Denver

Yo-Yo Ma and some of the many local Denver organizations using culture to address challenges – from refugee integration, food security and homelessness, to urban growth and displacement – joined the greater Denver community for a day of conversation, performance, and action.

The kick-off featured performances and appearances by:
Governor John Hickenlooper
Take Note Colorado with Isaac Slade from The Fray
Cleo Parker Robinson
University of Colorado Horn Quartet

Thousands of refugees land in Colorado each year, a large number arriving in Aurora. The city is working hard to embrace its cultural diversity and provide resources for integrating new citizens.

A morning of workshops brought the Aurora community and its New American residents together to share stories and performance and explore the challenges they face. The day also included community-focused conversations across the area.

In Westwood, the community celebrated and explored how Re:vision has built a thriving, resilient community through local-led approaches to food justice, cultural participation, and agriculture. In Five Points, local residents and artists came together at RedLine to explore how arts and homelessness intersect, highlighting the vibrancy that all residents bring to this community and the ongoing displacement that is happening in the neighborhood.

In Mariposa, the music and youth empowerment nonprofit Youth on Record convened dozens of local organizations for a performance-driven dialogue about culture’s role in creating a strong, vibrant Denver.