About

Mission Statement: The Community Equity Coalition catalyzes a more positive future for the Chaffee County community by raising awareness and mobilizing around equity issues including racism, class, and gender/sexuality.

Systemic racism is pervasive in our world, our country, in Colorado, and in Chaffee County. It is part of our history and institutions…it is embedded in each of us. But as current events have shown, silence is no longer an option. We must speak openly and honestly about racism and inequality. And we must work together for change. Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) have been subject to harassment, hate, and threats - here in Salida, in Poncha Springs, and in BV. They do not always experience Chaffee County as a safe place to live. That is something that should feel personal to all of us.

We are a gathering space for folks to come together to talk about equity issues. We listen to the voices of the marginalized and bring those stories to the fore. Our lens is intersectional, we understand that everyone has their own unique experiences with discrimination and oppression and we acknowledge overlapping identities of race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class, ability, age, parental status, and immigration status. While our mission is evolving, our vision is clear, we are mobilizing around positive systemic change in our county and using measures of accountability as our guide. We’re calling on our leaders to take practical action and work towards solving these systemic problems of racism and inequity.