From June 3-5, 2025, GARE co-hosted a Local Meeting with the City of Boulder, our first in-person convening of 2025. The convening, which brought together 103 practitioners from across the state, was a powerful site of learning, reflection, and resolve - affirming a collective commitment to a multiracial democracy and demonstrating that local gatherings like this are not only timely, but essential. The City of Boulder has been a leading voice in the GARE network, operationalizing their commitment to racial equity across departments and initiatives. Meet the Boulder team and hear from them how they are putting their vision into practice in our latest GARE in Action, GARE in Place video that premiered at the local meeting.
On June 3, we kicked off the event by grounding ourselves in place through explorations of the Boulder area, including a scenic hike through Boulder’s historic Chautauqua Park and a Civic Area presentation. The presentation, developed and led by historic preservation planners from the City of Boulder, focused on a once-thriving African American neighborhood whose residents were displaced 100 years ago to make way for Boulder’s Municipal Center and Civic Park. These experiences immersed us in Boulder, setting the stage for an Indigenous welcome and acknowledgement by the Colorado Native Dance Company. The welcome was followed by a screening and panel discussion of This is [Not] Who We Are, a powerful and compelling documentary that examines the gap between Boulder’s progressive self-image and the more complex lived experiences - past and present - of its Black citizens. We closed out the day with a Welcome Mixer that featured music by local musicians, Virgi Dart and Miguel Soldevila.
This gathering took place just days after an attack on participants in a march in Boulder. During a time when public acts of violence aim to fracture our shared humanity, we were reminded of the essential role racial equity practitioners play in holding space for healing, accountability, and systemic change. The GARE staff team amplified partner organization, Diaspora Alliance’s resource to help local, state, and regional governments prevent and respond to rising antisemitism through a holistic racial equity lens that values and protects all communities and upholds democratic norms and practices across the public sector.
June 4 began with an opening plenary panel discussion, Legal Insights for Advancing Racial Equity, moderated by Cathy Albisa, Co-Executive Director of Branch 4. The panel featured Teresa Tate, City Attorney, City of Boulder, David Hughes, Deputy County Attorney, Boulder County, and Jason Moore, Assistant City Attorney, City and County of Denver, who discussed the implications and impacts of the federal attacks on racial equity on local governments’ equity efforts, the outlook for the legal landscape, and strategies for jurisdictions to sustain and safeguard their work.
Jason Moore noted, “Their intention is to confuse and isolate, so the more that we communicate and collaborate, the better chances we’ll have at setting and continuing good precedent.” Panelists also emphasized the importance of developing risk management strategies, sharing information to combat misinformation, and resisting the urge to “pre-comply” out of fear. As David Hughes reflected, “If we are strategic in the equity work we’re doing and how it relates to the law, we’re going to be and become more successful in the long run.”
Participants moved into breakout sessions which were organized around four key tracks: Community Safety and Racial Justice, Economic Justice, Housing and Land Justice, and Communications and Engagement. One notable session was Roots of Injustice, Seeds of Change: Toward Right Relationship with Native Peoples, led by Jerilyn DeCoteau, Tribal Judge/Attorney and Co-Director, Toward Right Relationship with Native Peoples (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa) and Paula Palmer, Co-Director, Toward Right Relationship with Native Peoples. The workshop explored the lasting impact of the Doctrine of Discovery on Indigenous peoples and colonizers in the U.S. since 1492, inviting reflection, dialogue, and action toward justice, healing, and stronger community relations. One participant shared, “The experiential nature of [the session] made me feel deeply what before I had only known on an intellectual level. It was also wonderful to hear so many share their own takeaways.” Breakout sessions continued the next day.
After lunch, participants reconvened for a closing reflection and next steps discussion led by Aimee Kane, Equity Officer, City of Boulder and Marsha Guthrie, GARE Senior Director, and moderated by Lenore Wyant, GARE Director of Network Engagement. This final conversation offered space to amplify learnings from the breakout tracks and reflect on key takeaways from our time together.
Before parting ways, we were treated to a joyful surprise - a special arts and culture performance that started with the Selasee and Fafa Family opened with traditional drumming from Ghana and Nigeria, shared the origins of the guitar, and played a few songs. They were later joined by guitarist Miguel Soldevila and his group, who brought Latin rhythms to the stage and offered a mini lesson the African origins of the instruments and beats in Latin music. The two groups came together in a vibrant fusion of sound; it was a powerful reminder of our shared histories, and of the creativity, connection, and resilience that sustain our movement.