Happenings in and around Historic 5 PointsMarch 2011

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5 Points News wants to hear from you.

Contact us at : 5pointsnews@brotherjeff.com

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The Women of Five Points

Did Hattie McDaniel and Dr. Dorothy Height visit Five Points?

This issue of 5 POINTS NEWS will anwer this question and more.

Dr. Justina Ford specialized in gen-eral medicine in the 1900s and delivered nearly 7, 000 babies of every race and religion over a fifty-year period. Among them were Charles Cousins, Charlotte Cowans, Sammiella Moore Mask, John Mosley, Charlotte Lopez Vigil, and Lydia Garcia. All were from diverse cultural

and economic backgrounds. Dr. Ford arrived in Denver from Chi-

cago in order to further her medical ca-reer. She thought that moving to Denver would increase her chances of obtaining a medical license. During the 1900s, not only were Blacks denied drinking privi-leges at White water fountains, they were

A West African proverb states, “When an elder dies, it is as if a library has burned to the ground.” This is truly the case with the passing of Zion Bap-tist Church Deaconess Marion Veronica Ellerbee.

Historian, history maker and lady of

elegance and class, Ellerbee was a found-ing member of Zion’s History Writing Ministry and also expanded Zion’s Youth Choir from six to thirty-six active mem-bers. It became the first all-Negro choir to sing in the Red Rocks Amphitheater.

“I feel very proud and humble that

also barred from practicing medicine at White hospitals or becoming members in the American Medical Association, and this was still the case for Dr. Ford when she arrived in Denver. Unable to practice medicine in a formal medical facility, Dr. Ford became the doctor of the poverty-stricken, immigrants and minorities.

With much compassion, Dr. Ford operated her medical practice out of her house located at 2335 Arapahoe Street, but she would also make home visits if requested or needed. Most of her patients came to her for minor illnesses, checkups and obstetrical care. Since most of her patients did not have money, they found creative ways to pay her for her services.

During her career, Dr. Ford learned to speak several languages and was able to provide services for family and patients using their native tongue. She was well known and respected by patients of every race, background and religion.

Dr. Ford’s legacy remains alive through the efforts of the Colorado Medi-cal Society, the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame, and the Black American West Museum.

In 1984, her home was moved to California Street to avoid demolition and turned into the Black American West Mu-seum and Heritage Center.

–Towanna Henderson

Five Points and Dr. Justina FordThe Lady Doctor (1871-1952)

Upper far right Dr. Justina Ford along with Carter family members. (Photo, compliments of The Blair Caldwell African American Research Library)

Marion Veronica Ellerbee, Jo Kathern Page and Dr. Dorthy Height during Height’s Five Points Visit in 2003 (Photo from the personal collection of Dr. Claudette Sweet)

Marion Veronica Ellerbee August 26, 1915 - February 28,2011

the Young People’s Choir under my direc-tion has brought out some very talented soloists that have graduated into the older choirs,” she once recalled.

Dr. Claudette Sweet is one such solo-ist who met Ellerbee in 1961. Dr. Sweet recalls, “She was my mentor, my mother. When I first came to Denver, she took me under her wing, tutored me in public ser-vice, and the work of the church. She be-came a grandmother to my children.”

A social justice and human rights ac-tivist, Ellerbee’s public service touched lives worldwide. As a young girl the re-nowned educator Mary McCloud Bet-hune mentored her. The two were from the same South Carolina hometown. “She knew Bethune personally. That’s a legacy in and of itself,” remarks Dr. Sweet.

Through Bethune, Ellerbee became an active member of the National Council of Negro Women. She became a regional director and ambassador for the organiza-tion and began a lifelong friendship with Dr. Dorothy Height.

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5 POINTS NEWS CelebratesThe Women of Five Points

March 2011 8 3

Have a story, news, idea or event happening in 5 Points?

We want to hear about it...

Contact us at 303.297.0823 or email

5PointsNews@brotherjeff.com

5 Points news Monthly Publication - March 2011

Publisher

brother jeff

editor

Lisa Lawrence

layout & design

Cynthia R. Martin

PhotograPhy

Lens of Ansarbrother jeff

Writers

Terrance “Big T” HughesKenneth DrewLakisha Rankin

Brooklyn Dorseybrother jeff

Cynthia MartinTowanna Henderson

5 Points News is a publication of brother jeff’s Cultural Center.

2836 Welton StreetDenver, CO 80205

303.297.0823www.brotherjeff.com

brother jeffWhat Role do Women Play in Five Points?

