June 24, 2025: Black Pride Colorado marks 5 year milestone; Was Captain Kidd really a notorious pirate?
June is Pride Month, centered on acknowledging the accomplishments and the experiences of members of the LGBTQ+ community. And for one Colorado nonprofit, it’s also time to celebrate a big milestone and focus on the work left to be done. Then, Colorado author and history buff Samuel Marquis sets the record straight about his ninth-great-grandfather, the notorious pirate Captain Kidd, who was not at all the pirate legend might have you believe.
Black Pride Colorado marks 5 year milestone
June is Pride Month, centered on acknowledging the accomplishments and the experiences of the LGBTQ-plus community. It’s also a time to acknowledge the challenges that persist, and those challenges are often unique for members of the Black LGBTQ+ community. Tara Jae is the co-founder of Black Pride Colorado, an advocacy organization which is celebrating its 5th anniversary this month.
Captain Kidd’s 9th-great-grandson explores the true story of the pirate wronged by legend and history
He’s a best-selling American history author and advisor to The History Channel who just so happens to be the 9th-great-grandson of one of the most famous pirates in history. But it turns out, his famous, or perhaps infamous, relative, the legendary pirate Captain Kidd, wasn’t really a pirate after all! Colorado’s own Samuel Marquis sets the record straight in his new book, “Captain Kidd: A True Story of Treasure and Betrayal.”
Colorado’s 2025 Teacher of the Year Janet Damon shares summer success tips, her journey to the classroom
Damon thanks her parents for helping her to understand the importance and value of receiving a quality education.
June 19, 2025: For Juneteenth, a celebration and reflection of Black history in Colorado
Today is Juneteenth, a time to celebrate and reflect. We talk with people who took part in Denver’s annual celebration and parade. Then we head to the Boulder History Museum where an exhibit called “Proclaiming Colorado’s Black History” ends its three-year run in September. Plus, the perseverance of 101-year-old Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. James Harvey of Centennial. And Denver singer JoFoKe shares her music, her message, and her family’s musical legacy that goes back generations in Colorado.
June 17, 2025: Uncertain future for vaccine guidance; On the trail of art stolen by the Nazis; Cycling without Age
It’s a changing of the guard for the group that guides the nation’s vaccine policy. We spoke with a Colorado pediatrician who used to be on the panel about how that could reshape guidance and the concerns she has moving forward. Then, a Denver woman unravels the mystery of her mother’s past after fleeing Nazi Germany, and the art her family left behind. Plus, “Cycling Without Age” offers freedom for people with mobility issues. We go on another ride for “Aging Matters on Colorado Matters.”
June 12, 2025: Deconstructing DEI – the future of diversity initiatives in Colorado
In the wake of 2020’s racial reckoning, DEI initiatives surged across the country, from corporations to the classroom. But that momentum has taken a big hit in recent months under a new presidential administration as evidenced by federal funding cuts, restructured priorities and arguably a growing political backlash against DEI policies. So what’s been learned? And what’s next?
June 10, 2025: Church finds connection through psychedelics; Colorado’s effort to ensure police accountability
As the state allows its first psilocybin healing centers, a church in Colorado Springs is finding connection through psychedelics. We visit the church with “The Trip: CPR’s coverage of Colorado’s psychedelic journey.” Then, Colorado led the nation for police accountability reform in response to the Black Lives Matter movement. We find out how it’s working five years later and what’s still to be done, with Purplish. Plus, for Pride Month, we re-share a conversation about how Scouting America became inclusive for all young people.
June 5, 2025: Supporting Boulder attack survivors; Measles and summer travel; Reimagining fatherhood
We hear from a survivor of the firebomb attack in Boulder as the community gathers to show support and solidarity. Then, what to know about the spread of measles as the busy summer travel season begins. Plus, a summit ahead of Father’s Day aims to “restore, rebuild, and reimagine” fatherhood in a supportive and inclusive way. Later, how federal cuts to arts funding is having a ripple effect on a unique exhibit in western Colorado. And singer/songwriter Kayla Marque kicks off the Cultural Caravan festival.
‘Restoring, rebuilding and reimagining’ fatherhood
Father’s Day is around the corner and the team at one Colorado-based organization has set its sights on getting fathers in the Centennial state to join others from around the world to “ignite healing, connection, and transformation.”
June 3, 2025: Aging Matters explores grief and ways to cope; How Colorado’s policing laws have changed
Today, we explore grief and how to cope with it in Aging Matters. Plus, we visit a clothing and coffee shop in Longmont where they host weekly “grief circles.” Then, how has Colorado state law about policing changed since George Floyd was murdered by police in Minneapolis five years ago. And later, Colorado Wonders about why there aren’t more fruit trees in cities like Denver.
May 29, 2025: The campaign to free Tina Peters; The teeth behind the benefits of fluoride
Due to President Trump’s involvement and a recent high profile pardon, the governor’s office has received hundreds of emails from people wanting to see former Mesa County clerk Tina Peters released from prison. Where does the effort stand? Then, it’s long been shown that fluoride helps prevent tooth decay. A young dentist actually discovered it in Colorado Springs in 1901. We get some grounding amid a recent debate about its benefits. And, looking inside oneself to overcome professional barriers. And a unique end-of-the-year school project for students at Warren Tech.
May 27, 2025: Can psilocybin help veterans overcome PTSD? Black Lives Matters five years after George Floyd’s murder
Today, the stories of two Colorado veterans who’ve had two different experiences with PTSD and how to treat it. Could psilocybin be the answer, and if it is, what are the challenges to getting it? We find out with “The Trip: CPR’s Coverage of Colorado’s Psychedelic Journey.” Then, five years after the death of George Floyd, where does the Black Lives Matters movement stand? Plus, it’s the beginning of the end for the penny. And, the story of a special education teacher in Colorado, and the effort to recruit and train more.
May 22, 2025: A ‘final exam’ for education — in the classroom with Colorado’s teacher of the year; Monarch migration
Today we go inside the classroom, with Colorado’s Teacher of the Year, Janet Damon of Delta High School, an alternative public school in Denver. How growing up in Colorado helped shape her as an educator, plus, her students share the qualities they’ve learned from her that will help them seize the summer. Also, documentary filmmaker and Colorado College alum Mike Shum speaks at graduation day. Plus, scientists estimate that as many as 75 percent of the insects in the world have vanished over the past 50 years. Among the species hardest hit: the Monarch butterfly. What you can do to help.
May 20, 2025: Empowering and supporting an aging Colorado: the solutions the state’s considering
In a special Aging Matters on Colorado Matters, Kristine Burrows, the state’s Senior Specialist on Aging, speaks with Chandra Thomas Whitfield in front of an audience at CPR, to talk about everything from healthcare and housing, to jobs for older workers and fighting ageism.
May 15, 2025: Colorado raft supply companies navigate the uncertain waters of tariffs; Preserving oral histories
Navigating the on-again-off-again tariffs can be like navigating the rapids on a river in Colorado. We hear from two raft supply companies about the impact. Then, words to live by from the student speaker at Western Colorado University’s commencement. Plus, how older Coloradans are connecting with kids in the classroom for mutual benefit. And a creative way to preserve oral histories in Denver’s Curtis Park neighborhood.
