The 2016 presidential election created a flashpoint in the way many people across the country perceive the world. The same was true in Boulder County.
“It’s one of those moments in contemporary history when all of our values are drawn into question,” said Nicole Melaku, Executive Director of the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC).
CIRC is a statewide, membership-based coalition of immigrant, faith, labor, youth, community, business and ally organizations founded in 2002 to improve the lives of immigrants and refugees by making Colorado a more welcoming, immigrant-friendly state.
If our openness to marginalized communities is an indication of our values, we’ve got some work to do locally.
The most marginalized of Boulder County’s residents continue to be racial and ethnic minorities and immigrants from other countries, according to respondents to the Community Foundation Boulder County’s 2017 survey on civic participation and giving.
We are also a less welcoming community to senior citizens than we used to be, according to the survey. However, we are reportedly very open to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
We continue to have high volunteer rates, especially amongst older, middle- and upper-class women. But as generous as we are with our time, we are stingy with our money when it comes to giving to nonprot causes. We give less as a percentage of our income than two thirds of Colorado counties, in a state that gives less than all other Western states.
Why don’t we give more? Respondents to our survey continue to say it’s mainly because they can’t afford it, or they volunteer their time or administrative costs are too high. And while the idea that people in Boulder County don’t need it remains the last reason given, more than three times as many respondents added that rationale to their list compared to the survey two years before.
