(MUSIC PLAYING) - ALL OF THIS STANDS ON THE SHOULDERS OF SOMEBODY, SOMETHING, SOME PEOPLE.

- IT'S BEEN A LIFELONG JOURNEY.

IT'S BEEN SO REWARDING.

DON'T GIVE UP.

BELIEVE AND LIVE THE MISSION AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF SERVICE.

- AND I THINK, IN SOME WAYS, HOW FAR WE'VE COME, AND IN OTHER WAYS, OH MY, WE HAVE A WAYS TO GO.

YOU KNOW?

- ANYONE LISTENING OUT THERE, WHETHER YOU'RE BLACK, MALE, FEMALE, DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOUR RACIAL BACKGROUND, DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU'RE SEXUAL ORIENTATION IS, DON'T LET ANYONE PUT YOU IN A BOX.

I REMEMBER HITTING THE 25-YEAR-OLD MARK WHEN I HIT 25 YEARS OLD, AND THINKING TO MYSELF, "WOW, I MADE IT."

BECAUSE EVERY STATISTIC WAS TELLING ME, AS A BLACK MALE GROWING UP HERE IN THE INNER CITY OF DENVER, THAT I WASN'T GOING TO MAKE IT TO 25 YEARS OLD, WHICH IS A VERY, VERY SAD SITUATION TO BE IN.

JUST IMAGINE GOING TO A MOTEL ROOM WITH YOUR FAMILY.

YOU'RE COMING HOME AFTER A DAY, AND YOU GO AND YOU TRY TO PUT THE KEY IN THE DOOR, AND YOU CAN'T GET IN.

AND LITERALLY, THE MOTEL OWNER TOLD US TO GET OUT OF THERE OR HE WAS GOING TO CALL THE POLICE ON US BECAUSE WE HADN'T PAID THE RENT.

AND WHAT HE DID WAS KEPT ALL OF OUR CLOTHING, AND WE HAD TO GET IN THE CAR, GO DOWN THE STREET TO THE NEXT MOTEL ROOM, AND START LIFE ALL OVER AGAIN.

THAT WAS...

IT BLEW MY--I WAS IN SECOND GRADE.

I REMEMBER JUST LEAVING MY COWBOY BOOTS, EVERYTHING WE OWNED, IN THAT MOTEL ROOM.

WE HAD TO KEEP GOING.

I HAD TO LEARN HOW TO DREAM BEYOND MY CIRCUMSTANCES BECAUSE MY CIRCUMSTANCES WERE TELLING ME ONE THING, BUT I HAD A DREAM OF SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

AND THE TRIPLE A MOTEL ROOM.

AND GET THIS, THERE WERE NINE PEOPLE LIVING IN ONE MOTEL ROOM, TRIPLE A MOTEL ROOM HERE.

TRIPLE A MOTEL, WE WERE PAYING, I THINK IT WAS $32 A NIGHT.

TRIPLE A MOTEL.

IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, WE LIVED IN ROOM NINE THERE.

NINE OF US.

MY MOTHER WAS LIVING ACROSS THE STREET HERE, AND SHE AND I PULLED UP IN THE MINIVAN TO PARALLEL PARK IN FRONT OF HER HOME RIGHT HERE.

AND I NOTICED AT THE CORNER, THERE WAS A BLACK CHEROKEE SITTING AT THE CORNER THERE UNDER THE LIGHT THERE.

AND OF COURSE, I'M TRYING TO PARALLEL PARK THE MINIVAN.

THE CHEROKEE STARTS COMING BY.

AND INSTANTLY, WE HEAR POP-POP BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM.

IT'S A DRIVE-BY SHOOTING.

THERE WAS A BULLET THAT WAS LODGED IN THE BOTTOM WINDOWSILL OF THE DRIVER'S DOOR THAT WAS MEANT TO KILL ME.

AT THAT PARTICULAR TIME, I TOLD MYSELF I WAS NOT COMING BACK TO THIS ENVIRONMENT.

THIS WAS EVERYTHING TO ME.

FIVE POINTS WAS MY STOMPING GROUNDS.

THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO CLAIM TO BE FROM THE EAST SIDE.

BUT I TELL PEOPLE I'M FROM FIVE POINTS.

I'M BORN AND RAISED FIVE POINTS.

EVERYWHERE I LIVED AT WAS RIGHT AROUND THE CENTER OF THE CORE FIVE POINTS.

AND THIS IS THE PLACE I LOVE.

THIS IS THE PLACE THAT WAS NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART.

AS DIFFICULT AS MY LIFE WAS GROWING UP HERE IN FIVE POINTS, I'M VERY, VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE EXPERIENCE.

MY MOTHER AND FATHER WERE DRUG ADDICTS AND SHOPLIFTERS WHO WERE ARRESTED A TOTAL OF 121 TIMES BY THE TIME I FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL HERE IN DENVER, COLORADO.

