“Across generations and boom-and-bust cycles, the caretaker of a Denver cultural legacy has reached out to make a connection with the past — with the hope that it holds long into the future. Dr. Renee Cousins King is a retired pediatrician and Five Points property owner whose family’s storied history in that neighborhood — … [Read more…]
“Compared to the history of the Denver Broncos, Denver International Airport, or iconic citizens like Margaret “The Unsinkable Molly” Brown, Denver’s African-American history is a poorly understood thing. Turns out that’s true across the Rocky Mountain West. For all of the strides made toward inclusion over the decades — from the 1971 opening of … [Read more…]
“In last week’s Black History Highlight, Mayor Wellington Webb and Mayor Michael Hancock talked about one specific place they think everybody in Denver should visit. That place is the Blair Caldwell African American Research Library. At first glance the building looks like just another library. It’s not until you go upstairs do you realize … [Read more…]
“Harvey Pipkin remembers the hustle and bustle of old Union Station in Denver with people all dressed up for trips to Cheyenne, St. Louis and Chicago. But the 91-year-old Pipkin remembers the tips most of all. “Oh, brother, the passengers tipped well,” said Pipkin, who, like brother Joseph, worked just after World War II … [Read more…]
“Paul Stewart strikes an iconic silhouette in his studded chocolate leather jacket, Western shirt, bolo tie and crisp, cream-colored cowboy hat. “My wife bought me these,” said Stewart, 88, founder of the Black American West Museum and Heritage Center in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood. “But I can’t wear the boots anymore because I have … [Read more…]