Hattie McDanielA Northeast Denver Actress of Many Firsts

In what seemed like an ordinary task to collect content for this month’s 5 POINTS NEWS (Women in Five Points in honor of Women’s History Month), I was reminded of a fact many take for granted: Women are the backbone of the Five Points community, and much of life for that matter.

Certainly we men are seen and garner most of the spotlight and recognition; how-ever, if it were not for women, little if anything would get done. My task transformed from an ordinary into a delightful journey as I visited our library, many businesses, or-ganizations, schools, churches and health facilities. I had the pleasure of photographing

The women behind 5 POINTS NEWS: Cynthia Martin, Towanna Henderson, Justine Taylor, Lakisha Rankin, Brooklyn Dorsey

Hattie McDaniel will forever be remembered for her role as Mammy opposite Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind. Widely regarded as one of the greatest performances in movie history, it won McDaniel the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1939, thus making this Northeast Denver actress the first Black ever to win an Oscar.

Accepting her groundbreaking award before Hollywood’s elite, McDaniel’s words

were emotional and heartfelt; “I sincerely hope I shall always be a credit to my race and to the motion picture industry. My heart is too full to tell you just how I feel. And may I say thank you and God bless you.”

Hattie McDaniel was a Black woman of many firsts, but her Northeast Denver roots are often obscured by biographies listing her birthplace as Wichita, Kansas and young death in Woodland Hills, California. Biographers often treat McDaniel’s childhood and young adult city as a passing footnote.

Indeed, McDaniel was born in Wichita in 1895; however, by the turn of the cen-tury, her family forged further west locating briefly in Fort Collins then permanently in Northeast Denver.

Raised in a talented musical family, McDaniel was born to sing and perform. As a young child she sung in Five Points at Central Baptist Church and attended the mostly White Twenty-Fourth Street Elementary School. Her favorite teacher, Louise Poirson, recalled her “rhythm, outstanding dramatic ability, strong personality and ever present sense of humor.”

In 1908 at age thirteen, McDaniel was already an accomplished Denver performer, touring with family members and other successful groups. In addition to her singing, dramatic and oratory skills, she also mastered popular dances such as the Cakewalk, the Wing Dance and the Juba.

Deeply involved in drama at East High School, McDaniel won first prize for her rendition of Convict Joe at the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union’s citywide com-petition. Following this prestigious victory, she left high school at the end of her sopho-more year to become a fulltime performer.

McDaniel’s fame grew throughout the state, but it wasn’t until she met Northeast Denver legend and world-renowned musician, Professor George Morrison, that her entertainment career reached new heights. She began touring with Morrison’s Melody Hounds and gained national acclaim.

Denver radio station KOA was one of the first stations to air Black programming. In January 1925, McDaniel along with the choir from Shorter African Methodist Episcopal Church, became the first Black voices heard on radio and McDaniel’s solo made her the first Black woman ever to sing on American radio.

The KOA performance was the start of McDaniel’s thirty-year radio career. It peaked in 1947 with her starring role as Beulah on The Beulah Show, the number one CBS radio show heard in twenty-two million homes nightly. Another first, McDaniel became the first Black radio performer to crossover to a general audience.

With two stars on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame (one for film and the other for radio), a host of awards, and induction into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, Hattie McDaniel certainly lived up to her Academy Award acceptance speech. Not only is she a credit to her race and motion picture industry, she is also a credit to Five Points and her Northeast Denver community.

– brother jeff

the incredible women who work in Five Points and help move the community forward.Women are certainly the strength of 5 POINTS NEWS, brother jeff’s Cultural Cen-

ter, brother jeff’s Community Health Initiative, and brotherjeff.com. We would not be able to fulfill our mission of quality programming, multimedia, journalism and commu-nication without the talent, insight and determination of the women on our staff.

As we celebrate Women’s History Month, this edition of 5 POINTS NEWS is en-tirely dedicated to women. There are far too many who do not realize the achievements and contributions of women from this area. It is time to give them their due.

For example, did you know the first Black solo on American radio was performed by a Five Points Woman? Did you know Five Points has claim to the first African American woman to win an Academy Award. This same woman also has two stars on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. Did you know Five Points helped generate America’s first woman self-made millionaire?

Recently the community said goodbye to Marion Veronica Ellerbee, a pillar of Zion Baptist Church and social justice activist. Did you know Ellerbee created the first youth choir that generated many of the cities renowned soloists of today?

