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Colorado Matters
March 26, 2026: Marking Women's History Month with remarkable Colorado women
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- [00:04]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
What does it take for women to be seen, heard and valued, especially in places that aren't so welcoming?
- [00:10]
Jill Teigen
The opportunity to tell the stories of what women do, what women have accomplished. That goes to lifting all boats.
- [00:17]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
A conversation about power, purpose and belonging. Plus, the first Latina to serve as chief justice of the Colorado Supreme Court has seen a lot of firsts in her life and lots of double takes.
- [00:29]
Monica Marquez
Why? Because I think most people, if they stop and think about it, if you ask them to close their eyes and imagine, what does a Supreme Court justice look like? It is not me.
- [00:39]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
And the legacy of former state lawmaker and first lady of Denver, Wilma Webb.
- [00:44]
Wilma Webb
The reason that I got involved in an active way with politics was because of wanting to make a difference for people.
- [00:52]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
A Women's History Month Special
- [00:57]
Wilma Webb
this is
- [00:57]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
a special Colorado Matters from CPR News and krcc. I'm Chandra Thomas Whitfield. It's Women's History Month, a time to celebrate the accomplishments of women. And what better way to do so than with an intimate conversation with three remarkable women who've been inducted into the Colorado Women's hall of Fame. They've shaped our state through activism, engineering, community building and fierce advocacy. We spoke as the Women's hall of fame marked its 40th anniversary and spoke in December. I'd love to start by giving our listeners a sense of the work that you do now. Let's start with Velveta Golightly Howell. She's the founder and CEO of Sister to Sister, an international network of professional Black women. Hi Velveta.
- [01:40]
Velveta Golightly Howell
Hi there, Chandra. And thank you so much. It is wonderful being here this morning. We are mission to advance equity in all vital aspects of Black women and
- [01:53]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
girls lives equal to okay, moving on to electrical engineer and author Jill Teigen. Welcome, Jill, Good morning.
- [02:00]
Jill Teigen
Thank you, Chandra.
- [02:01]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
You've had such a wide ranging career, engineering, authorship and national advocacy. If you had to sum up your life's work in a sentence or two, how would you describe what ties it together?
- [02:13]
Jill Teigen
I knew early in my career that there weren't very many women in engineering, and I worked many, many years to get more women in engineering. But then I learned that women aren't valued in history. So now my mission is to write all women into history and to advocate for all women.
- [02:32]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
And lastly, Dusty Gorude, president and CEO of Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights. Thanks for being here.
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Dusty Gorude
Yes, thanks. I'm very happy to be here with you all.
- [02:45]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
So your work has touched voting rights, reproductive justice and leadership development. What's the driving force behind your work
- [02:52]
Dusty Gorude
right now, I think it's the same as when our organization was founded 27 years ago, even though we're even under more sort of difficult times. That's a nice way to say it with this current administration, but to continue to ensure that reproductive autonomy is at the center for all policymaking, but also not just stopping there, but how important it is for life. Latinos, Latinas and their families, our families, our community are provided the resources, the access, the safety to make whatever decisions that they want to make, whether they choose to have a child, whether they choose to not have a child, whether they choose to have plenty of children, that they are able to do that in a way free of stigma. We work to ensure that all boats rise, not just one specific boat.
- [03:45]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
Let's talk about the moment each of you found out you were being inducted into the Colorado Women's hall of Fame. Dusty, I heard you were like, wait, already? I have more work to do. Did anyone else feel like Dusty did?
- [03:57]
Velveta Golightly Howell
I actually didn't feel that way because I had been working to enhance the society for Black Americans, in particular, since the time I was 6 years old. So for me, it was not a surprise, necessarily, although it was a great honor and to be selected was an honor.
- [04:24]
Jill Teigen
I agree with Valvetta in some ways. It was absolutely an honor. And I was surprised because I know what I've been doing, but I don't think that other people know. And it wasn't clear to me that other people valued what I was doing.
- [04:39]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
What do you each remember about that induction moment, and did it feel like a recognition of your work or community?
