Council weighs "labor acknowledgment" for enslaved people

State of play: Councilmember Shontel Lewis, who is Black, initially introduced the idea last fall.

• Since then, she's gathered feedback from the Denver African American Commission, Justice for Black Coloradans, and other local groups about possible language.

Between the lines: The proposal mirrors a land acknowledgment adopted in 2020 recognizing the Indigenous people who first inhabited Denver while pledging to fix inequities.

Yes, but: Critics argue acknowledgments can be performative. The New York Times recently published a guest essay by a member of a North Dakota tribal nation criticizing the practice.

• Councilmember Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez added any acknowledgment can't just be "words on paper."
• Lewis said the statement is meant to encourage changes to improve the lives of people affected by those past practices by "turning pain into policy."

Between the lines: The draft statement condemns slavery, transatlantic trafficking and racial segregation, saying these practices continue to shape social, legal and economic inequities.

• Other council members suggested including a broader range of affected groups, including Native Americans and Chinese immigrants.

Flashback: Slavery existed in what is now Colorado before statehood, news reports show, even though soldiers from the preceding Colorado Territory fought alongside free states during the Civil War.

• Enslaved Native Americans were widespread in present-day southern Colorado before and after the Emancipation Proclamation, while some African Americans held in bondage were brought here in the early 1800s.

What's next: Council delayed a vote until Aug. 11 to consider revising or expanding the statement.