WE USED TO BE SO HUNGRY THAT WE WOULD ACTUALLY GO IN THESE GROCERY STORES, STEAL FOOD, RUN OUT ON THE WEEKENDS TO FEED OURSELVES, BECAUSE OUR PARENTS WOULD LEAVE US FOR DAYS BY OURSELVES.

DAD WAS IN PRISON.

MY LITTLE BROTHER WAS IN PRISON.

MY GRANDMOTHER, WHO WAS MY LAST LEGAL GUARDIAN, WAS IN A NURSING HOME.

OLDEST BROTHER IS BACK HERE, INVOLVED IN GANGS.

OLDER SISTER IS BACK HERE IN CRACK COCAINE.

SECOND OLDER SISTER WAS IN FOSTER CARE IN IOWA.

IN BETWEEN MY JUNIOR AND SENIOR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL, I LIVED IN FIVE LOCATIONS AND SPENT THE LAST SIX MONTHS HOMELESS.

MY FIRST HOME, I LIVED HERE, HERE IN FIVE POINTS.

GROWING UP HERE IN DENVER, LIVING IN MOTEL ROOMS AND CRISIS CENTERS AND MOTEL ROOMS, I REMEMBER IN THE EARLY '80S, THE GANGS FROM LA WERE STARTING TO INFILTRATE COLORADO, AND IN PARTICULAR DENVER.

AND I WAS A PERSON WHO WAS VERY LOST.

I LIVED IN NUMEROUS FOSTER HOMES, CRISIS CENTERS, MOTEL ROOMS, AT THE TIME.

SO, I WAS KIND OF SEARCHING AND REALLY KIND OF PLOTTING AND PLANNING TO GET INVOLVED IN SOMETHING.

THE GANGS STARTED TO LOOK APPEALING BECAUSE THEY WERE VERY NEW TO THE AREA AT THE TIME.

I WAS LIVING WITH MY AUNT, AND SHE GOT ME INVOLVED IN BASKETBALL.

AND BASKETBALL LITERALLY SAVED MY LIFE BECAUSE MANY THINGS I WAS LOOKING FOR IN THE WORLD OF GANGS, SENSE OF BELONGING, GREAT MALE MENTORS, OTHER KIDS WHO HAD SIMILAR GOALS, I RECEIVED FROM PLAYING SPORTS.

AND SPORTS BECAME MY OUTLET TO OPEN UP DOORS.

MY HOME AWAY FROM HOME.

THIS WAS MY SAVING GRACE.

THIS WAS MY HAPPY PLACE.

THIS WAS...

THIS PLACE RIGHT HERE MEANS EVERYTHING TO ME.

AND IT GAVE ME A STABLE PLACE TO CALL HOME IN THE MIDST OF ALL THE OTHER STUFF THAT WAS TAKING PLACE IN FIVE POINTS, WITH THE DRUGS AND THE GANGS AND ALCOHOLISM AND EVERYTHING ELSE TAKING PLACE AT HOME AND IN THE STREETS.

SO, I RAN INTO A COACH FROM MULLEN HIGH SCHOOL WHO CAME IN AND TALKED TO ME AND MY COMRADES ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO OUT TO THE SCHOOL.

AND I REMEMBER HIM MENTIONING THE WORD "COLLEGE."

I WAS LIKE, "WHOA.

YOU MEAN A KID FROM MY NEIGHBORHOOD CAN GO TO COLLEGE?"

I GOT REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.

NO ONE WANTS TO LIVE IN AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE UNDER SIEGE EVERY DAY.

MY CIRCUMSTANCES AT HOME WERE TELLING ME SOMETHING CONTRARY TO COLLEGE.

HERE I WAS, LIVING IN MY SEVENTH MOTEL ROOM, NINE PEOPLE, ONE ROOM, TWO BEDS, ONE BATHROOM IN COMMERCE CITY.

AND I HAVE A GUY HERE TELLING ME THAT I CAN GO TO COLLEGE.

I TELL PEOPLE IT'S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE ABLE TO DREAM BEYOND OUR CIRCUMSTANCE.

AND IT WAS MY GRANDMOTHER'S WISH THAT I GO OUT TO MULLEN HIGH SCHOOL, AS WELL.

EVERY MORNING, STARTING AT 6:30AM, I'D TAKE 3 CITY BUSES ON MY WAY TO MULLEN HIGH SCHOOL EVERY DAY.

I GET THE DAUNTING CALL AT THE SCHOOL THAT MY MOTHER WAS BUSTED FOR SELLING DRUGS AND WAS ON HER WAY BACK TO PRISON AGAIN.

MY LIFE WAS DEVASTATED.

BUT AGAIN, MY CIRCUMSTANCES WERE TELLING ME THAT IT WAS GAME OVER.