- [04:47]
Dusty Gorude
So two of my best friends nominated me, and so sort of didn't tell me they were nominating me. And then I was like, oh, okay, well, that's kind of a long shot, and not just because I feel like I have a lot more work to do. I guess maybe I hadn't really seen people like me. I guess I like to see myself as a fierce activist, advocate who, you know, likes to push the envelope quite a bit. And that's not to say that any of the other former inductees don't do that or haven't done that. I guess just for me, it was just sort of like, this will be interesting. It was a really exciting moment, sort of a validation. I guess, growing up as an activist, you're sort of in that same kind of people, right? You're around a lot of the same kind of people. And so for this moment of me being inducted, it sort of provided another platform, I think, and broadened the voice and the work that I do and continue to do with other women and people who I hadn't really been around or sort of engaged with. And so that, to me, was really exciting. And I think the work that the hall of Fame continues to do in schools with young people and I think just continuing to engage inductees, I think I'm really excited about is just being part of the network.
- [06:01]
Jill Teigen
Jill I was flattered. I was amazed. I was overwhelmed. I was humbled. And now, like Dusty, I feel very strongly the mission of the Colorado Women's hall of Fame is so important. When women are not in the history books, when their accomplishments are invisible, minimized and marginalized, the opportunity to tell the stories of what women do, what women have accomplished, the value that women provide, that goes to lifting all boats.
- [06:36]
Velveta Golightly Howell
And for me, it was the song One Moment in Time by Whitney Houston, because it gave me the opportunity to honor my father and mother who worked so hard in very tough situations during the time period that they were born, grew up, and then raised us five children. So to be able to honor them and also at the same time, serve as a role model for young black girls and youth and young women was especially gratifying.
- [07:17]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
Let's talk about belonging. Each of you entered spaces and made your mark where women especially, especially women of color weren't always welcomed. Velveta, you talked about feeling isolated at CU Boulder Law School in 1978. What did that lack of belonging look and feel like to you?
- [07:36]
Velveta Golightly Howell
It was horrific, actually. But I had a great group of classmates who came in with me. There were five other classmates who came in with me. And so coming from Alabama, a very nurturing environment, whether it be school, college, church, neighbors, family, it was fine when I first arrived. However, I really was hit hard by the end of our first year because four of my classmates who'd become very good friends, they were expelled. And one was the National Merit finalist who had graduated summa cum laude from her private college in a prestigious college. And so that was especially hard for me and sent me into a state of depression, to be honest with you. And the year was especially traumatizing because that was the year that bakke had been decided. Bakke, B, A K, K, E. And that was a case out of California, University of California's system, where this white man who had applied for meth school was denied, and he filed a reverse discrimination suit, and the Supreme Court actually found in his favor. So that's what made it especially hard my second year Being basically one of two and then just one of five in the entire school.
- [09:23]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
Jill, your world engineering lacked women, period. Do you hear echoes of your experience in what Velveta just shared?
- [09:32]
Jill Teigen
Some of my experiences echo hers. I knew when I entered the University of Virginia, the third year that women were admitted as undergraduate students, period, that there weren't very many women at the University of Virginia to do my bachelor's degree. I say sometimes I'm fortunate, or at least I am blessed, whatever the right word is, with two younger brothers, one of which teases me unmercifully. The other one says he doesn't. But that experience enabled me to get through engineering school and to graduate in a class of 220 with seven women. Now, I thought that there were plenty of other women in engineering, just not at the University of Virginia when I graduated in 1976. But then I entered the workforce, and there weren't any women there in engineering. And so in 1979, I found the Society of Women Engineers, which has been my primary support group, my family, my network, my nurturing environment to keep me going all of these years.
- [10:38]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
Have things truly changed, or does the isolation just look and feel different now?
