Denver

Walking in My Shoes

 September 2022

  

The Black Legacy Project will travel to Denver, CO in September 2022, exploring the historic musical and civil rights contributions made by Denver’s Black and White residents. Once known as the “Harlem of the West,” Denver’s “Five Points” neighborhood was the home and hub of iconic Black musicians, philanthropists, and civil rights activists, in spite of Klu Klux Klan’s dominant presence in the state during the early to mid 20th century. The rich local history of Black excellence and interracial solidarity in the midst of white supremacy is what draws the Black LP to Denver. 

 

The curated theme of the Black LP - DENVER is Walking in My Shoes. In the roundtables and musical interpretations, Black and White community members will explore the importance of walking in the shoes of “the other” in order to build bridges across racial divides and stop interracial violence.  This project will explore the theme of Walking in My Shoes by examining and reinterpreting the songs “The Klan,” and “The Ballad of the Walking Postman,” both made famous by Walt Conley, a Black man who is considered the founding father of the Denver folk scene. Read more here.