BUT MY BRAIN, MY MIND, WAS SAYING, "I GOT TO FIND SOME WAY TO GET TO THE NFL."

AND THE FIRST STEP IS TO GET TO COLLEGE.

WE MOVED IN TO THIS MOTEL ROOM WITH NOTHING BUT THE CLOTHES ON OUR BACK.

AND EVERY STATISTIC THAT WE WERE LOOKING AT AND FACING AS A BLACK MALE WAS TELLING US WE WERE DOOMED FOR GANGS, DRUGS, VIOLENCE, AND DEATH AT A VERY EARLY AGE.

I LIKE TO THINK OF MYSELF AS A PERSON WHO CAN CONNECT WITH ANYONE ON MOST LEVELS, A PERSON WHO'S BEEN HOMELESS, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, A PERSON WHO'S PLAYED DIVISION ONE MAJOR FOOTBALL, ALL-AMERICAN FOOTBALL PLAYER, AND TODAY IS SITTING HERE AS DR. TOMMY WATSON, WITH FOUR COLLEGE DEGREES, AS WELL.

KNOW THAT YOU CAN ACHIEVE WHATEVER IT IS YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE.

HAVE A VISION FOR YOURSELF.

KNOW THAT, IN MANY SITUATIONS, YOU'RE NOT THE FIRST TO DO IT.

AND IF YOU ARE THE FIRST TO DO IT, GREAT.

BE THAT PIONEER.

BUT DON'T LET ANYONE PUT YOU IN A BOX.

YES, YOU'RE GOING TO FACE CHALLENGES.

YOU'RE GOING TO FACE CHALLENGES WHEN IT COMES TO RACISM.

YOU'RE GOING TO FACE CHALLENGES WHEN IT COMES TO ECONOMICS.

YOU'RE GOING TO FACE CHALLENGES WHEN IT COMES TO PEOPLE NOT BELIEVING IN YOU.

BUT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO BELIEVE IN YOURSELF.

WE GOT TO GET BACK TO A PLACE WHERE WE'RE STARTING TO SEE THE HUMANITY IN EACH OTHER NO MATTER WHAT WE LOOK LIKE, NO MATTER WHERE YOU'RE FROM, NO MATTER WHAT YOUR SEXUAL ORIENTATION MAY BE, NO MATTER WHAT YOUR RACE MAY BE, WHAT YOUR ECONOMIC LEVEL MAY BE.

IT DOESN'T MATTER.

WE'RE HUMAN BEINGS.

AND WE NEED TO LEARN EACH OTHER'S STORIES.

AND THAT IS A BIG REASON I'M TELLING MY STORY, BECAUSE, AGAIN, IT IS HARD TO HATE SOMEONE ONCE YOU KNOW THEIR STORY.

(MUSIC PLAYING) - AFTER 37 YEARS OF THIS WORK, OF BUILDING AN ORGANIZATION THAT IS STRONG AND IS DOING GREAT WORK IN TERMS OF RESPONDING TO THE NEED, I THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD TIME, AS I'M HITTING MY 70S, TO BE ABLE TO SAY, "IT'S TIME TO REALLY TURN OVER THE REINS TO A NEW GENERATION OF LEADERSHIP.

I'M JOHN PARVENSKY, THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE COLORADO COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS.

OVER THE YEARS, A LOT OF CONSTRUCTION PICTURES.

WE STARTED AS A SMALL ORGANIZATION, RESPONDING TO THE INCREASE OF HOMELESSNESS THAT WE WERE SEEING IN THE MID-'80S.

WE HAD A STAFF OF 6 AND A BUDGET OF $100,000.

TODAY, WE HAVE A STAFF OF ABOUT 750 PEOPLE.

UNFORTUNATELY, EVEN WITH THAT EXPANSION, IT HASN'T BEEN ENOUGH TO KEEP UP WITH THE NEED THAT WE SEE IN OUR COMMUNITIES.

THE COMMON DENOMINATOR OF HOMELESSNESS THROUGHOUT THOSE 37 YEARS HAS BEEN THE LACK OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING, THE LACK OF HOUSING OPTIONS FOR PEOPLE.

EVERYONE KNOWS NOW WE'RE IN A HOUSING CRISIS, AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING CRISIS.

OUR ECONOMIC SYSTEM IS DESIGNED SUCH THAT HOUSING IS A COMMODITY, LAND IS A COMMODITY.

IF YOU OWN IT, YOU WANT THE VALUE OF IT TO GO UP.

IF YOU DON'T OWN IT, YOU FALL FURTHER AND FURTHER BEHIND.

PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS ARE JUST REGULAR FOLKS LIKE YOU AND I.

THE CHALLENGES THAT THEY HAVE, IN TERMS OF OVERCOMING AND ESCAPING HOMELESSNESS, BECOMING HOUSED AGAIN, THAT'S REALLY THE WORK THAT WE DO.