- [10:44]
Dusty Gorude
I think my. And I love hearing the stories of my fellow inductees here. I think my sort of moments of isolation, one being oftentimes the only Latina leading, like, nonprofits, right? But I think also the issue area where I work in reproductive rights and justice and the issue around, like, abortion, like that was always sort of the. Nobody ever wanted to say the word. And so I think that isolation, I think sort of in parallel, like, you're sort of outed, right? You sort of have to keep pushing, find your people, and again, continue to just persevere. Because I think both of you have done that in your fields. And I think if you look at where we are as a community, as a state, when it comes to reproductive rights, we've also progressed. I mean, we have elected officials that actually talk about the issue sometimes. They're not always the best and, you know, strongest advocates. But I feel like there's moments that as long as we continue to push, stay true to who we are, stay, you know, sort of values aligned with what we're doing, essentially, it's like putting a line in the sand, right? Like, this is who we are, this is what we do, this is what we're going to continue to do, then it changes. But then that also, I mean, we see there's so much like, misogyny and continued attacks on women's voice. So it's like we take a step forward and then we have to take two back. But as long as we just keep taking those steps forward.
- [12:17]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
Each of you built your own community within your networks to foster a sense of belonging. Velveta, share with us your thoughts about the importance of lifting others up. Some call it lifting as you climb.
- [12:30]
Velveta Golightly Howell
Well, thank you for that question, Chandra. I think it is essential if you're really going to have a quality life and a quality of life. I see too many people who do not believe that lifting others is something that they should be doing. So for me, we are all in the same space. We are all one. We come from the same original woman, and we have to find ways to just look at each other and identify with each other. If you don't necessarily physically resemble someone, talk to that person and there is a likelihood, actually a probability, that you'll find commonality.
- [13:23]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
Anyone want to jump in on that?
- [13:25]
Jill Teigen
The word commonality is so important. My mother never met a stranger, and of course, as a child, that was mortifying to me. There was no one that was ever a stranger. But I got it. I have it now, and I'm very grateful that I ended up with that skill and that I'm able to establish bonds with other people. I wouldn't have made it through my life or my career if I hadn't had commonalities, if I hadn't had community, if I hadn't had a support network. People who understood the kinds of experiences that I was having because they were having them, too. And then not having to prove myself over and over and over again, at least in one venue in my life where I was just accepted for who I was.
- [14:15]
Dusty Gorude
Yeah, I think it's important to find those spaces with people. Like, find your people right where you can be vulnerable. Because oftentimes we can't be when we're in our, you know, sort of positions or work mode or at the Capitol, you know, like, we need to find those spaces because we're human, too.
- [14:38]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
Duste Gurule, Velveta Golightly Howe and Jill Teigen are in the Colorado Women's hall of Fame. When we return, how writing Women into History Became a Personal mission. I'm Chandra Thomas Whitfield. This is Colorado Matters and a special Women's History Month special from CPR News and krcc.
- [14:59]
Monica Marquez
Each day I live I want to be A day to give the best of me I'm only one but not alone My finest day is yet unknown I broke my heart for every gain to taste the sweet I face the pain I rise and fall. Yet through it all, this much remains. I want one moment in time when I
- [15:55]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
For Women's History Month, we're sharing the stories of three inductees of the Colorado Women's hall of Fame. Velveta Gelightly Howell is the founder and CEO of Sister to Sister, an international network of professional Black women. Jill Teigen is an electrical engineer and author. And Dusty Garulay is president and CEO of the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights. Now they discuss the challenges they faced and what it takes to continue making progress. Jill, you've made a career of writing women into history because you didn't see those stories being told in textbooks. How has that shaped the way you think about the women who will come behind you?
- [16:39]
Jill Teigen
Well, I want to encourage the women who come behind us. I want them to understand also that the fight that it took to get to where we are and the fight that we are currently in and the fact that they can do the things that they want to do, they can follow their dreams, they can achieve. There was a survey done for one of the projects that I was involved with of eighth grade students in Boston, and those young women said, don't call anybody in history extraordinary because I'm not extraordinary and I can't be extraordinary. That's a very important place to understand. And what they said was, but I do want to change the world. So show me women who have changed the world, because that I can aspire to do. And so that's what I do. I show them women who have changed the world, who have accomplishments, who've made things better. Okay, we can say probably some of them were a little extraordinary, but we are just not going to use that word. We're just going to show them as people because that's all we are, the three of us. On this conversation with you today, we're just people. And anyone can aspire to do the things that we are doing and have done.
