Colorado Black Community Engagement Coalition

04/14/2026

12/21/2025

A Town Hall in Name Only: Why Process and Truth Matter in HD42

Last week, an event promoted as a “town hall” by Rep. Mandy Lindsay and Kristen Mallory raised serious concerns about transparency, preparation, and respect for the Black community in House District 42.

The issue is not disagreement.
The issue is process, accuracy, and accountability.

Two Days’ Notice Is Not Community Engagement

Community engagement is not defined by holding a meeting—it is defined by who can realistically participate.

Providing approximately two days’ notice for a public forum in one of Aurora’s most diverse and Black districts does not meet any reasonable standard for inclusive engagement. Faith leaders, working families, small business owners, and community organizations cannot mobilize, prepare, or attend meaningfully on such short notice.

That is not outreach.
It is procedural compliance without substance.

Claims of “Community Engagement” Were Not Substantiated

At the meeting, claims were made suggesting that meaningful engagement with the Black community had occurred.

However, when asked directly which Black constituencies, organizations, or institutions were being regularly engaged, no clear, comprehensive list was presented. There was no documentation of sustained outreach to:

Black faith-based coalitions

Black business associations

Black-led community organizations

Broad Black constituent advisory groups

In a district with deep Black civic infrastructure, general statements about engagement are not sufficient. Transparency requires specificity.

Data Was Referenced — But Not Produced

Throughout the event, references were made to “data” and “progress.” Yet no district-specific data was presented showing measurable improvements for Black residents in:

Housing stability

Educational outcomes

Employment mobility

Statewide statistics were implied, but HD42-level outcomes were not clearly identified or shared. When data is cited without being shown, contextualized, or disaggregated, it does not inform—it obscures.

Data matters.
But only when it is visible and verifiable.

A Legitimate Question Was Avoided

A Black community member asked a direct and appropriate question:

Who in the Black community are you consistently meeting with, and how has that engagement shaped your work?

This is a standard accountability question in any representative democracy. It does not accuse. It seeks clarity.

The question was not answered in a way that demonstrated broad or sustained engagement, and the moment became tense rather than constructive. That reaction is part of the concern.

When questions about community accountability are treated as disruptions, trust erodes.

Why This Matters in HD42

House District 42 is not just diverse—it is politically significant. Black residents represent a meaningful share of the district’s civic and voting base. In districts like this, leadership must go beyond rhetoric and demonstrate:

Consistent engagement

Clear communication

Verifiable outcomes

Respect for community inquiry

Anything less signals a disconnect between representation and reality.

This Is About Standards, Not Sides

This reporting does not question intentions.
It does not assign motives.
It does not dispute that bills have passed at the state level.

It does raise a serious concern:

Community engagement cannot be claimed without evidence, and progress cannot be asserted without data.

A town hall with minimal notice, unsubstantiated claims of engagement, and references to unseen data does not meet the standard HD42 deserves.

What Accountability Looks Like Going Forward

Accountability is simple:

Provide adequate notice for community forums

Publicly identify who is being engaged and how

Share district-level data tied to outcomes

Welcome questions as part of democratic participation

Transparency resolves doubt.
Deflection deepens it.

Final Word

Black communities in HD42 are not asking for perfection.
They are asking for honesty, preparation, and respect.

A town hall is not defined by a microphone and a flyer.
It is defined by who is included, what is shared, and how questions are handled.

By those measures, this event fell short.

— DSOC Broadcasting Network

12/21/2025

What the Community Accountability Pledge Is — and Why It Matters

For many years, communities across Colorado have asked for clearer communication, consistent follow-through, and measurable results from those seeking to represent them. Too often, conversations peak during elections and then fade, leaving residents without a clear way to track promises, decisions, or outcomes.

The Black Community Accountability Pledge was created to address that gaps in the Black community in particular!

This pledge is non-partisan and applies to all candidates equally. It does not tell anyone how to vote, and it does not endorse any candidate or party. Instead, it establishes baseline expectations for representation—standards that apply before and after Election Day.

What the Pledge Changes

From promises to documentation: Candidates are asked to state, in advance, whether they will commit to transparency and regular public reporting.

From access to accountability: The focus shifts from who gets meetings to how decisions are explained and followed up.

From rhetoric to results: The pledge emphasizes data, outcomes, and public reporting over slogans or talking points.

From election moments to ongoing responsibility: Representation is treated as a continuous obligation, not a seasonal one.

How It Works

Candidates are invited to:

Sign the pledge,

Sign with clarifying comments, or

Decline and explain their position.

All responses—or non-responses—are documented and made publicly available. No commentary is added. The record speaks for itself.

Why This Matters for the District

Healthy representation depends on:

Clear communication,

Honest reporting,

Measurable outcomes,

And mutual respect between the public and those in office.

The pledge provides a simple tool to support those principles—regardless of who is running or who wins.

This is not about politics.
It’s about standards.

11/24/2025

**📣 CALL TO ACTION:

HD42 — IT’S TIME TO TAKE BACK OUR DISTRICT**

Aurora’s House District 42 is the Blackest, Brownest, and most diverse district in the entire state —
68% People of Color.
68% Black, Latino, AAPI, immigrant, and multicultural families.
But for decades, our political power has been blocked, controlled, or decided by people who do not represent us.

That ends now.

🔥 THIS IS OUR DISTRICT. OUR VOICE. OUR FUTURE.

For far too long:

White Democrats have held the decision-making power in the Blackest district in Colorado

Black and Brown leaders were pushed aside

Our community was told to wait, fall in line, or accept less

And every election cycle, our votes were expected while our voice was ignored

No more.

📌 THE NEW STANDARD FOR HD42

The next representative must be a person of color.
Not as a suggestion — as a mandate from the community.
Because representation is not symbolic.
It is democracy. It is equity. It is power.

📣 WHAT WE MUST DO RIGHT NOW
1️⃣ Register, Activate, Mobilize

Talk to every Black, Latino, immigrant, and working-class voter in HD42.
Make sure your whole circle is registered and ready.

2️⃣ Support Leaders Who Reflect This Community

Not party favorites.
Not hand-picked gatekeepers.
People of Color from the district, for the district.

3️⃣ Build Independent Political Power

Join CBCEC, CBMPA, and partner organizations.
Stop relying on the party to take care of us.
We move as a unit — together, not alone.

4️⃣ Push Back Against Gatekeeping

If anyone — party official, consultant, or donor — tries to block POC leadership in HD42,
call it out and shut it down.

5️⃣ Vote Like the Majority We Are

HD42 is 68% POC.
We are not passengers — we are the engine.
We choose the next representative.

**💥 THIS IS OUR MOMENT.

OUR TURN.
OUR DISTRICT.**

The era of 30% making decisions for 70% is over.

The era of white gatekeeping in the Blackest district is over.

The era of Black, Brown, and immigrant self-determination has begun.

Stand up. Organize. Mobilize. Vote.
HD42 — the future belongs to us.

— Colorado Black Civic Engagement Commission (CBCEC)

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