AND WE DO THAT ON AN INDIVIDUALIZED BASIS.

WE MEET PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE.

WE ENGAGE THEM.

WE BUILD THEIR TRUST.

WE FIND OUT WHAT IT IS THAT THEY WANT IN THEIR LIVES.

WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS PREVENTING THEM FROM ACHIEVING THAT?

AND THEN WE WORK WITH THEM TO IDENTIFY A PLAN TO GET TO WHERE THEY WANT TO BE.

99 TIMES OUT OF 100, THAT'S A SUCCESSFUL APPROACH.

SEEING SOMEBODY MOVE INTO A NEW APARTMENT, PEOPLE BREAK DOWN AND CRY WHEN THEY KNOW THAT THEY HAVE SOMEBODY WHO'S LOOKING OUT FOR THEM.

I DON'T THINK I'VE HAD A CHANCE TO INTERNALIZE WHAT IT'S GOING TO MEAN FOR ME WHEN I WALK OUT THE DOOR FOR THE LAST TIME.

[CLEARS THROAT] BUT IT'S...

IT'S BEEN A LIFELONG JOURNEY.

IT'S BEEN SO REWARDING.

AND THE STAFF THAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO WORK WITH, IT'S JUST BEEN TREMENDOUS.

MY DAUGHTER WAS BORN SIX WEEKS BEFORE I STARTED WORKING HERE.

SHE AND THE COALITION GREW UP TOGETHER.

SHE ACTUALLY VOLUNTEERED AT THE COALITION.

SHE ACTUALLY DESIGNED OUR FIRST WEBSITE WHEN SHE WAS 12.

AND SO, SHE HAS GROWN UP ALONG WITH THIS ORGANIZATION, AND HAS BEEN AN INSPIRATION TO ME, AND HAS GONE ON TO BASICALLY COMMIT HER LIFE TO SOCIAL JUSTICE, AS WELL.

REFLECTING ON 37 YEARS OF DOING THIS WORK, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S MOST DISAPPOINTING IS THAT DESPITE OUR SUCCESS IN TERMS OF BUILDING HOUSING, OF HOUSING ALMOST 5, 000 PEOPLE A NIGHT, THAT THERE ARE STILL MORE PEOPLE WHO ARE BECOMING HOMELESS.

WE HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT HOW TO STOP NEW PEOPLE FROM LOSING THEIR HOUSING AND ENDING UP TURNING TO US FOR HELP.

A LOT OF THAT, AGAIN, IS DRIVEN BY THE HOUSING ECONOMY.

WE HAVE NEVER, AS A COMMUNITY, AS A SOCIETY, INVESTED ENOUGH IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING, IN HEALTH CARE AND MENTAL HEALTH, TO DEAL WITH THE NEEDS OF THOSE FOLKS WHO ARE PARTICULARLY THE MOST MARGINALIZED.

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN LEFT ON THEIR OWN.

AND MORE PEOPLE HAVE FALLEN THROUGH THE CRACKS AND ENDED UP HOMELESS.

WE NEED TO INVEST IN THE SOLUTIONS THAT WE KNOW WORK ON AN INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY BASIS, PROVIDING SUBSIDIES TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO RENT HOUSING, BUILDING ENOUGH AFFORDABLE HOUSING, PROVIDING SUPPORTIVE HOUSING FOR FOLKS WHO HAVE HEALTH, MENTAL HEALTH, ADDICTION, OR OTHER DISABILITIES.

THE EVIDENCE IS THERE TO SUGGEST THAT THE SOLUTIONS WORK.

AND IF WE DO MORE OF IT, IT ACTUALLY ENDS UP COSTING US LESS, AND WE END UP WITH A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE NOT ONLY FOR THE INDIVIDUAL, WHO, OTHERWISE, IS ON THE STREET, BUT ALSO FOR THE NEIGHBOR, THE BUSINESSPERSON WHO HAS TO WALK OVER THEM OR AROUND THEM.

I TELL BUSINESS LEADERS ALL THE TIME THAT, IF EVERY TIME IT RAINED, THE STREETS AND THE BUILDINGS FLOODED, AND ALL YOU DID IS CURSE THE RAIN, THE LIKELIHOOD IS, THE PROBLEM IS NOT GOING TO SOLVE.

AND THE NEXT TIME IT RAINS, YOU'LL HAVE THE SAME SITUATION.

WELL, THE SAME IS TRUE AS IT RELATES TO HUMAN CAPITAL IN DEALING WITH THE ISSUES OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS.

IF ALL WE DO IS SAY, "DAMN, WHY ARE THERE SO MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE ON THE STREETS," AND WE'RE NOT INVESTING IN THE SOLUTIONS AT THE LEVEL NECESSARY TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM, IT WOULD BE MORONIC TO THINK THAT THE PROBLEM IS GOING TO BE SOLVED.

