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WEEK OF JUNE 13, 2024
VOLUME 97 | ISSUE 28
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We are asking Coloradans what they want candidates to focus on Thousands of respondents express frustration with polarization BY TINA GRIEGO, MEGAN VERLEE, NEWS STAFF COLORADO NEWS COLLABORATIVE, CPR NEWS, COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Norman Harris, executive director for the Juneteenth Music Festival, describes the annual event as a “cultural treasure chest” that comes together in unique ways every year. “I used to watch my mother cook gumbo, and she’d start with the base sauce called the roux,” said Harris. “The roux of Juneteenth is the love and commitment of our committee who work tirelessly to keep improving the event and providing a cultural anchor for so many people.”
Thousands of Coloradans responding to a survey by their local newsrooms say candidates competing for their votes this year need to be focused primarily on several broad issues: democracy and good government, the economy and cost of living, the environment, climate and natural resources, immigration and abortion. Which concerns weigh most heavily on respondents’ minds changes with their politics. Conservatives in the survey prioritized immigration and the economy, followed by the state of the government. Moderates and liberals, in contrast, chose democracy and good government as their top issue by a wide margin. “If we don’t have free and informed citizens with equal access to the ballot box, then we won’t have democracy and the country won’t be worth preserving,” Marcus Pohlmann, a Highlands Ranch resident and a professor emeritus of political science, wrote in a comment that was echoed by many others. An issue’s ranking reveals its importance to voters, but not the nuances of their views. Those nuances are emerging in the answer to the survey’s core question: “What do you want candidates to talk about as they compete for your vote?”
SEE FESTIVAL, P2
SEE FOCUS, P6
Denver’s annual Juneteenth Music Festival, which takes place this year on June 15-16, boasts one of the Mile High City’s COURTESY OF E FONTAINE MEDIA longest-running parades.
The festivities connect community, celebrate African American culture BY MERYL PHAIR SPECIAL TO THE DENVER HERALD
Denver’s Five Points neighborhood will be transformed into a mecca of local businesses and live entertainment in celebration of this year’s Juneteenth, welcoming the community to attend a free celebratory event on June 15 and June 16. The packed weekend will feature one of the Mile High City’s longest running parades that dates to the 1950s, headlining rapper Bow
Wow and more than 200 booths of unique vendors and artists. Juneteenth, a combination of the words “June” and “nineteenth,” recognizes the historic day of June 19, 1865, when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger issued a proclamation that the last enslaved people in Texas were free. It wasn’t until 2021 that the annual celebration was recognized as a federal holiday. But Denver, like many other cities across the U.S., has been hosting Juneteenth celebrations for decades. This year, the celebration will be back with many of its iconic staples, along with a rich array of fresh additions that both celebrate the legacy of African American history and continue forwarding social dialogue. Below are just some of the
many highlights happening during the Juneteenth weekend. Juneteenth Music Festival
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