Reflecting on Women’s History Month, 5 POINTS NEWS contributing writer, Lak-isha Rankin says “This month means a lot to me although there are no days off and un-fortunately many employers do not recognize its existence. That’s alright, it’s still ours and we need to take time to recognize the many accomplishments of women.”

Men will return to 5 POINTS NEWS next month and together, with our women, we will continue to educate and celebrate happenings in and around Historic Five Points.

Happy Women’s History Month – brother jeff

4 8 5 Points news

2590 Washington, Denver, Colorado 80205 • 303.832.0929

www.denvercrossroads.com

Enjoy theater in the heart of Historic Five Points

If it’s in Five Pointsit’s in 5 POINTS NEWS

03.21.11

Authors At BlAir CAldwell AfriCAn AmeriCAn reseArCh liBrAry

Carleen briCe

03.07.11

Polly sanders-Peterson

04.04.11

Carlotta lanier

04.11.11

Quetta agustus-Keenan

04.18.11

gWendolyn sCott

WallaCe yvonne tollette

Jane taylor

Blair Caldwell African American Research Library2401 Welton Street, Denver, Colorado 80205

For a complete listing of Blair-CaldwellAfrican American Research Library events, call (720) 865-2401

or visit us online at http://aarl.denverlibrary.org

Join us these Mondays

at 6:30 p.m.

The Treasures of Five Points

The beautiful thing about Five Points is that it’s a true treasure chest – chalk full of history, culture and little-known facts.

To uncover them you can stop and read the informational plaques attached to historic buildings. But they are only remnants of what was. There is nothing like getting the jewels of information firsthand from living residents. I had this opportunity while interviewing Dawn Williams Boyd.

In the summer of 1977, mixed-media artist Dawn Williams Boyd landed in Denver. In 1989, Williams and her partner Irvin began the ULOZI Arts Collective. ULOZI was founded after a Denver Black Arts Festival (DBAF), where visual art-ists would come from all over the country to participate. DBAF wanted to organize its own stable of visual artists, only the 25 artists that showed up for the meeting decided they didn’t wish to be part of any-one’s stable, but their own. After some research, they named themselves ULOZI: a Kiswahili word meaning black arts.

“ULOZI was all about being Black, and collectivity. We thought of ourselves as seers and leaders. We did art exhibits wherever we could: schools, hospitals, other group’s galleries etc. Our goal was to be self-sufficient. We stressed profes-sionalism, encouraged would-be artists to practice their craft, talked about art, had ‘show-and-tell’ and got involved with arts advocacy and public art groups. We strove to prove to ourselves and our pub-lic that we were artists that happened to be Black.” said Boyd.

For several years, ULOZI ran the children’s pavilion and the visual artist pavilion at Denver Black Arts Festival. One of ULOZI’s greatest accomplish-ments was managing the $115K Public Art Project at DIA. They also managed to secure the representation of several Afri-can American artists there.

Dawn continued her career as an art-ist and later became an active member of the Sankofa Arts Collective. It was here as one of the youngest members of Sankofa that I would not only get better acquainted with Dawn, but be given the experience to meet and show alongside so many brilliant artists from this communi-ty. Dawn would later serve as Curator for the Cousins Gallery in the Blair Caldwell African American Research Library in Five Points.

Dawn and Irvin left Five Points last year and now reside in Atlanta, GA where Dawn is working to get the Omenala-Gri-ot African American Teaching Museum back on its feet, a museum founded by her

mother Dr. Narvie Hill Puls in the early 1990s. Afterwards, she plans on quietly stepping out of the picture so that she may return to making art. “If I can have 30 more years of making beautiful high quality art, educate the public about the absolute need this society has for visual arts and artists, especially in the schools, I guess I’ll have done my part. In the mean time I would be very happy to find a gal-lery to represent me and I would like to sell 20 to 30 pieces of art in the next 2 years” she says.

When asked about some of the other female artists that were making an impact when she arrived in Denver, Dawn men-tions Sherrie Allen, Doris Davis, Knubia Cunningham (deceased), Karen Buford, Rose Shipp, Lula Jacobs (deceased), Cleo Parker Robinson, and writer/poet Griot Opalanga Pugh (deceased).

While they were not artists, Dawn credits Clara Villarosa, who owned Hue-Man Experience Bookstore, Daphne Holmes of the Denver Art Museum, and Wilma Webb as being instrumental in opening doors for artists.