- [18:05]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
We're celebrating progress at a moment when many women feel their rights are being very publicly challenged. Are any of you feeling any anxiety about the status of progress of women right now?
- [18:18]
Dusty Gorude
Yes, absolutely. Yes. Because I work in politics and policy, and I think this next election is going to be the primary. I mean, Colorado, we're going to elect all new offices, governor, secretary of state, attorney general, state treasurer, a handful, a good number of folks in the state legislature will be termed out. And so we'll have this next session is going to be a real important sort of moment. I think in our current history of politics and what this means for everyday people in Colorado. How are we going to show up to continue to support everyone who lives in Colorado, regardless of where they came from, regardless of what language they speak? We can't afford to go backwards. It's exhausting, but it's also necessary. Like, we need to keep fighting.
- [19:11]
Velveta Golightly Howell
And, Dusty, while I hear what you're saying, and I agree that we have to keep fighting, I would, however, say that I don't feel anxious, I don't feel fearful. I feel as though this is a time for people to wake up because we have gone backwards. If you were to look at the Civil Rights act of 1964, which opened the door for women, for immigrants, for so many different populations, based upon the blood that was shed and the tears that flowed, you will see that we have done a lot of regression. And people are being forced to wake up. They're also being forced to understand the power of synergy, that no individual person or group can do it alone. So for me, it's about helping others understand that really, in the past, there's been a lot of anxiety, there's been a lot of fear, but that did not stop my people from doing what they needed to do over centuries.
- [20:26]
Jill Teigen
And I don't feel anxious either. But people say to me, what can we do right now? And I say, well, one of the things that I know is that the work that I'm doing to write women into history, all women into history, is incredibly important. And so I'm not losing sight of that.
- [20:45]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
You all kind of touched on this a little bit. But do younger women face a different kind of barrier than your generation did?
- [20:53]
Velveta Golightly Howell
I think they face the same type of barriers, but oftentimes they don't understand
- [20:58]
Jill Teigen
or they don't know or they don't believe.
- [21:01]
Velveta Golightly Howell
Yes, that's it. They don't know, they don't believe. But they are facing the same type of barriers that we did. But I think that they are less equipped to deal with the situations because we, as parents, grandparents, whatever, have not developed them in a way that they can recognize the barriers. That's one thing that I've always done and continue to do with my mentees. I have quite a few young and younger women of all different races, ethnicities, disability statuses, whatever. What I always try to do is talk to them about the barriers. Let's work through right now. What are you going through? Do you see that as a barrier? Okay, you see it as a barrier. Now how are you going to get around or across the barrier?
- [22:00]
Dusty Gorude
I think for a lot of the young women that we work with at color, we have a couple leadership programs. A lot of them are facing, I would say, different types of barriers because they have their families of mixed status. And so oftentimes they are the translator, the negotiator of systems that are difficult to begin with. And so, I mean, I think if you look back in time, communities of color have always faced barriers and challenges and been targeted for different things. And so I think for young people, I think they see the possibility. And I've seen that in, you know, a lot of the young women who have come through our programs and who have graduated, they kind of have to grow up faster than they would want to. I'm sure they would want to, you know, have fun with their friends, but they probably have to go home because both their parents are working. And by me saying this, that's not to say that there's not hope and possibility, but I think we have to realize what people are facing, what young brown kids are facing these days. It's different.
- [23:07]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
You all spoke about barriers. Could you name one barrier that persists across every generation?
- [23:13]
Jill Teigen
Well, I think there's a societal barrier against women, not valuing women in addition to the color barriers. So we women tend to be viewed as second class citizens. Not as capable, not as smart, not as, fill in the blank, too emotional. Yeah, of course. Too emotional, not rational, all of those things. When I believe, in fact, that women are absolutely as capable as men.
