It’s time for Boulder to do the right thing

‘This is [Not] Who We Are’ is a searing documentary about Boulder’s ongoing problem with race

From all the Black Lives Matter signs around Boulder, you’d probably never guess it’s a predominantly white city, and that’s just what the community wants. Boulder prides itself on being beautiful, welcoming and inclusive. However, in 2019, the city’s progressive reputation was publicly called into question after two separate incidents of aggressive policing involving a Black university student, Zayd Atkinson, and a Black disabled man, Sammie Lawrence, began making national headlines.

The documentary film, This Is [Not] Who We Are, masterfully edits together the lived experiences of Black people in Boulder. Their stories force audiences to confront the contradictions between Boulder’s liberal ideology and the city’s institutionally created homogeneous culture. Yet, far from giving up, the film powerfully dares audiences at the Denver Film Festival to consider how we move forward and the responsibility we have to create economically and racially diverse communities.

Boulder’s history with people of color and other marginalized groups is unique. Unlike other parts of the country that passed Jim Crow laws or practiced “redlining” to box people out, Boulder never codified openly discriminatory laws. Yet, in the effort to “beautify” Boulder and slow growth, the city limited the housing supply which priced out many people.

Architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. wrote the 1910 document on which the town’s development plan was based was called “The Improvement of Boulder, Colorado.” The report is clear on its objective, stating: “Our object in all cases is to create Order, if possible, a supreme sense of Order which will be beautiful.” Though Olmsted did not mention race directly in the document, the policies of de-industrialization severely limited working-class employment options, education choices and access to health care which isolated the Black people who remained in the community.

By the 1920s, Boulder had become a hub for the Ku Klux Klan activities and the group was able to influence the town’s policies. In the 1970s, employment and housing opened up, but many problems remain. As the filmmakers discussed in the Q&A after the film, they intentionally chose not to focus on the Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s and 1960s. They thought that had already been discussed enough in other media and — though monumental in what it represented — the movement did little to alter the lived experience of African Americans in Boulder and the exclusive culture that prevailed. The documentary presents history from a multi-ethnic lens not to assign blame, but to earnestly begin the process of turning dialogue into sustained, transformative action.

Documentaries are tricky; an intriguing topic can quickly turn into talking heads lecturing at you if the story isn’t engaging. Luckily, the direction of the film’s narrative by co-directors Dr. Beret Strong and Katrina Miller was both captivating and informative. The interviews that they managed to capture are hauntingly candid. Having real people share their poignant stories allows the documentary to cut through the political BS and rhetorical promises of Boulder to truly tell the stories of those who have been most affected by the city’s exclusionary policies.  

The documentary’s editing by John Tweedy is superb. The way Tweedy will introduce something from Boulder’s history and then cleverly cross-cut to present-day Black Boulderites dealing with the consequences of these decisions is masterful storytelling. For example, it discusses the city’s “no-growth” policies that created scarcity in the housing market which priced out those on the margins and then cuts to a present-day Black father discussing why all his children left the town due to the culture and unaffordability.

It’s a painful documentary that is hard to watch. After you learn about Atkinson and Lawrence’s experience, there is an interview with a 12-year-old in Boulder who shares that she lives in constant fear of being shot by the police. Yet, while some of the stories are devastating, others are hopeful. The film seeks to open a space for conversation among cities that, like Boulder, are overwhelmingly white, wealthy and conflicted about diversity and equity issues.

Tweedy shared during the Q&A that while they hope to continue sharing this documentary with faith groups and schools across the United States, they have run into a bit of a problem. In many parts of the country, the film is illegal in schools because of the film’s candid discussion of America’s racist past and the ways it continues to affect the present. While it might be difficult to process, the alternative is that the suffering continues to happen with no coverage. Just because you ignore a problem does not mean it will go away. 

“Films have the power to open hearts and minds,” Miller said in the post-film Q&A. “So, I can’t wait to see what Boulder looks like in a year.”