Last year, I took over for Dawn as Curator at Blair Caldwell African Ameri-can Research library. It warms me up to know that our missions and goals are so similar. More importantly, I cherish being part of continuing that legacy and the mis-sion of keeping Black arts at the forefront of the community.

I would invite you all to do the same, because a community without a legacy or creativity just isn’t much of a community at all.

–Holly.Kai HurdAka Art Blaque

For a listing of events, organizations, and community

activities, visit

www.brotherjeff.com

Artist Dawn Williams Boyd’s Quilt named Billie’s Bar and Grill

Artist Dawn Williams Boyd

March 2011 8 5

Common Roots in BenediCt PaRk PlaCe

Billie HolidayGod Bless the Child...

This fictional account was born out of a conversation I had with friend and men-tor, Purnell Steen, regarding gospel, jazz, community, literature and Five Points.

We were imagining Billie Holiday performing downtown at the Rainbow Ballroom in 1952. With a slight tilt of her head and a white gardenia in hair, Billie’s soft voice serenades the crowd with “Lov-er Man.” At the end of the second set, sev-eral standing ovations, and an encore, the show comes to an end.

It’s early morning, and the mixed race crowd disperses and goes their sepa-rate ways––White patrons travel west and Blacks head east. Because of race customs during this period, Billie would be denied lodging at downtown hotels such as the Brown Palace, Adams, Shirley Savoy, Metropole or the Albany. “Lady Day” can play there; she just can’t stay there.

Dressed modestly in a black dress with a clutch tucked under her arm, Billie exits the Rainbow and steps into a Ritz cab, a Black owned company.

Hungry and wanting to be around fel-low musicians, she heads to the home of George Morrison, where any number of America’s best jazz musicians gather and “there is always a pot of food.”

After vibrant conversation with old friends Charlie Burrell, Duke Ellington, Nat “King” Cole, Jimmie Lunceford and

Terry Nelson, Special Collection and Community Resource Manager at the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library remembered Ellerbee as, “A warm, stern person who expected the best of you. She was always properly coiffured in a hat, gloves and purse.” Ellerbee also conducted the choir when Nelson’s husband was a child. “She made them behave,” Nelson laughs.

When asked how Ellerbee will be remembered, Dr. Sweet said, “She was a strong woman of character, with goals and purpose. I stand on her shoulders today and her memory will remain forever.”

Ellerbee leaves to cherish her memory two sisters, a host of grandchildren, relatives, friends and a community that benefitted greatly from her life of service.

– brother jeff

Marion Veronica Ellerbee Continued from cover page

Community Space Available for meetings and events at no charge.

Urban Land Conservancy305 Park Avenue West, Unit B

Denver, Colorado 80205303.377.4477 • www.urbanlandc.org

The three tenants of Common Roots Shared Space: Urban Land Conservancy, Denver Preschool Program and Education Reform Now would like to extend an invitation to our neighbors to use our common space for your next meeting or event.

We are located within Denver Housing Authority’s (DHA) Benedict Park Place, a Hope 6 redevelopment of the former East Village Apartments at 305 Park Avenue West in Denver.

Our Shared Space includes a large conference room, foyer and kitchen facilities.

Please contact the Urban Land Conservancy to reserve the space for your next gathering.

•

•

•

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Members of the National Council of Negro Women, Inc., Denver Section 2002 Bethune Silver Tea Reception (Photo from the personal collection of Dr. Claudette Sweet)

Dr. Claudette Sweet, unknown, Marion V. Ellerbee, Silvia Smith-Brown Dr. Dorothy Height, unknown (Photographed 10.01.03 at the Blair Caldwell African American

Research Library. Photo from the personal collection of Dr. Claudette Sweet)

Lionel Hampton, they all decide to head to Five Points and the Ex-Serviceman’s Club, dubbed Bennie Hooper’s, after the owners name.

Billie and her iconic jazz friends en-ter, but their presence doesn’t cause a stir. The neighborhood crowd is used to seeing famous people patronizing this establish-ment. They often catch glimpses of many famous artists booked at the Rossonian.

A patron with “a few too many” belts out, “I’m glad ya’ll here Billie cause we can’t get in across the street. The Rosso-nian is like the Cotton Club in Harlem. Nuthin more than a White club in a Black neighborhood!” Everyone, including Bil-lie and her friends laugh.

The remark can’t be denied as they look toward the Rossonian and watch doorman Quintin Harrington, whose fea-tures resemble Cab Calloway, work the line moving White patrons to the front en-suring their money won’t be turned away.

