Life and society changed drastically for Chicanos and Chicanas during the 1960’s and 1970’s thanks to activists from Denver, Boulder, Northern Colorado, and other parts of the state who worked to help minorities enroll in college and mobilize.
Those activists who paved the way for today’s younger generation worked selflessly and some even lost their lives fighting for a cause they believe in. And thanks to the work of those activists, life is easier today for younger Chicanos and Chicanas.
Activists, professors, and others will all be honored on Nov. 10 at the 31st annual Civil Rights Awards held by NEWSED Community Development Corporation — a nonprofit organization that promotes business development in Denver, conducts economic development in low-income communities and provides affordable housing options to low to moderate-income families and individuals.
Those who will be honored at the event include Ricardo Falcón, Priscilla Falcón, Los Seis de Boulder, UMAS y MeChA, and Aquetza Academic Summer Program/ Jason Romero. Read how each inductee made their impact in the Denver Chicano/Chicana community.
Ricardo Falcón
Falcón organized the United Mexican American Student organization (UMAS), a social organization whose mission evolved into the recruitment and retention of Mexican American and Chicano/Chicana students. He recruited ex-prisoners for college programs and advocacy for the agricultural Mexican community of Northern Colorado.
In 1972, Falcón was killed by a white-wing member of the American Independent Party over a “dispute” about water used to cool off a car in Orogrande, New Mexico. The loss of Falcon was the loss of potential leadership, but his impact in the community has remained for generations.
Priscilla Falcón
Priscilla Falcón is the widow of Ricardo Falcón and is a lifelong activist for Chicano/Chicana and Mexican rights. She acquired her doctrine and has worked at the University of Northern Colorado for 27 years as a professor of Chicano/Chicano and Latino studies.
Los Seis de Boulder
Los Seis de Boulder or the Boulder Six, were six Chicano activists and students who were killed in a car bomb in a parking lot near 28th and Canyon. The group, Una Jaakola, Reyes Martinez, Neva Romero, Francisco Dougherty, Heriberto Teran and Florencio Granado, were demanding continued funding and growth for the education opportunity programs that brought Mexican American students and other marginalized groups to the CU Boulder campus in 1968.
The circumstances around the attack were never properly investigated and the cases were never solved. In 2019, students at the university, surviving family members and others created a sculpture of each of the victims who died.
UMAS y MeChA
On the CU Boulder campus, UMAS y MeChA works to encourage dignity, justice, respect and equality for Chicanos and Chicanas. The group consists of Chicanos/ Chicanas and Latino students who believe the best form of resistance is created at a grass roots level and that marginalized people can take action rather than waiting for support.
Aquetza Academic Summer Program / Jasón Romero
Jasón Romero is one of the co-directors of the Aquetza Academic Summer Program at CU Boulder. He is also a high school teacher in southwest Denver and the director of CU’s Latino History Project.
Aquetza Academic Summer Program is a free, residential and community-based program that provides high school students from Chicano/Latino communities with an experience that focuses on examining the history, literature, health, science and social/political issues surrounding their cultural communities.
The event will be held at ReelWorks at 1399 35th St. from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. More information can be found at https://newsed.org/civil-rights-awards-denver/.