IT'S LIKE HAVING A VACCINE FOR A DISEASE, BUT ONLY GIVING IT TO 5% OF THE POPULATION, AND THINK THAT'S GOING TO SOLVE IT.

WE NEED TO BRING THE SOLUTIONS THAT WE KNOW WORK UP TO THE LEVEL, AGAIN, OF THE SCALE OF THE PROBLEM.

AND THAT'S WHERE WE REALLY HAVE FALLEN SHORT.

WE SEE A LOT OF FOLKS WHO AREN'T SUCCESSFUL.

WE SEE PREMATURE DEATH BECAUSE OF THE TOLL THAT LIFE ON THE STREET HAS TAKEN.

MY MESSAGE TO THE STAFF IS "DON'T GIVE UP.

BELIEVE AND LIVE THE MISSION AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF SERVICE."

WE HAVE SOME FOLKS WHO HAVE BEEN HERE ALMOST AS LONG AS I HAVE, 30 YEARS PLUS, WHO CONTINUE TO DO THE WORK BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE IN IT, THEY BELIEVE IN THE MISSION.

AND THEY KNOW THAT WHAT THEY DO MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF PEOPLE.

I STILL SEE THERE'S STILL A LOT OF WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE, CERTAINLY SOME ADVOCACY AND POLICY WORK THAT I CAN DO WITHOUT THE DAY-TO-DAY STRUGGLES OF RUNNING AN ORGANIZATION.

AND SO, THAT'S PROBABLY THE NEXT STAGE THAT I'LL DO ONCE I COME BACK UP FOR AIR.

- HIS FINAL WALK ON THIS PLANE AS WE COME TO PAY TRIBUTE TO HIM, COME TO HONOR HIM WITH SONG AND DANCE AND FLOWERS.

- WE'RE ACTUALLY MARCHING FOR OUR CAPITAN RAUL TO OPEN UP THE FOUR DIRECTIONS, OUR ANIMAS, OUR SPIRITS.

WE'RE CALLING THEM TO ALLOW US TO PUT HIM TO REST, TO BE ABLE TO SAY, "HEY, SPIRITS, OPEN YOUR DOORS FOR HIM.

WE ARE HERE.

WE ARE CALLING YOU.

WE'RE CALLING OUT FOR YOU TO TAKE HIM TO THE SPIRIT WORLD."

- RAUL CHAVEZ IS A DIRECT DESCENDANT OF CONCHEROS.

AND TO REALLY UNDERSTAND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THAT, YOU HAVE TO KNOW THAT THE CONCHEROS STARTED IN ABOUT 1550S.

AND HE HAD BEEN PASSED THIS LINEAGE DECADE AFTER DECADE AFTER DECADE SO THAT FLASH FORWARD 500 YEARS.

- HE MEANS A COMMUNITY HOPE.

THERE'S HOPE HERE STILL FOR OUR CULTURE.

HE MEANS LOVE.

HE MEANS BEAUTY.

HE MEANS CULTURE.

- AS WE PROGRESS, WE SEE THIS BEAUTIFUL URBAN CITY AND ALL THESE BEAUTIFUL TRADITIONS OF ART, AND WE DON'T REALIZE THAT ALL OF THIS STANDS ON THE SHOULDERS OF SOMEBODY, SOMETHING, SOME PEOPLE.

AND RAUL CHAVEZ PORTILLO, SEÑOR TLALOC, WAS ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE.

[SINGING IN SPANISH] - HE MADE US ALL FEEL COMFORTABLE.

WE'RE ALL THE SAME.

WE'RE ALL EQUAL.

NOBODY IS MORE.

NOBODY IS LESS.

[SINGING CONTINUES] - THE VIBRANT, FLOURISHING AZTECA COMMUNITY THAT EXISTS HERE EXISTS, IN PART, SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LINE, YOU CAN TRACE IT BACK TO THE WORK THAT RAUL CHAVEZ PORTILLO DID.

AND THERE IS NO DENYING THAT.

- THE COMMUNITY IS FAMILY.

WE ARE FAMILY.

WE ARE ONE.

WE ARE NOT BETTER THAN ANYBODY.

WE ARE IN A CIRCLE, AND WE ARE ONE.

- RAUL WAS A GREAT MYSTIC.

HE BELIEVED IN SYMBOLS EVERYWHERE.

BUT HE ALWAYS HAD SAID TO US, "IF I'M NO LONGER THERE WITH YOU IN THIS BODY, I WILL SEND YOU A SIGN."

I THINK HE SENT US OUR SIGN.

I THINK THAT RAINBOW HAS ALWAYS BEEN A SYMBOL THAT... AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE ARE ALL BROTHERS AND SISTERS.

WE ARE ALL COLORS OF THE RAINBOW.

AND WE WILL LIVE TOGETHER AND HELP EACH OTHER.