It’s been a long day and Billie says goodnight. She crosses the street and heads to her room on the top floor of the Rossonian.

It’s true, if she were performing there at the exclusive Blue Room, few if any Blacks would be able to attend. Reach-ing her room, the bellman refuses her tip and requests an autograph instead. Billie smiles and signs, “I love Five Points, God bless the child...”

–brother jeff

6 8 5 Points news

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ArTS AnD CULTUrEBlack American West Museum3091 California Street, Denver, CO 80205(303) 482-2242

Blair-Caldwell Library 2401 Welton, Denver, CO 80205(720) 865-2401

brother jeff’s Cultural Center 2836 Welton, Denver, CO 80205(303) 297-0823

Cleo Parker Robinson Dance 119 Park Avenue West, Denver, CO 80205(303) 295-1759

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Carla Madison is the council member representing Denver’s City Council Dis-trict 8, the district that includes Five Points. Who is she? What is her background and what are her ideas for Five Points?

At first glance, she is seen as an artsy woman on an orange scooter. In reality, she is a complex person with hopes of a bright future for the area and aspirations to make a positive difference.

Prior to winning her come from be-hind victory against Sharon Bailey for the District 8 council seat in 2007, Madison enjoyed many careers including: mapmak-er, hot-air balloon pilot, physical therapist, and theatrical costumer.

A native of Colorado, Madison grew up near Golden, went to Marycrest High School and earned a degree in physical ge-ography from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Madison has traveled most of the world including all 50 states, Eastern and Western Europe, Asia, Africa, and the South Pacific. She has been married for over 10 years and has no children.

Since its inception in the 1950s high-profile Black politicians such as Elvin Caldwell, King Trimble, and Hiawatha Da-vis held the city council seat in District 8.

In her successful bid for City Coun-cil, Madison became the first non-Black to

Councilwoman Carla MadisonLocated in the Heart of Five Points

occupy this seat, highlighting the changing demographics of Five Points.

Not only are middle-class Black fami-lies moving to newer homes in Aurora and Green Valley Ranch, young college-edu-cated Whites seeking affordable homes in close proximity to downtown have moved into the area.

In Five Points, Madison put revitaliza-tion near the top of her agenda. In her opin-ion, there is consumer demand on Welton Street. The problem is that, thus far, the ma-jority of commercial buildings are owned by longtime property owners who are reluc-tant to sell.

In the Denver Westword she stated, “I’m just afraid some of these guys are going to die and a bunch of stuff is going to come up at once and maybe land in the wrong hands and completely change the face of what’s going to go on here.”

Madison plans to meet with Black developers to create proposals to convince property owners that loosening their grip is in everyone’s best interest.

Madison would like to see preference given to Black business owners and art-ists as redevelopment occurs. “It’s my in-tention to continue the African-American culture here,” she says. “I would like to see it become the African-American cen-ter of the city.”

–Brooklyn Dorsey

2444 Washington StDenver, Colorado 80205

Ph. 303.832.5000www.fivepointsbusiness.org

710 East 26th Avenue, Denver, CO 80205303.521.5555 • www.coffeeatthepoint.com

District 8 City Councilwomen

Carla Madison

2713 Welton

Denver, CO 80205

303-298-7641

www.denverdistrict8.com

March 2011 8 7

One in three young African Ameri-can men is currently under the control of the criminal justice system--in prison, in jail, on probation, or on parole--yet mass incarceration tends to be categorized as a criminal justice issue as opposed to a ra-cial justice or civil rights issue (or crisis).

That was one of many thought-pro-voking statements presented recently to Manual High School students by scholar and author of The New Jim Crow, Mi-chelle Alexander. She was part of a panel that included renowned civil rights pio-neer, Dr. Vincent Harding, and Manual students.

Students asked questions on ways they could contribute to their communi-ties and the lessons learned from past generations. When reflecting on her own upbringing, Alexander connected with students when she shared that her teenage years were not her favorite. She said, “I dealt with anger issues and hung out with the wrong crowd.”

She talked about coming from a challenging economic environment. Many times this had her completing schoolwork in a house without light and

Michelle AlexanderRenowned Scholar visits Manuel High School

“Federal, state and city officials con-tinue to cut funds from the last budget they cut funds from.”

As government leaders struggle to solve this mind-bending budget cut rid-dle, Sarah Breedlove knew the answer.

Born in 1896 on a Louisiana planta-tion, orphaned, abused, a teen wife and mother whose first husband was mur-dered by a White lynch mob, Breedlove’s early life was filled with tragedy.

