WEEK OF JUNE 13, 2024
VOLUME 36 | ISSUE 24
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Standing against environmental racism Exploring a vibrant world at Museo de las Americas BY LONDON LYLE SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
and environmental health. We have a land bank, which is community-led. We already have, it seems, about 14 or 15 houses where families from the community are already living. It’s a land bank where the prices are not market prices. They are affordable prices for the community, but there is a process they have to follow in preparation for those interested in buying these houses. Our director is Nola Miguel, who is in charge of the land bank. … We no longer need a tax agent to handle our money. It comes directly to the land bank or the GES Coalition. There is a separation between the land bank and the GES Coalition, but we are all still together because we all work together. We are also supporting Cultivando.
Combining the works of 11 Colorado-based LGBTQ+ Latinx contemporary artists, the exhibit “Espiritu Hermosx – Beautiful Spirit” at the Museo de las Americas depicts themes of resilience, empowerment, and the multifaceted experiences of queer artists. It showcases how their narratives intersect with broader themes of identity, heritage, and social change. The exhibit highlights the double marginalization that LGBTQ+ Latinx individuals often face; discrimination based on both cultural identity and sexuality. Through their art, these 11 artists advocate for equality and social change, using their personal experiences as a vehicle for intersectionality-informed activism. Alamosa-based artist Lares Feliciano uses animation to explore systems of oppression. Her work expresses her experiences as a queer Latinx woman navigating both her cultural and sexual identity, as well as the way she sees fellow Latinx queer folks being treated. Feliciano’s multi-projection digital animation piece, “Un Hogar de Zemis II” is the second in a series of installations honoring Puerto Rican queer folks. She includes photographs of Alexa Negrón Luciano, a trans woman who was murdered in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, Luis Angel Díaz Castro, a trans man murdered in his home in San Juan, and Chanel Perez Ortiz, a trans woman who was killed in Carolina. Artist Joel Hernandez‘s art captures moments of joy and love experienced by LGBTQ+ folks. While his work is intimate and personal to his own experiences, it is universal in its themes of love and the search for identity. Another highlight of the exhibit is Alex Hernandez’s work, which explores cultural and sexual identity.
SEE GONZALEZ, P6
SEE EXPLORING, P11
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• Vestas to lay off 200 employees
Mercedes Gonzalez, an Elyria Swansea resident and grandmother, spoke up about the environmental injustices endured by ROSSANA LONGO BETTER the Latina communities living around Suncor and other polluters.
BUSINESS
Frustration inspires grandmother to fight for her community •27J Schools moves online-only Dec. 1
BY ROSSANA LONG BETTER ROSSANA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
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LOCAL OBITUARIES LEGALS CLASSIFIED
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
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As a grandmother and resident of Elyria Swansea, Mercedes Gonzalez often expresses her frustration about the lack of attention from the authorities to make radical changes for the well-being of the residents living around the Suncor refinery. Gonzalez, who is part of the board of the Tierra Colectiva GES coalition known as the Land Back Steering Committee or Banco de Tierra, sat down with La Ciudad at the Earth Day event sponsored
by the grassroots environmental group Cultivando to share her views on the health of her neighborhoods — and her family. Her grandchildren have been diagnosed with asthma, like many other residents. Gonzalez made a call to those “in charge” to fix the problem and provide appropriate access to healthcare. Gonzalez called for unity among all communities to fight together against environmental injustices. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Colorado Community Media: Where do you live and what does the GES Coalition consist of? Mercedes Gonzalez: I’m from the Elyria Swansea neighborhood and I’m part of the steering committee of the Tierra Colectiva GES Coalition and the land bank. We advocate for affordable housing
OBITUARIES: PAGE 4 | CLASSIFIEDS: PAGE 9 | LEGAL: PAGE 11
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