OR AS IN MARTIN LUTHER KING'S WORDS, WE WILL PERISH AS FOOLS.

AND THAT REALLY WAS WHAT RAUL CHAVEZ WAS ABOUT, IS THAT WE HAVE TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER, AND WE HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THAT WE ALL ARE IN THIS TOGETHER.

- WOW, THIS IS SO COOL.

I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START.

AH, REMEMBER WOMAN TO WOMAN?

- I DID.

- YEAH, IT WAS THE PLACE.

IT'S JUST BRINGING BACK ALL KINDS OF MEMORIES, LIKE THE FIRST MARCH.

OH, YEAH.

DON'T WE ALL REMEMBER THAT?

LIVED ACROSS THE STREET FROM TWO GAY MEN, AND ONE OF THEM GOT REALLY, REALLY SICK.

BUT WE NEVER PUT IT TOGETHER.

BUT HE WAS ON THE FIRST WAVE OF AIDS.

IT WAS LIKE COVID, ONLY WORSE, BECAUSE IT WAS ALWAYS A DEATH SENTENCE.

YES, I COULD BE IN THAT CROWD.

- OH, I BET YOU ARE.

- I BET I AM.

[LAUGHING] - I BET YOU ARE.

- THE HATE STATE, AS WE WERE KNOWN.

AND I'M SURE THIS IS WHERE I FIRST SAW BOBBI.

- OH, IS THAT RIGHT?

- YEAH, THAT'S MY WIFE.

WE WERE AT THIS CONFERENCE, AND I WAS WITH [INDISCERNIBLE].

- OH, WOW.

- YEAH.

AND I SAW THIS WOMAN STRIDING ALONG WITH THIS ENTOURAGE, AND IN THIS BLACK--LIKE A ONE-PIECE LEATHER, LOOKING REALLY HOT.

AND IT WAS SHE.

[LAUGHING] BOBBI AND I WERE HERE.

- YOU WENT TO WASHINGTON FOR THAT?

- AS A MATTER OF FACT, I THINK THAT'S WHERE THIS SHIRT CAME FROM.

- OH, IS THAT RIGHT?

- YEAH, WE WENT TO WASHINGTON A COUPLE TIMES.

WELL, ONCE WITH THE--YEAH, THE ERA.

BUT WE WENT A COUPLE OF GAY MARCHES.

AND I DO THINK THAT'S WHERE THIS SHIRT CAME FROM.

MY NAME IS LINDA SHEAR.

AND AS TO WHO I AM, I'M AN OLD LESBIAN WHO GREW UP IN DENVER, CAME OUT RATHER LATE.

I THINK THAT I WAS 36.

AND AS A RESULT, LITERALLY OVERNIGHT, I CAME OUT AS A LESBIAN AND CAME OUT AS A FEMINIST.

I REMEMBER WHERE I WAS AND WHO I WAS FRIENDS WITH AND JUST THAT TIME, WHERE I WAS WORKING, CLOSETED AT WORK.

- FOR A LOT OF US IN THE LGBT COMMUNITY, IT'S JUST OUR LIVES.

IT ISN'T AN EXHIBIT.

IT ISN'T PRIDE MONTH OR OCTOBER, WHICH IS LGBTQ HISTORY MONTH.

IT'S WAKING UP EVERY DAY.

- IT'S A MEASUREMENT.

IN LOOKING AT THIS, IT SERVES AS A MEASUREMENT AS TO HOW FAR WE'VE COME.

I THINK IT'S FABULOUS.

- PEOPLE HAVE BEEN FIGHTING FOR THEIR RIGHTS FOR DECADES.

THEY ARE NOT ALONE.

THEY ARE PART OF A LARGER WORLD, REALLY.

IN THIS EXHIBIT, WHAT YOU'LL SEE IS A LOT FROM THE 1970S.

THAT'S WHEN ACTIVISM REALLY STARTED HERE IN DENVER.

THAT'S WHEN STORES STARTED OPENING.

YOU HAD WOMAN TO WOMAN FEMINIST BOOK CENTER, CATEGORY SIX, WHICH WAS A GAY AND LESBIAN BOOKSTORE.

YOU HAD BIG MAMA RAG, OUT FRONT, WHICH IS ONE OF THE NATION'S LONGEST-RUNNING LGBTQ PUBLICATIONS HERE IN DENVER.

- WHEN I READ SOME OF THIS, IT'S JUST A STROLL DOWN MEMORY LANE.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO SAY.

IT'S A LONG TIME COMING.

YEAH, IT'S BRINGING BACK A LOT OF MEMORIES.

MY HAIR IS MAGIC!

WHEN PEOPLE ASK, "CAN I TOUCH IT?

DOES IT FEEL ROUGH?"

SOMETIMES I SAY YES, AND THEN THAT'S ENOUGH.

SOMETIMES I SAY, "NO, I NEED SPACE.