As the stress began to mount, a par-ticular tragedy changed her life forever--Breedlove began to lose her hair. After try-ing numerous hair care products to no avail she dreamed, “a big Black man appeared to me and told me what to mix up for my hair. Some of the remedy was grown in Africa, but I sent for it, put in on my scalp, and in a few weeks my hair was coming in faster than it had ever fallen out.”

In 1905, Breedlove moved to Den-ver with only $2.00 in her pocket and a proven formula for Black hair restoration. The following year, she met and married newspaper businessman Charles C. J. Walker. Denver is where Sarah Breedlove became Madam C. J. Walker. It is also the city where Madam C. J. Walker and her husband began the “Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company.”

Madam C. J. Walker Five Points Entreprenuer and Millionaire

Five Points is a place of many first. Among those firsts is the community that turned Madam C. J. Walker’s tragedy into America’s first self-made woman mil-lionaire.

–brother jeff

at times she was homeless. Alexander cautioned students that

though her issues were troublesome and similar to theirs, today’s zero tolerance policies and “school to jail tract” make young lives more challenging.

She stressed to students the impor-tance of giving back to their community and stated, “The success of one does not equal the success of all. We are more then we become. Stay true to yourself and be part of a movement.”

In the end, Dr. Harding summed it up best when asked by students what he thought their generation could do. He re-sponded, “I expect you young people, like Michelle Alexander, to give back to your community. Where do we go after we fin-ish clapping? I challenge each one of you to greatness.”

-Kenneth Drew

40 years of Loving and nourishing: A Living Legacy

“People who come into this field for the money shouldn’t come, you need to come for the love and nurturing you can give to children.”

These are the words and success for-mula for Ethel Marshall and that love has sustained her for 40 years at Edna Oliver Montessori Early Learning Center, where she is Program Director.

Marshall has a passion for children that began in her early grade school days. During a recent interview Marshall stated her mother and second grade teacher Miss Kya, were her greatest influences for com-ing into the child development field.

According to Marshall the way her teacher and mom nourished her stuck with her. A true trailblazer she has been with the Edna Oliver Montessori Early Learn-ing Center since its early beginnings in the

Ethel Marshall, Program Director Edna Oliver Montessori Early Learning Center

basement of Zion Baptist Church in 1970. The school was started out of a need

in the community, for families with low in-come to have a safe nurturing environment to leave their children while they worked.

She recalled the early days fondly, “Their were 13 of us and one child for a couple of months, it was so fun. From Zion we moved to the Glenarm Center, and from there I watched them build this building in 1975, and we been here ever since.”

Marshall has seen generations of families come through her doors, and has even witnessed that single child from the early days in Zion come back and become part of the staff.

When asked what fulfills her Mar-shall said “ Seeing the children I have taught be successful in life and not behind bars or in anyone’s gang, that is what mo-tivates me.

You can’t put a price on it, they are our future lawyers and doctors, my future, your future ”. Some call her counselor, to others a social worker, and at times mom, but in the Five Points we call her Icon.

– Terrance “Big T” Hughes

The Women of

The Kaleidoscope Project started as a dream…

a dream to creat health equity in the Black community.

www.thekaleidoscopeproject.org303-647-5599

nitahenry@thekaleidoscopeproject.orgMile High Montessori Early Learning Center

1780 Marion St., Denver, CO 80205303.295.2011

www.milehighmontessori.org

Author Michelle Alexander

The New Jim Crow offers a powerful analysis of why and how mass

incarceration is happening in America.

Who is eligible? Only residents of the 80205 zip code, which includes the neighborhoods of Clayton, Cole, Five Points, Skyland and Whittier. Women, minorities, high-school dropouts, vet-erans (including spouses), ex-offenders, and individuals who are homeless are encouraged to apply.

Join us for new participant orientation and information sessions every Monday at 12:30 p.m. beginning January 3, 2011. Drop-ins are welcome - come learn more about the pro-gram and apply!

The Denver Green Jobs Initiative (DGJI) provides FREE job training, supportive services and job placement assistance to help residents of the 80205 zip code launch careers in Colorado’s high-growth green industries:

Solar Energy Technology

Green Construction

Energy Efficiency & Weatherization

Green Jobs Administration & Sales

OSHA 10

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Denver Green Jobs InitiativePhillips Center35th & FranklinDenver, CO 80205303-974-1900info@denvergreenjobs.orgwww.denvergreenjobs.org