- [23:43]
Velveta Golightly Howell
And I actually believe that women oftentimes are more capable than men, but they don't have the confidence to stand up and share their voices. And rather they sit quietly because they think that that quietness will protect them, when in actuality, in my view, it only harms them because they are not seen. You have to be seen in order to be effective. You have to be seen to activate any movement and to continue the agitation. Without that, you will never, ever be as effective as you can be. And, you know, I always go back to black women and girls in particular. The barriers that have existed now for over 400 years. While we would like to think things have gotten better, the institutional and systemic barriers that confront us because of our black skin, they exist. They are constantly tearing us apart. We endure weathering and a lot of people just have given up and they say no more. I just can't deal with it anymore. And we lose a lot of value when it comes to women and the things that we can do.
- [25:15]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
Let's fast forward. The hall of fame turns 80 in 2065. Imagine a young woman listening to this conversation 40 years from today. What do you hope she sees in the hall of Fame and in Colorado at that time?
- [25:33]
Jill Teigen
What I hope is different than what I think. So what I hope is that she is relieved that the kinds of situations that we're talking about are completely in the rearview mirror. But having been active in recruiting women into science, technology, engineering and mathematics for more than 45 years, which is more than the 40 year horizon that you have given us, and having graduated from College next year, 50 years ago, the progress has been so slow. And I mean, we're still not at 20% of the engineering workforce that's female, 45 years, more than 45 years of my life that I've worked on increasing that number.
- [26:19]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
Dusty, if you could leave one message about courage, community or purpose to a young woman, what would you say?
- [26:30]
Dusty Gorude
I would say to always trust yourself. Don't give up on yourself. Believe in yourself. And then people will. You'll find your people and they'll help you continue to move forward.
- [26:47]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
And I can feel and see and hear the passion in your voice when you say that. Jill, what would you say?
- [26:55]
Jill Teigen
I would say many of the same things. If you don't believe in yourself, who is going to believe in you? Who is going to follow you? So it's really the same message that Dusty had.
- [27:07]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
And Velveta, you said you have all these mentees, so you probably have this conversation quite often. Send us home with that message.
- [27:17]
Velveta Golightly Howell
Courage, community and purpose are all intersected. Look at each of them. Understand that courage allows you to know your purpose. Purpose allows you to build community. And it's cyclical. It's continual. That is what I would say.
- [27:42]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
Wow. You each have carved totally different paths through engineering, activism and law, but the connections between your stories are powerful. Thank you all for sharing your wisdom and honesty with us.
- [27:56]
Velveta Golightly Howell
Thank you, Chandra.
- [27:57]
Dusty Gorude
Thank you. Appreciate you inviting us here.
- [28:00]
Jill Teigen
Thank you so much for having us.
- [28:02]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
Velveta Gelightly Howe is the founder and CEO of Sister to Sister, an international network of professional black women. Jill Teigen is an electrical engineer and author. And Duste Karule is president and CEO of the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights. We spoke in December as the Colorado Women's hall of fame marked its 40th anniversary. Our special Women's History Month special continues after the break. I'm Chandra Thomas Whitfield. This is Colorado Matters on CPR News and krcc. When Monica Marquez was sworn in as the new chief justice on the Colorado Supreme Court, in 2024, she made history as the first Latina to take on that role.
- [28:46]
Monica Marquez
You know, the journey has been winding. It has been intense at times, it has been full of joy at times. It has been a lot of confronting challenges and overcoming them. And so I try very hard to pause and reflect and consider all the many blessings in my life and all of the many people who have helped me get to where I am, because I certainly haven't accomplished all of that on my own. I've been surrounded by an amazing family, a rock solid spouse, and just wonderful, wonderful people, both at the Attorney General's office and here at Judicial.
- [29:26]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
What was it like growing up on the Western Slope and what do you remember most about it?
- [29:33]
Monica Marquez
I am so grateful for my upbringing on the Western Slope. I was just in Grand Junction a few weeks ago at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the brand new Grand Junction High School. The revealing of this wonderful sculpture out front. Two of my classmates from the class of 87 work as administrators at the high school now both as vice principals. I still have friendships with them and ties to them. I no longer have immediate family members who live in the Grand Junction area, but I do everything I can to get back there. Why? Because those values that I had instilled in me as a kid, I carry with me every day. My younger sister and I spent our childhoods camping and hiking and fishing up on Grand Mesa. I spent a few summers in high school driving tractors in Palisade, in the peach orchards. Oh, for sure. And I care very, very deeply about the community and all that it represents. So it was a very special place to grow up.
