Jonathan Velasquez

REDI Lab Project: Hidden Histories by Aliyah Fard

For my REDI lab project, I decided to focus on something that is important to me that I can
relate to. Black history is something I am very passionate about. But while I can easily name the African Americans who are taught every year during black history month, I can’t give three examples of the contributions African Americans have made in Colorado and I have lived here all my life. Throughout the process of developing my project, I noticed that many people are unable to do this as well. Because of this, I decided that I wanted to do a research project on the contributions African Americans have made in Colorado.

As a means to present my research, I am still working through ideas, but right now I am planning on doing a podcast that incorporates interviews with different figures in my community. I am doing this project to learn for myself, but I also know that this can enlighten a lot of other people who live in Colorado who are curious. I believe that as a society we are quick to talk about the things that white people have done for our society, but do we do the same for other races?

I am now working on the research part of my project, and soon I will decide who I want to interview. I will also be working closely with various museums and libraries in the Five Points neighborhood who can help me get information. I am very excited to continue my work with this and I can’t wait to see what my final product will look like.