When you think of Colorado’s history, slavery, lynching, and Ku Klux Klan marches through downtown Denver likely do not come to mind.

The team behind the Colorado Black Equity Study is working to unearth real-life accounts of these and other occurrences and their harmful impact on Black Coloradans. As required by state Senate Bill 24-053, which was passed into law in 2024 and signed by Governor Jared Polis, the community-funded study centers on evidence-based historical research into discriminatory practices, systems, and policies and is being conducted through History Colorado.

At the helm of the research is historian, curator, and artist Chloe Duplessis, Colorado Black History research program manager at History Colorado. From Denver to Pueblo and communities in between, Duplessis is leading a team of diverse, thoughtful researchers tasked with community engagement and collecting data and Coloradans personal stories about the harms caused by systemic racism in the areas of wealth, health, education, and justice. This team has been given two years to carry out this task.

In March 2027, the study’s findings including data and 100 personal narratives will be submitted to the Black Coloradans Racial Equity Study Commission, which will examine the information and go on to make policy recommendations that could benefit Coloradans in the future. The commission is made up of community advocates and state legislators committed to advancing equity for Black residents.

Racial Equity Study Commissioner and Justice for Black Coloradans strategist Javon Brame has been working behind the scenes on the effort and credits the vision for the study to Sade Cooper, CEO and co-founder of the Colorado Collaborative Healing Initiative Within Communities (CHIC). The Equity Study was born from earlier policy work by CHIC and Sisterhood of Philanthropists Impacting Needs (SPIN), which explored the cost of making free lifetime education accessible for Black Coloradans as a form of repair.

That effort revealed a critical barrier: under Colorado’s anti-discrimination laws and the federal Civil Rights Act, public dollars cannot be allocated to race-based initiatives without documented proof of harm, making this study essential. With support from state Senate President James Coleman and state Representatives Leslie Herod and Naquetta Ricks, along with community funding and strategic policy expertise, SB 24-053 passed and the study was approved to move forward.

Early findings have uncovered evidence of harmful practices toward Black Coloradans, ranging from elected leaders benefiting from the labor of enslaved people right here in the Centennial state to redlining practices that continue to shape access to everyday necessities in present day.

“You’re thinking early 1900s and what you’re really seeing is the foundational systems that provide support under this umbrella of what is required to have quality of life are being led by persons who believe very deeply in this ideology that Black people are not fully human,” said Duplessis. “It has been documented that you have the KKK managing the banks. People are coming through to work in the Denver Police Department and were being handed paperwork, a badge, and would essentially also be given an application for the KKK.”

That proven history is precisely why advocates say the work must extend beyond research and into action.

Individuals looking to get involved can support Justice for Black Coloradans, the formalized nonprofit that is working to ensure this work is carried through. Volunteers, partnerships, presentation opportunities, and donations can help further the efforts.

Duplessis also encourages Black Coloradans to share their lived experiences with the study. “Sharing our stories is the highest calling and offering that we can give that has nothing to do with financial capacity,” she said.

As a Black Colorado native, many of the accounts shared during the reporting of this story were deeply jarring to me. It was especially meaningful to learn that the History Colorado research team is providing mental health support to participants who offer their personal accounts.

Editor’s note: For more information or to get involved, visit www.historycolorado.org/co-black-equity-study.