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Why blind historian Peggy Chong tells the stories of the blind ‘Let’s get to work’
Johnston, Denver’s
BY KYLE HARRIS DENVERITE
Mike Johnston struggled to get into the City and County Building when he showed up to work on his rst day, he told a group of reporters. He had to call Councilmember Paul Kashmann for help.
When he came into his new o ce, Mayor Michael Hancock had cleared out his belongings. Johnston’s o ce looked like an “empty dorm room,” he said. He knows he has to start moving his own things in, even as people are clamoring for a meeting inside to try to put their problems on the top of his list.
Shortly after, on July 17, donors, concerned residents, club owners, the city’s past mayors, the governor and the city’s business and political elite packed the Ellie Caulkins Opera House for the swearing-in of Johnston, the 13 members of City Council, the auditor and the clerk and recorder.
BY TEDDY JACOBSEN TJACOBSEN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
It only takes an introduction and a few minutes of talking with historian Peggy Chong to learn something new.
Chong, also known as e Blind History Lady, can easily rattle o countless names and stories of blind people throughout history. For instance, you may know Stevie Wonder but you probably don’t know Gov. Elias Ammons. Chong has
VOICES: 12 | LIFE: 14 | CALENDAR: 11 researched the stories of the blind for over three decades. She excitedly shares their biographies with anyone willing to listen, primarily through a monthly email list.
All these o cials inherit a city struggling its way out of the pandemic. Many have made grand promises about xing things. To do so, they have a lot to learn about how the city functions and plenty of work to do.
SEE WORK, P10
