Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb is a huge supporter of Black History Month and lessons that introduce young people to the lives and work of national black innovators and leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. But he also believes people should learn about Barney Ford, an escaped slave who became a businessman and civil rights pioneer in Colorado and who opposed statehood in the 1860s until African-Americans were allowed to vote.
The place to go in Denver to learn about Ford and many other African-Americans who have had an impact on the history and culture of Colorado and the West is the Blair-Caldwell branch of the Denver Public Library in the Five Points neighborhood. The library boasts an African-American museum on the third floor and is one of only four African-American Research Libraries in the country.
Blair-Caldwell is a great place to bring children to learn about the influence of African-Americans in Denver “because much of that history is located within the four walls of this building,” Webb said.
The branch opened in 2003, but is already in need of improvements such as a new heating and cooling system as well as materials and hardware. The Denver Public Library is working to secure about $3 million in taxpayer funds in the 2017 General Obligation Bond that will go to voters in November. The branch library is not on the list of recommendations that would be presented to voters in 2017, but that list can be amended before the election. Several other branch libraries as well as the central library are included on the list of recommendations.
If Blair-Caldwell isn’t included as part of the bond, Denver Public Library could seek capital improvement funds through the city’s yearly budget, but that would likely mean a more piecemeal approach to sprucing things up.
“I am 100 percent committed to making sure Blair-Caldwell receives the improvements it needs, but also that it continues to have black heritage and culture,” Denver City Councilman Albus Brooks said.
The library and Webb have hosted informational meetings to share what the improvements and changes could bring to the library. Webb said some community members were concerned the library might reduce its focus on African-American heritage in the Five Points community, but city librarian Michelle Jeske said that is not the case.
“It’s a historic neighborhood where we will continue to celebrate the heritage of African-Americans,” Jeske said of the library — named for Omar Blair, a Tuskegee airman who was the first African-American president of the Denver Public Schools board, and Elvin Caldwell, Denver’s first African-American city councilor. “It really is an amazing hub of activities for the African-American community throughout the metro area.”
Concern about any changes in the library’s cultural direction stem from a changing community. Five Points is undergoing robust development and the percentage of black residents is dropping.
In the early to mid-20th century, Five Points was a hub of black culture in Denver and boasted a top-flight jazz scene that produced several talented musicians and attracted the likes of Count Basie and Duke Ellington. Many believe the library can help preserve that culture.
“(Development is) good, positive social growth, but what it does is eliminate the history, and the library keeps that there,” said Pastor Robert Woolfork, who has been a leader at Agape Christian Church in the neighborhood for 40 years. “If we tear things down and rebuild, people can easily forget what was, but the library is a way to substantiate the other kinds of things that were there.”
John Hayden, president of Curtis Park Neighbors within Five Points, agrees and notes that the library may provide some of the most important services of any branch in the city, particularly in regards to its work with the local homeless community.
“It serves a far greater function than a standard library would be expected to serve. It goes above and beyond,” Hayden said. “It creates a level of respect and helps ensure that the people who are moving here understand the importance of African-American heritage in this neighborhood. Hopefully it encourages African-Americans to stay or move to the neighborhood.”
The library sees about 135,000 visitors per year, including groups of school children who focus on the third-floor museum that gives a glimpse of African-American life in the West in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The museum also chronicles the history and growth of Denver from the early settlements through the election of Webb as Denver’s first African-American mayor.
Webb donated much of his personal library to the archives at Blair-Caldwell as well as furniture from Mayor Robert Speer’s office that Webb preserved during his tenure. Webb and his wife, Wilma, remain the branch’s biggest supporters with the Friends of Blair-Caldwell African-American Research Library and he hopes to see the library and its collection grow.
“I think a lot of people who come here from other cities for conventions, it’s on everyone’s list. They come by here,” Webb said. “What we need to do is generate that same kind of enthusiasm and support for those that live in other parts of the city. That’s not to suggest that they don’t have a great library in their community in their neighborhood as well. What they don’t have is a national African-American research library.”