MY HAIR NEEDS ROOM TO GROW WITH GRACE."

I FEEL THAT BOOKS ALLOW STUDENTS AND ALLOW ALL OF US TO CONNECT TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE COME BEFORE US AND WHO HAVE FACED CHALLENGES AND FACED DIFFICULTIES.

I THINK WE FORGET THAT A SIMPLE BOOK AND A SIMPLE STORY CAN INSPIRE US.

IT CAN HELP US TO BE RESILIENT, ESPECIALLY IN TIMES LIKE RIGHT NOW.

FOR DENVER PUBLIC SCHOOLS, I'M A LIBRARY SERVICES SPECIALIST.

I SUPPORT LIBRARIANS AND LIBRARY STAFF ACROSS OUR DISTRICT.

AND I CO-FOUNDED AFROS AND BOOKS WITH THREE OTHER BLACK AND BIPOC AND LGBTQ LIBRARIANS.

AND WE DO A LOT OF WORK AROUND REPRESENTATION.

THIS IS A BOOK THAT I LOVE BECAUSE IT SHOWS SO MANY DIFFERENT COLORS AND SHADES AND HAIR.

FOR A VERY LONG TIME, A LOT OF THE STORIES WERE TOLD THROUGH A SINGLE LENS, A SINGLE VIEW.

AND SO, YOU DID NOT SEE BLACK STUDENTS REPRESENTED IN A LOT OF COLLECTIONS.

YOU DIDN'T SEE LGBTQ STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES REPRESENTED.

AND SO, THE WORK WAS REALLY TO HELP TEACHERS AND EDUCATORS VALUE THE LABOR OF LOOKING FOR AND FINDING BOOKS THAT SHARE THESE MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES AND LIVED EXPERIENCES, AND BRING THEM INTO THE CLASSROOM SO THAT CHILDREN MAINTAINED THESE CONNECTIONS TO BOOKS AND DIDN'T FEEL DISCOURAGED AS A READER.

WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT BABIES SEE PICTURES OF CHILDREN WHO LOOK LIKE THEM, BUT ALSO WHO LOOK LIKE OTHER KIDS THAT THEY'RE GOING TO SEE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES AND THEIR SCHOOLS.

- REPRESENTATION IS SO IMPORTANT FOR STUDENTS BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN GENIUS.

THEY CONTAIN THIS POWERFUL PURPOSE FOR BEING IN THE WORLD.

AND FOR ME, IT'S ABOUT UNLEASHING THE POWER AND POTENTIAL OF EVERY SINGLE CHILD TO BE A WORLD-CHANGER, A GAME-CHANGER, AND FOR THEM TO IMAGINE THE WORLD, AND THEN GO FORTH AND CREATE THAT WORLD.

SOME OF THE CHALLENGES STILL PERSIST.

WE LOOK AT RIGHT NOW, ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE WORKING HARD TO GET SOME OF THESE BOOKS THAT ARE INCLUSIVE OUT OF LIBRARIES AND TO LIMIT ACCESS.

SO, THIS WORK IS EVEN MORE CRITICAL.

BUT I TAKE ALSO JOY IN KNOWING THAT PEOPLE RECOGNIZE THE POWER OF BOOKS.

THEY KNOW STORIES CAN CHANGE EVERYTHING.

THE RIGHT STORY AT THE RIGHT TIME CAN HELP US TO SEE THE WORLD THROUGH A DIFFERENT GAZE, AND HELP US TO SEE OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ONE ANOTHER, OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO OUR COMMUNITIES.

EVERY PERSON HAS HAD A JOURNEY AND A STORY.

AND THROUGH BOOKS, WE CAN JUST GET A TASTE OF WHAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE ENDURED AND OVERCOME, AND BE INSPIRED IN OUR OWN LIVES.

- WHEN YOU'RE IN A WHEELCHAIR, YOU CAN'T HIDE.

YOU'RE GOING TO STICK OUT, AND PEOPLE ARE GOING TO NOTICE YOU.

IT'S OK THAT THEY SEE THE CHAIR FIRST.

THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.

I DON'T BLAME THEM FOR GOING, "OH, A PERSON IN A WHEELCHAIR."

I'M THE ONLY ONE USUALLY IN THE ROOM THAT'S IN A WHEELCHAIR.

I GET IT.

IT'S NO SECRET THAT I'M IN A WHEELCHAIR.

I'M NOT SURPRISED.

WHERE DO WE GO FROM THERE?

ARE YOU ONLY FOCUSED ON WHAT MY DISABILITY IS AND ME IN A WHEELCHAIR?

OR DO YOU CARE ABOUT THE PERSON THAT'S IN THE CHAIR?

DO YOU CARE ABOUT THE PERSON THAT'S SITTING THERE?

WHAT ARE THEIR INTERESTS?

WHAT DO THEY LIKE?

