H. Malcolm Newton is an urban theologian who has dedicated his life to leadership and community service. In addition to instructing aspiring pastors at Denver Seminary, Iliff School of Theology and Colorado Christian University, the nephew of the revolutionary Huey P. Newton has worked with state and city leaders to spearhead initiatives in immigration and education. With a heart for community healing and a passion for urban advancement, the humanitarian leader is extending an invitation to an exciting new event that will foster fellowship, collaboration and community-wide connection.
On Saturday, July 26 at 10 a.m., the Mile Long Table will host 5,280 humans at a 5,280-foot-long table featuring shared stories and a family-style meal, provided at no cost by Serendipity Catering and the Hispanic Restaurant Association. Guests will commune with neighbors and new friends from all walks of life on the Auraria Campus in Downtown Denver, and Newton is calling for collaboration and fellowship, with a special request for Colorado’s communities of color.
A Feast at 5,280 Feet
Last July, the Longer Tables organization of Denver invited 528 people to a 528-foot table of connection, hope and belonging in Civic Center Park. Continuing a 10-year tradition of setting tables and creating places of belonging, the event celebrated diversity and bridged differences, revealing “the power of the table” as an equitable and humanizing space.
Longer Tables Executive Director, Timothy Jones, has been planning the larger, Mile Long Table event since 2017. Amid growing social unrest across the country, this expanded opportunity arrives at a crucial moment.
“[Jones] believed in the common table to share meals, and the explosive potential to rehumanize people, battle loneliness, fight division and empower collaboration,” says Newton, who serves as president of the Urban Tikkun Centre and Pan African Business Council. “That’s what the table is all about – bringing people together.”
“We’re not going to talk about our jobs. We’re going to talk about each other.”
The Mile Long Table offers a unique chance to make unlikely connections and remove cultural, economic, spiritual and social barriers to communication. It represents the city’s diversity, with the potential to increase a sense of collective identity.
Newton reveals a key component of the table’s purpose, “You can’t sit with someone you know! So if you bring your mother or your friend, you can’t sit together. You’ve got to sit with someone you don’t know; and that’s powerful.”
The Longest Table in America would have broken a Guinness World Record if it had been revealed in 2017, but Longer Tables has presented the event on a smaller scale in cities across the state in an effort to show its efficacy and gain the support of municipal leaders.
On June 20, Governor Jared Polis extended a personal invitation to Colorado residents on Instagram, saying, “In Colorado we’re used to being No. 1; and now we have the exciting opportunity to set a new record for the ‘Longest Table in America,’ bringing Coloradans together over a shared meal, to foster community and fellowship at what will be the longest table in America to date.”
It’s by coming together, across all our backgrounds across our state so we can learn from one another, break bread and build a Colorado for all, where everyone can live and work and thrive, and reach their potential.”
Seated in Solidarity
“Brotherhood, that’s what Dr. King would call it,” says Newton, thinking back to his 1964 encounter with the iconic civil rights leader during a visit to Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church.
Presented by Southwest Airlines, Mile Long Table is sponsored by local and national businesses, media outlets and organizations, and hosted by community businesses and organizations “who believe in GOOD,” including the Community Impact Fund, The Purpose Collective, Metropolitan State University of Denver, the Latina Owned Collective and Sprouts Farmers Market.
“Our commitment to expanding our Mile High heart is stronger than ever. We are proud of the work we’re doing in the air and on the ground to foster meaningful connections that lead to a stronger community.”
At the Table or On the Menu
“In 2024, we brought together 528 people; and, I hate to say this, with dismay – a majority were non-people of color,” Newton admits. “I don’t want to see that same thing happen.”
“We need to be there.”
In his efforts to expand local awareness of the meaningful event, the advocate for inclusivity is appealing to Latino, African and Black communities to promote a cross-cultural community table.
“But it’s not going to be cross-cultural if we’re not at the table. We have to be at the table,” he emphasizes, with added witticism. “I don’t want to see 5,000 white people sitting there and 80 Black people. It’ll look like a Red Fox concert!”
With no politics or preaching allowed at the Mile Long Table, the day’s impact will unfold with a sense of mystery and quiet intrigue.
“What’s the social impact of the Mile Long Table? That’s what we want to see.”
“We want Muslims there. We want Jewish people there. We want homeless people there; the police there, the nurse there, the mechanic there! The Ethiopians, the people from Palestine. We want them there. We want Black people there, Africans, white people, Native Americans, Asians, Christians, gay and lesbian organizations…we want everybody at the table.”
Citing African Leadership Group Founder, Papa Dia, who commonly says “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu,” and the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Congress, Newton points out “Shirley Chisholm always said, ‘If you’re not invited to the table, bring a folding chair.”
In addition to eliminating polarization through conversation, the table will provide local community leaders like John Akinboyewa, founder of The Hungree App, with an opportunity to partner and promote topics of interest such as ending food waste.
“The Mile Long Table is a movement, not a meal. It represents freedom, peace, unity and anti-discrimination among all of humanity,” Newton adds, with a nod to the late social justice advocate, Bob Marley.
“It is, in reality, a ‘Redemption Song’ for the world in these difficult days ahead. It is a protest for ‘One Love’ and one heart. The Mile Long Table is a ‘Song of Freedom’ and a future of hope for our collective communities saying, ‘Get Up, Stand Up.”
“Let’s eat!”
Editor’s note: To reserve your seat at the table or register to volunteer, visit www.milelongtable.org.
