A New Conversation

By Kristy Milligan
 

A few weeks ago, I met with a recent transplant to the Pikes Peak region. We talked about her time here, the work that Citizens Project is doing to improve our community, and her perceptions as a newcomer. She has quickly assimilated in Colorado Springs: making friends, connecting with causes, building a life. However, one small thing bothers her: because she practices a "minority" faith, people assume that she is a victim of intolerance.
 

Not true. According to her, Colorado Springs has been a welcoming and affirming community. Lynne Twist, a prominent fundraiser and philanthropist, wrote in The Soul of Money: "We think we live in the world. We think we live in a set of circumstances, but we don't. We live in our conversation about the world and our conversation about the circumstances."
 

What are the implications of the conversations we are having about greater Colorado Springs? What would it mean to shift the underlying tenets of these conversations from deficit to abundance, challenge to possibility, and division to community? Could a fresh paradigm fundamentally alter the way we see ourselves? More importantly, could it fundamentally alter our collective community identity and the way we treat one another?
 

The national media attention to municipal budget cuts, the careful scrutiny of Ted Haggard's incipient church, the obsession with  Focus on the Family's social positions, and the recent ranking of Colorado Springs as the most religious city in the nation certainly paint a picture of a divided and polemical community, and this is the story that is being told  - and the story we're telling ourselves - about who we are. But do these microcosmic snapshots provide an accurate depiction of the richness and diversity of the Pikes Peak region? 
 

We at Citizens Project believe there is an important story not being told. Indeed, this year we saw no significant national news coverage of some of the more positive news from the greater Pikes Peak region: the re-establishment of a human relations commission in Colorado Springs; the overwhelming local defeat of three tax-slashing statewide measures in the general election that would have devastated our economic prospects locally; and the collaborative and community-building events and programs, such as the completion of the Dream City Initiative, the Fort Carson Town Hall meeting, and the Vanguard/Independent dialogue event about LGBT issues.
 

Are these positive stories more or less reflective of our community than the negative stories? Are they more or less sensational? Or do they simply not advance the preconceptions - or misconceptions - about who we are?
 

Make no mistake: we have a long and difficult road ahead of us in our journey to create a community that values equality, religious freedom and civic engagement. There is still work to be done, and you can count on Citizens Project to continue to be a vocal champion for these values in our region and beyond. But you can also count on us to work to change the tenor of our community interactions through our events, publications, and programs. You can count on us to shift the focus from what is wrong with our community to what is right in the Pikes Peak area. Can we count on you to stand with us?
 

Together we can create a new conversation.

Citizens Project News 

Food for Thought: Breaking Bread, Building Bridges 

 DETAILS & APPLICATION FORM 

APPLICATIONS DUE FRIDAY, JANUARY 14TH

APPLICANTS SAVE THE DATE:

January 27th Group Launch 5:30-7:30PM 

Applicants will be notified of their selection to participate on January 21st. While we cannot guarantee placement for every applicant in this first series of dialogues, we will make every effort to provide opportunity in the future. Questions:

foodforthought@cospdiversityforum.org

Pride Center GLBT Community Awards.

Voting Has Begun and will end Sunday January 16, 2011 at midnight MST.

To View All The Nominees

Click Here

To Cast Your Vote (One Per Person Please)

Click Here

To RSVP / Obtain Tickets

http://yourpridecenter.givezooks.com/events/glbta-community-awards-masquerade-ball

If you would like to make a donation to this events Silent Auction, please contact us at

charlie@yourpridecenter.org.  

Volunteers needed to serve on three City Boards:

Drainage Board, Liquor Board, and CTAB

City/County Drainage Board

The City of Colorado Springs and El Paso County are seeking volunteers to fill two openings on the City/County Drainage Board; one with experience in Subdivision Engineering and one with experience in Banking.

Liquor & Beer Licensing Board  

The City is looking for one volunteer to serve on the Liquor and Beer Licensing Board.  The Board conducts public hearings on all alcohol beverage license applications, transfers, change of location and modifications, alterations or expansion of the licensed premises, renewals, suspension and/or revocation hearings, including hearings to temporarily or summarily suspend an alcohol beverage license, and any other applications permitted by state law or local ordinance.   

Citizens Transportation Advisory Board (CTAB)

The City of Colorado Springs is seeking volunteers to represent City Council Districts two and four on the Citizens Transportation Advisory Board (CTAB).  CTAB meetings take place the first Tuesday of each month from 2 - 4 p.m.  Volunteers must live within District two or four and should have an expertise and/or interest in transportation and transportation-related concerns.  (A Council District map can be found on SpringsGov.com by typing "Council District Map" in the search field, or by clicking this link: http://www.springsgov.com/Page.aspx?NavID=1197.)

How to apply

Send letters of interest and resumes by Friday, January 14, 2011 to mdevine@springsgov.com or mail to City Council; Attention Marti Devine Sletta; P.O. Box 1575; Colorado Springs, CO 80901.

 For questions or more information, please call (719) 385-5453.
 

Pouring Tea: Black Gay Men of the South Tell Their Tales  Dr. E. Patrick Johnson

Thursday, March 10, 2011     

     7:00 pm      

  The Colorado College Armstrong Theatre

Free and open to the public