- [30:32]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
How would you say it has shaped who you are today?
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Monica Marquez
You know, I would say there are some really wonderful family oriented and conservative values on the Western side that I carry with me again every day. I think where it has come up in my current line of work is I grew up outside the Denver metro area where a lot of the attitude is what are those knuckleheads in Denver telling us what to do either coming out of the Capitol or whoever's at the power center here in Denver when those folks have no connection to what life is really like on the Western Slope. So that's the attitude that I was raised with. And it comes up sometimes in water law cases. As you can imagine, there's there are always perennial tensions between how we use water here in Colorado. Most of our people happen to be on the Front Range, but most of our water supply flows to the west on the other side of the Continental Divide. So Those tensions have gone back for literally more than 100 years. But I bring that life experience and that perspective when we sit down and deal with water law cases, along with everything else about growing up on the Western Slope. It doesn't change ultimately the law. I have to always apply the law in a given case, but I bring that life experience to the table when we confront these issues.
- [32:01]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
Your father, Jose DL Marquez, was the first Latino judge of the Colorado Court of Appeals. How old were you when he was appointed and what do you remember about that time? Was it like, oh, that's just dad at work, or was it a defining
- [32:17]
Monica Marquez
moment for you, the real first he made or. The first first was in 1984. He was appointed the first Latino district court judge in Mesa County District Court. I was in eighth grade back in 1984, and at the time, frankly, it was a real downer for my social life because anytime you're the kid, well, anytime you're the kid of a judge, you can't afford to get in trouble. So nobody wanted to hang out with me because I was the judge's kid. You know, you sort of navigate. On top of everything else you have to navigate in junior high, you had to navigate that kind of strangeness, too. And then he was elevated to the Court of appeals in 1988. And I will say that caused a lot of upheaval in our family just because we were so grounded in Grand Junction. And that promotion, if you will, forced him and my mom at the time to move up and over the mountains to Denver to be on this side. And it was traumatic, honestly, for the family to leave behind all of those family connections. It was something that I think weighed heavily on him and my mom. And certainly I at the time I was a freshman in college. I had just left Grand Junction to go to college, and then all sudden my home was no longer my home. They up and moved over to Denver. So I felt very displaced and in my selfish 18 year old mind was like, what are you doing, dad? Looking back now, I realize what an amazing move that was for him, how powerful and important it was for him to be a first in that regard. And certainly by the time I graduated law school several years later, he had now roots in the Denver legal community and helped me find my way as a brand new baby lawyer. I'm obviously eternally grateful for that. Wow.
- [34:08]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
Was that the foundation for you deciding to pursue a career in law?
- [34:14]
Monica Marquez
No, I often joke. So my mom was a public school teacher, dad was a lawyer, and the two things I swore as a kid that I would never be when I grew up was a teacher or a lawyer. And, of course, the very first thing I did after I graduated college was I became a teacher with a Jesuit volunteer corps. And then those experiences teaching were what, frankly, inspired me to go to law school. So I eventually became a lawyer. I realize now and fully admit, obviously, the influence both of my parents had on me, but I was unwilling to admit that as a teenager.
- [34:49]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
It was really interesting that you did both. I mean, I did both chose one, but you did both.
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Monica Marquez
I did both.
- [34:56]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
You've been very clear in stating as a judge, your role is to be neutral, fair, and impartial. Quote, I do not represent any constituency. Like all of my colleagues, I bring my professional life experiences to the table. But your recent appointments have been historic. And, in fact, you've lamented that countless community groups regularly invite you to speak and talk about that. And you said, I guess that's what happens when, quote, you are the young, gay, Catholic Latina from the Western Slope. But you have also said the historic distinctions are not lost on you. What do you make of it all?