WHAT'S THEIR PERSONALITY?

IT'S WHERE YOU GO AFTER THAT.

MAYBE START WITH, "HI, HOW ARE YOU?"

OR, "YOU LOOK REALLY GREAT TODAY," OR, "HI, MY NAME IS THIS.

WHAT'S YOUR NAME?"

IT'S OK TO SEE THE WHEELCHAIR.

BUT THEN THERE'S A PERSON THAT'S IN THAT WHEELCHAIR.

I HAVE A GENETIC DISORDER CALLED EHLERS-DANLOS SYNDROME.

IT'S A MOUTHFUL.

A LOT OF PEOPLE CALL IT EDS FOR SHORT.

AND IT IS A CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISORDER.

AND SO, ESSENTIALLY, ALL YOUR CONNECTIVE TISSUE, BUT THINK ABOUT YOUR LIGAMENTS, TENDONS, ALL OF THAT, ARE TOO LOOSE, YOUR SKIN, EVERYTHING LIKE THAT.

SO, MY JOINTS DISLOCATE.

I'LL BE WALKING, AND THEN MY HIP WILL COME OUT, OR MY S.I.

JOINT WILL COME OUT, OR WHATEVER IT IS.

AND I DID HAVE IT ALL MY LIFE, BUT IT PROGRESSIVELY GOT WORSE.

AND I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS.

IT TOOK SIX YEARS FOR US TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE HECK WAS GOING ON.

IT'S NOT ABOUT THE DISABILITY.

IT'S ABOUT WHO I AM AS A PERSON.

AND SO, I WANT TO KEEP BEING ME.

I WANT TO KEEP DOING THE THINGS I LOVE.

I WANT TO KEEP GOING OUT AND DOING MY FAVORITE THINGS WITH MY HUSBAND AND OUR DOGS AND GOING ON WALKS, OR "ROLLS."

I GREW UP DANCING, AND SO THAT WAS HARD WHEN I STARTED HAVING TO USE A WHEELCHAIR, REALIZING THAT I COULDN'T DO DANCE--OR I THOUGHT I COULDN'T DO DANCE.

THE EMPOWERING SIDE OF IT IS THAT IT'S MORE A MINDSET THAN IT IS ABOUT YOUR DISABILITY.

I STARTED USING A WHEELCHAIR RIGHT BEFORE QUARANTINE.

AND THEN WE WENT INTO QUARANTINE.

AND IT WAS A WHOLE NEW EXPERIENCE BECAUSE NOT ONLY DID WE ALL FEEL LONELY BECAUSE WE WERE ISOLATED, BUT THEN, AT THE SAME TIME, I WAS GOING THROUGH THIS WHOLE PROCESS OF LIFE IN A WHEELCHAIR AND LIFE AS A WOMAN WITH A DISABILITY.

AND SO, IT FELT LONELY ON A DIFFERENT LEVEL.

THROUGH INSTAGRAM, I FOUND THIS DANCE COMPANY CALLED THE ROLLETTES.

AND IT'S A WHEELCHAIR DANCE TEAM.

I GREW UP DANCING.

AND SO, I WAS SO EXCITED WHEN I SAW THAT THERE WAS A TEAM OF DANCERS JUST LIKE ME.

- YES, KATIE!

- DOING IT IN CHAIRS, AND NOT JUST LIKE, "OH, THAT'S CUTE, " BUT LIKE, "OH MY GOSH, THEY ARE GOOD," LIKE, "OK, THEY CAN DANCE."

WHEN YOU'RE THE ONLY PERSON IN THE ROOM THAT LOOKS LIKE YOU, THAT MOVES LIKE YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE IN A WHEELCHAIR, AND THEN YOU ENTER A ROOM OF OVER 200 WOMEN THAT LOOK JUST LIKE YOU AND ARE ROLLING AROUND JUST LIKE YOU, I CAN'T EVEN EXPLAIN THE FEELING.

THE CONFIDENCE I GAINED FROM ROLLETTES' EXPERIENCE AND BEING THERE AND REALIZING THAT I WASN'T ALONE AND I DIDN'T HAVE TO GIVE UP ON LIFE OR WHO I WAS OR WHAT I DID, OR JUST THAT I COULD BE THE CONFIDENT, YOUNG WOMAN THAT I AM, AND DON'T HAVE TO LIMIT MYSELF JUST BECAUSE MY BRAIN TELLS ME, "OH, YOU'RE IN A WHEELCHAIR.

NOW YOU CAN'T DO THIS."

THE CONFIDENCE THAT I'VE GAINED FROM MY DISABILITY, OF BEING LIKE, "OK, IF I'M GOING TO BE IN A WHEELCHAIR, AND THIS IS WHAT IT'S GOING TO BE, THEN WHAT DO I WANT PEOPLE TO SEE?"

(MUSIC PLAYING)