New mural at Denver's Auraria Campus honors neighbors who were displaced
It's been more than 50 years since 400 families from Denver's historic Auraria neighborhood were displaced to create what today is known as the Auraria campus. History Colorado is leading an effort to make sure Auraria students and the broader community remember the sacrifice of those families.
A new mural at the 9th Street Historic Park -- is called "Displaced but not Erased."
That mural depicts scenes from the original neighborhood: its people, homes, churches, and businesses. Frances Torres and Sheila Perez-Kindle grew up there -- and worked with artists to ensure that painting represented their memories.
Frances Torres would say to passers by, "I would tell them this is the story of a wonderful unique place to grow up in… The mural is just a complete picture in my mind of what I wanted to see as a representative of our entire community." At the time of the displacement the neighborhood was called blighted, but Torres says its residents did not consider it that way at all.
Perez-Kindle added, "It talks about the beauty of the dances at the church, the bazaars, it talks about kids playing because there were a lot of kids in the neighborhood."
A team of artists created the painting including Silas "Jolt" Ulibarri, Ezra Herrera, and Coco Nuanes-Ulibarri.
Students who are direct descendants of those who were displaced are eligible for scholarships to all programs offered at the Auraria campus.
History Colorado President & CEO Dawn DiPrince said, "A mural is one of my favorite ways to document history because it is accessible to everyone."
DiPrince added that she hopes the mural also inspires future generations of the original displaced families. "We wanted to make sure that the institutions that are here always honor their promise and commitment to the scholarship for those displaced Aurarians," she said.
Funds are currently being raised for a Peace and Healing Garden at the campus which also seeks to promote understanding of the history of the Displaced Aurarians, and for others seeking a place for rest and reflection.