- [35:36]
Monica Marquez
It is an enormous opportunity and an enormous responsibility. I realized that I shoulder the hopes of dreams of so many others, and that's something that I'm conscious of every day. I carry that with me. And I think anybody who has been a first in any kind of role recognizes that weight and that responsibility. It's the added pressure of, I cannot fail, because if I do, then sort of close the door behind me for others. So you want to make sure that you at least leave that door open so that even though you're the first, you won't be the last. And that's a pressure that you just walk around with every day. It's also an opportunity because the number of times I have surprised people by saying I am a Supreme Court justice and sort of change their minds about who a Supreme Court justice can be. Amazing. And one of the most wonderful things I get to do as a Supreme Court justice is bring students who are taking tours of the building, I get to bring them up to the fourth floor and show them my chambers. And then I always end the tour by bringing them into the courtroom. And depending on the size of the group, if it's not overwhelming when there's a justice in the house, I get to give them permission to actually go up and sit in our chairs on the bench. And there's no greater joy than seeing the face of a student, whether they're 8 years old or 18 years old sitting where I sit and getting to see the courtroom from my perspective and just seeing the look on their faces and their heads exploding, I would imagine. And it is, it's amazing because to allow a student to literally inhabit that space and see the courtroom from my point of view, I think hopefully opens imaginations and the realm of possibility for people that might not have imagined those things before. And if somewhere along the way I've inspired some student to pursue a career in law or some would be law student to pursue a career on the judiciary, then I've kept that door open.
- [37:52]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
Monica Marquez is the first Latina to serve as chief justice of the Colorado Supreme Court. We spoke in 2024, just after she was sworn in. This is a Women's History Month special from Colorado Matters on CPR News and krcc. Today, we're sharing the stories of remarkable women as we close out Women's History Month. Former state lawmaker and first lady of Denver, Wilma Webb has worked in public service most of her life. We spoke last March. Where does one begin? Six terms in the Colorado House of Representatives. You've served as a Democratic committee woman, district captain, and you were elected secretary and editor for the Colorado Democratic Party. Add to that former first lady of Denver, the first African American to serve in that role, of course, as the wife of Denver's first African American mayor, Wellington Webb, who was elected in 1991. What comes to mind when you think of all that you've done over the course of your life and career?
- [38:54]
Wilma Webb
First of all, I think the reason that I got involved in an active way with politics was because of wanting to make a difference for people. It isn't an area that I dreamed about as a child or as a young woman or as a young person in college or anything like that. But it was like there were needs of people. And I was particularly moved in the 1960s, particularly 1968, to be involved with making a difference in the lives of people who didn't have a voice. Even before becoming all of those officers for the Democratic Party, I was actually involved in the community on the issue of education. And so that has led to my whole life being committed to the issues of the day, to trying to change the law, to trying to be there for people who have had distress in their lives, trying to make business opportunities for people, trying to take care of the poor. And so all of it sort of landed in my lap because I was just trying as a person, first of all, just to make a difference. And then finally, I did run for public office.
- [40:08]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
When you say you didn't dream of this as a child, do you think it was because you were told or felt that you couldn't serve in that way, or was it just that this evolved and you realized, this is the way I will fulfill this goal to help and serve.
- [40:26]
Wilma Webb
I was a good student while I was in school, and my parents were both very instrumental in making sure that we did the kinds of things as best as they could to make their children successful. And so I was like president of my class and I was an honorary cadet, which was quite an honor back at the time that I was in high school. And so when I had my children, it was the year that Rachel Noel was the first African American member of the Denver Public School Board. And the issue of course then was that the schools had been in Denver, segregated on a de facto basis. And so she carried, when Dr. King was assassinated, a new law and a new way and direction of integrating the schools in Denver. And of course the common term was busing. But she was sort of like a lone voice, but really did make a difference because her resolution did pass. And so I was one of those parents who had young children in elementary school, and I was a spokesperson for a group of young parents and young people to make a difference because it was discovered that the schools did not have the same kind of equal opportunity that the other schools in Denver had where most minority students were going to be able to access the kinds of things like a fair distribution of veteran teachers and new teachers curriculum that would be available, such as our schools in the neighborhoods where we lived only had three foreign languages that you could take in junior and senior high school. But other schools had five and six and seven languages that were available for them to take. And. And the distribution of business equipment for those students who were interested in business was not available. We didn't know that we were being shortchanged until we got older. And so I was involved with that long before I ran for office. But I think that I had a good background in terms of what I was learning at home and in terms of the ambitions that I had, believing always that I was just like anybody else. That's what I always believed.
