HEA Summit Series

Dr. Eddie Moore, Jr. founded The Privilege Institute, which engages people in research, education, action and leadership through workshops, conferences, publications and collaborative partnerships and relationships. This session challenged participants to examine their own biases, behaviors and belief systems. Click here for the event recording.

A panel of state legislators discussed the work that happened during the 2020 legislative session to improve health equity in the state and contribute to an equitable recovery from the health and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here for the event recording.

As director of the Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley, john a. powell brings together stakeholders to identify and eliminate the barriers to an inclusive, just and sustainable society in order to create transformative change. This session focused on his most recent book, Racing to Justice: Transforming our Conceptions of Self and Other to Build an Inclusive Society. Click here for the event recording.

HEA Cohort members offered reflections and lessons learned on the past six years of building and nurturing a strong field of community advocates to impact policy decisions and improve health equity in Colorado for years to come. Click here for the event recording.

Akaya Windwood is internationally recognized for elevating the effectiveness of leadership and collaboration in the nonprofit and social benefit sectors. She offered her perspective on patriarchy, hierarchy, race, the future of the planet, climate change, being a woman and where to source our wisdom. Click here for the event recording.

This summit featured Indigenous leaders and activists, who shared their perspectives on sovereignty, representation, missing and murdered Indigenous women, the impact of COVID-19, and what these issues show us about structural racism. They discussed the role cultural narratives play in liberation movements, Indigenous perspectives on allyship and solidarity between people of color-led movements, and identified lessons on how to advance equity and heal towards action. Panelists included Tara Houska, Regis Pecos, Maymangwa Flying Earth and Adrienne Maddux. Click here for the event recording.

Young people in Colorado are leading the movement for racial equity and justice, bringing new energy to building a better society. Several of these leaders shared their wisdom, experiences and vision. Click here for the event recording.

Millions of people worldwide fight for change across the political spectrum, while many more are experiencing deep anxiety and fatigue. There is a need for a new foundational approach that will reduce the fighting and polarization, and energize people to be respectful and responsive to one another, the planet and themselves. In this summit, Joe Weston, founder of the Fierce Civility Project and author of Respectful Confrontation, and Michelle Otero, coach and community healing practitioner, discussed a new approach to civility that meets the demands of the 21st century. They shared ways to activate more profound levels of civic engagement and respectful civil discourse within ourselves, and shift from “breaking and othering” to “bridging and alliance building,” to find unity and new solutions in the most unlikely places. Click here for the event recording.

Our government entered a transition period following the 2020 election. What role might philanthropy play in supporting community-based efforts to build equitable systems through local and statewide policy? How can philanthropy partner with communities to advance democracy, inclusion and belonging? Panelists included Jehan Benton-Clark of the Colorado Health Foundation; Alison Friedman Phillips of The Women’s Foundation of Colorado; Damion LeeNatali of Gary Community Investments/The Piton Foundation; Crystal Middlestadt of the Chinook Fund; and David Portillo of The Denver Foundation. The panel was moderated by Neha Mahajan of Transformative Leadership for Change. Click here for the event recording.

Aunty Puanani Burgess, Susan M. Glisson and Liz La quen náay Medicine Crow reflected on their combined 100+ years of activism as women who stood in their power of resistance and defiance against patriarchal systems (the U.S. Navy, the University of Mississippi and the U.S. government, respectively)—and won. Through stories, they shared their wisdom on how to hold many roles (sister, daughter, mother, spouse, friend) while being a torchbearer and finding joy in the struggle. The panel was moderated by Kevin John Fong. Click here for the event recording.

This summit was opened by Meta Sarmiento, an artist, poet, author, teacher and recipient of the 2020 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion award from the Denver Asian American Pacific Islander Commission. Colorado state legislators from both sides of the aisle shared their plans and vision for the 2021 legislative session. Panelsts addressed major issues affecting the state, such as the health and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the budget crisis and the affordable housing crisis. Legislator panelists included Rep. James Coleman, Sen. Julie Gonzales and Rep. Chris Kennedy. The panel was moderated by Carol Hedges, executive director of the Colorado Fiscal Institute. (Note: The Colorado Trust and the Colorado Health Foundation do not support or oppose ballot initiatives, candidates or legislation.) Click here for the event recording.