Civil Rights History in Fort Collins#
Draft Comment Period Closed
The comment period for the draft historic context documents has closed - However, you can still read and access the draft on the project's OurCity page. Thank you for your interest!
This page is dedicated to the study of the people, organizations, and most importantly, places, that Fort Collins residents have advocated for their civil rights since the creation of Fort Collins in the 1860s. In 2022, the Colorado State Historical Fund awarded the City of Fort Collins a grant of $86,600 to study the history of various civil rights movements in the city since its foundation, document the people and organizations that fought for equality and justice in the community, and to identify places where that fight took place that may be worthy of preserving for future generations.
This phase of the project will focus on the civil rights history of seven primary groups:
- Indigenous people
- Women
- Black/African Americans
- Hispanic/Latinx
- Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders
- LGBTQ+ individuals
- Religious minorities
This page is the hub for this project, and will include progress reports and ongoing updates about how Fort Collins residents can get involved with helping tell this important story.
Get Involved and Stay Informed!#
Visit the Fort Collins civil rights historic context OurCity project site for additional information and to find ways to get involved.
Civil Rights History Community Meeting#
A community meeting was held July 27, 2022 to kick off this project. People learned about what a historic context is, the intended goals for this project, and asked City staff and McDoux Preservation consultants questions.
You can watch a video of the meeting here and read a summary of the Q&A portion of the meeting here, o en español here.
Share your personal or family story with our research team
We'd love to hear about how you, your family, friends, and colleagues have participated in fighting for civil rights in Fort Collins. If you are interested in sharing, please email Historic Preservation Services at preservation@fcgov.com.
Why Now?#
In the last several years, there have been many cases of well-publicized civil rights violations across the country, new challenges to rights that were gained decades ago, and increases in hate crimes across multiple communities over the last two decades. This project about Fort Collins residents have sought greater civil rights and recognition of human rights over the last two centuries is an important background context for contemporary events. It is the City's hope that this project will:
- Document the full histories of our community and share them with as broad an audience as possible;
- Allow residents of Fort Collins to educate and share with each other about the diversity of their positive and negative experiences since the community's foundation;
- Honor and remember the sacrifices of those who fought for civil rights throughout our community's history, including the Arapahoe, Cheyenne, and other native people who were forcibly removed from their homeland;
- Preserve the places where people made these stories and fought these battles, through recognition and protection under the City's historic preservation ordinance.
- Inform related city policies