hallmark of our democracy since our earliest days. We are heartbroken and angry.

The reckless and violent actions at our nation’s Capitol yesterday are alarming. But let’s be clear – this behavior, and the mindset fueling it, is not new. It’s been boiling over for a long time. These vicious events are the product of a deep, volatile divide in our nation, worsened by the president’s persistent and irresponsible call for division over connection, retaliation over dialogue, and exclusion over belonging.   

When we think about the actions of extremists yesterday, let us not make the mistake of