- [42:47]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
To your tenure in the House, you introduced and passed bills to establish long term home health care for senior citizens, drug treatment care for assistance to substance abusers. Also school reform. Anything stand out as something you are most proud of out of all of
- [43:06]
Wilma Webb
that, what I was really proud of in the legislature because I had two years as both being first lady and as Being elected to the Colorado house, and we were having substance abuse issues going on, particularly in minority communities. At that time. I carried the law that allowed for having drug treatment programs in the state of Colorado. We did not have that law before I carried it. I've had many people who have stopped me, many experts in the area of treatment programs to come up to me and thank me for carrying that legislation, because it really did make a difference in terms of the criminal aspect, that drug abuse was a physical health issue that needed to be dealt with. And so it's made a difference. I feel very proud about that legislation. And so that bill, along with the drug treatment bill, along with the Dr. King bill and the full day kindergarten bill, which I was very proud of, too.
- [44:10]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
One of the biggest measures you are known for is your fight for Colorado to adopt the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, which you finally succeeded at in 1984. What do you remember about that fight?
- [44:25]
Wilma Webb
Oh, that fight could require writing a book about it.
- [44:32]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
Maybe that's what you need to be doing.
- [44:34]
Monica Marquez
I think I.
- [44:35]
Wilma Webb
Everyone tells me I should write my book. There are many, many components of what happened in terms of getting the Dr. King holiday adopted. There were attempts before I got there. It took me four different attempts, four different years, and they were all different, and they were all very difficult. It was an educational process. There are stories to tell on each one. The first year that I carried it, I was preparing for the committee hearing, and I was sitting in my office and I heard these voices, and they were also chanting. They were saying, holiday, holiday, Martin Luther King holiday. And I looked out my window, and there were about 300 young people coming down Colfax Avenue under the name of a group called umoja. And I'm saying, oh, my God, this is what a coincidence. Because I did not realize that that many people were going to be coming down demanding a holiday for Dr. King. And it was coincidental that my bill was being heard that day. And so they all came into the capitol, and of course, all the people that were elected to office were coming back for commercial committee meetings and hearings. And so I invited them all in to a crowded, overcrowded, not fitting. Would not take all of these people who had come down to testify to say, we want a holiday because Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Deserves an American holiday. And so we came in, and then the chairman of the committee was just overwhelmed. He wasn't expecting anything like that. And so what happened was he took the bill off of the table and said, well, we're not going to vote on this today. And that was just to move the bill from the committee to the House floor for all of the members to consider it. So he took it off the table. And so then he said, we'll reschedule another meeting. And of course, he didn't think all of those people would come back the second time.
- [46:58]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
That and they had a heads up now.
- [47:01]
Wilma Webb
They were a welcome. And he was taking testimony for those who were supportive of Dr. King's holiday and those who were opposed. And there was not one witness that came in to testify against the Dr. King holiday. And so all of these people were having to be recognized if they wanted to witness or to speak in behalf of the holiday. That was the first time. And then it died. It died and it died on a straight party line vote. It was a very, very educating, very tense, full of people who had never had people of color to speak to them in terms of seriousness, very little knowledge about Dr. King. Some people were embarrassed because of what had happened in America to black people and white people who had supported racism. Some people tried to make light of it because they didn't want it to be. Are you serious? Of course we're serious.
- [48:13]
Chandra Thomas Whitfield
Former state lawmaker and first lady of Denver, Wilma Webb, speaking with me last March. Thanks for joining us for this Women's History Month special. Special thanks to executive producer Carl Bielick. I'm Chandra Thomas Whitfield. This is Colorado Matters from CPR News and krcc.
- [48:37]
Wilma Webb
It.