June is Pride Month! In this very difficult year of setbacks from the White House, Congress and the Supreme Court, Pride is a welcome opportunity for celebration, joy, solidarity, resistance and allyship. Denver Pride is this weekend at Civic Center Park with the parade on Sunday. Learn more at https://denverpride.org/
Today, on the 10-year anniversary of the Supreme Court's Obergefell decision requiring states to recognize same-sex marriage, we know that progress toward equality for the LGBTQ+ community has to be zealously protected and promoted. The recent Supreme Court decision allowing states to deny transgender youth the health care they need makes that all too clear.
This moment calls for compassion, courage, and collective action. The Center on Colfax suggests a few ways you can help:
- Support organizations on the frontlines of providing gender-affirming care, including: Youth Seen, Black Pride Colorado, One Colorado, and Transgender Center of the Rockies. Their work is critical and lifesaving
- Contact your elected officials. Tell local, state, and federal representatives you support access to gender-affirming care and oppose bans that harm LGBTQ+ youth.
- Educate yourself and others. Learn about gender-affirming care from reputable sources like the American Academy of Pediatrics, and challenge misinformation.
Welcoming Spotlight
Epitome of Black Excellence & Partnership
The Epitome of Black Excellence and Partnership advances a dual mission rooted in restoration and collective liberation.
- Black Excellence – We REAP: Restore, Elevate, Acknowledge, and Protege Black Excellence in our city. Black brilliance has always been the foundation of innovation and sustainability in society. Yet too often, these contributions—past and present—are erased, overlooked, or silenced. We work to uncover, uplift, and celebrate the legacy and living power of Black Excellence.
- Partnership – We cultivate intentional partnerships that invite non-Black communities into authentic proximity with Black culture and leadership
The Epitome of Black Excellence and Partnership CEO, MiDian Shofner, is featured in a new documentary that tackles one of the most pressing issues of our time. Youth violence. This film shines a light on the real stories, the hard truths, and the people who refuse to look away. MiDian’s voice joins a chorus of leaders and survivors demanding that we stop treating youth violence as someone else’s problem.
You are invited to a special screening of Breaking the Cycle: Stories of Strength and Survival of Gun Violence, where the purpose isn’t entertainment, it’s engagement. The film is brought to you by VIBEE, an organization being curated and led by our youth, unparalleled in our city. The screening will be followed by an intentional space for conversation, connection, and community commitment.
ACTION: Stop Federal Vouchers
Efforts to privatize education have a long dark history and are as widespread now as at any time in recent history. Voucher programs take scarce public dollars and put them into private, unaccountable institutions, to the detriment of public education.
Notably, Colorado voters have rejected voucher schemes time and time again, most recently just last year.
But will vouchers be imposed on Colorado by Congress?
A massive federal voucher program just passed the U.S. House of Representatives as part of the budget bill. Now it's headed to the U.S. Senate. Please use the form below to tell Senator Bennet and Senator Hickenlooper to take the lead to stop this privatization boondoggle.
The program is a tax-shelter scam that would create a 100% tax break for the wealthy, allowing them to divert their taxes to private schools with zero accountability or transparency. Just like Arizona's voucher program, this federal voucher would predominantly benefit students already attending (and already affording) private schools.
Here's a quick, easy and effective way to take action:
Share Your Stories & Content
The ESWN is a network of networks -- a web of diverse organizations and people united in their conviction to make public education more welcoming and equitable for all students. Each of you brings unique experiences and stories to this space, and we want you to share them.
If you wish to submit for the ESWN newsletter or website, click the button below. Make sure to read the options thoroughly.
Welcome News
Watch this space for announcements about the progress made by the Every Student Welcome Network! This month, we are proud to say that a number of organizations have stepped up as Subject Matter Experts in such issue areas as special education, parent engagement, school funding, anti-racism, equitable CTE and community schools. The resources they are curating will be available this summer on the ESWN website and will be highlighted at the ESWN Summit this fall. Stay tuned!
If you haven't already filled out the application to join the Network and benefit from the resource being compiled, here's your chance.
Resources & Articles
- Read the most recent CIRC Newsletter.
- Soul 2 Soul Sisters has launched The Black Love Agenda: A Listening Tour for Black Beloveds! We are proud to share their digital survey.
- Positive Conditions for Mathematics Learning: An Overview of the Research
- Trump moved fast and broke things in education. But what he’s creating isn’t clear.
- Impact of the U.S. House Reconciliation bill on K-12
- ILRC Red Cards
- EXECUTIVE ACTIONS CHART: EducationCounsel’s
Summary and Analysis of Trump Administration Executive Actions Impacting Education (through April 25, 2025) - Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights' Education Task Force Resource Library, including resources on: Disability Justice; Gender Justice (Including LGBTQ+ Justice); Immigrant Justice; Public Education; and Racial Justice.
- Popular Democracy's monthly meetings intended to give training on how to take action to support public education.
- #SaveOurStudents: Advocacy Toolkit to Organize for Success
- One page report on the Impact of the U.S. Department of Education Funding on Colorado.
- A Gutted Education Department’s New Agenda: Roll Back Civil Rights Cases, Target Transgender Students
We look forward to working with you to build the movement for vibrant, well-funded, and welcoming schools in every Colorado community.
Appreciatively,
The Every Student Welcome Network Team
