American flag and downtown Denver lights at night with protesters in foreground. Photo by Colin Lloyd on Unsplash
We are the ones we have been waiting for. — June Jordan
Nothing appears more surprising to those, who consider human affairs with a philosophical eye, than the easiness with which the many are governed by the few; and the implicit submission, with which men resign their own sentiments and passions to those of their rulers. When we enquire by what means this wonder is effected, we shall find, that, as Force is always on the side of the governed, the governors have nothing to support them but opinion. It is therefore, on opinion only that government is founded; and this maxim extends to the most despotic and most military governments, as well as to the most free and most popular. — David Hume (epigraph to Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins)
Believe In Your Power
by Kat Valdez
The first time I volunteered as a delegate to the Democratic State Assembly in March 2018, I was dazzled by the spectacle and cacophony at the events arena in Broomfield, Colorado.
It was like a scene out of a movie.
Banners decorated the concourse hallways, and volunteers handed out fliers encouraging votes for their candidate or cause.
Candidates for statewide office gave impassioned speeches in front of thousands of people about why they were running.
Young people — our future leaders — stood at the podium and gave us hope.
It was inspiring and educational, encouraging and heart-warming.
Earlier this month, I participated in the virtual caucus and volunteered to run as a delegate to the county assembly and help advance candidate nominations on the June ballot.
In my precinct breakout session, I was one of four delegates elected. We then headed to the county assembly on Saturday, March 7.
There, I and others volunteered to serve as delegates to our congressional district assemblies and state assembly later this month.
Were you one of the 1,200 or so Larimer County residents (and 13,000 Coloradans across the state!*) in caucus Zoom rooms proudly fulfilling your civic duty? Not surrendering your rights in advance? Not giving up?
If so, maybe I’ll see you again soon.
(Thanks to all Larimer County Democrats volunteers! I appreciate your cool heads during an intense day.)
Distressed about the state of our country? Research candidates for local and state-wide races, and prepare for the June primary election.
March 2026 Community Events
Looking for inclusive events in Fort Collins? We’ve got you. Here are a few.
March 15 Local Legislator Town Hall. Join Senator Cathy Kipp and Representatives Andrew Boesenecker (House District 53) & Yara Zokaie (House District 52) for an informative town hall at 3 to 4:30 p.m., Old Town Library, 201 Peterson St.
March 15 Oscar Watch Party at The Lyric Cinema. Please reserve your seat at LyricCinema.com Free. Donations welcome.
March 15 Last day for winter exhibitions at Museum of Art Fort Collins! From the MOAFC:
“The museum is featuring Installation Nation in the main gallery. Installation Nation highlights the work of five local and regional artists to explore the intersection of installation art, nature and our environment. Installation art moves beyond traditional art forms to incorporate sound, architecture, found objects to give an immersive experience to the viewer. Exhibiting artists are: Nicole Banowetz (Denver, CO), Ashley Hope Carlisle (Laramie, WY), Chelsea Gilmore (Fort Collins, CO), Katelynn Mai-Fusco (Greeley, CO), Abbie Powers (Loveland, CO). Read a thoughtful review of the exhibition from the Rocky Mountain Collegian.
“The second exhibition is A Pendulum Oscillates About Its Lowest Point. Featuring artists Derrick Velasquez and Gretchen Marie Schaefer and is curated by Jenny Nagashima and Ilan Gutin. This exhibition is organized by Dinghy Rig, which is a collaborative artist-run art production and exhibition program launched by CSU Professors Aitor Lajarin-Encina and Marius Lehene.
“Our third exhibition features landscape painter Gina Blickenstaff (Fort Collins, CO). Her striking and unique landscape paintings show nature in all of its glorious moods and textures. From close up views of grasses and leaves to far away vistas and changing light, Blickenstaff’s landscapes hone in on the elegant details and design of nature.”
Square. Sideporchstories.com
March 22 Fort Stories. Theme: “Happy (and Not-So-Happy) Trails.” 6:30 p.m. at Visit Fort Collins Welcome Center, 7 Old Town Square. $5 suggested donation.
Stories from the paths we hike, the roads we choose, and the detours that change everything. True stories told by your Fort Collins neighbors. Any maybe you!
Come put your name in the hat — see what it feel like to share your story in front of a supportive and enthusiastic audience.
For more info, scan the QR code above or email or text mary@sideporchstories.com, (970) 227-9806.
March 29 Join Senator Cathy Kipp and Representatives Andy Boesenecker & Yara Zokaie for another Local Legislator Town Hall to stay updated on what’s happening at the state Capitol, at 3 to 4:30 p.m. Old Town Library, 201 Petersen St.
March 31 Trans Day of Visibility
Event Calendars
https://www.rbarfc.com/
https://oldfirehousebooks.com/events/calendar/2025
https://artmuseum.colostate.edu/programs/
https://moafc.org/moafc-events/
https://www.lyriccinema.com/upcoming
https://bandwagmag.com/
https://downtownfortcollins.com/
https://focoma.org/directory/media-resources
https://www.fortcollins.gov/Events/Event-Calendar
https://www.larimer.gov/events
https://www.visitftcollins.com/
https://www.wolverinefarm.org/events/
https://poudrelibraries.librarycalendar.com/events/month
State News
*From Colorado Democrats (March 11):
How We DOUBLED Turnout at Caucus
“Last week, approximately 13,000 Coloradans showed up to Democratic precinct caucuses across the state: nearly double recent cycles.
“That’s not a typo. We doubled turnout. In 2022, about 6,390 Democrats caucused. In 2024, about 6,799. This year? 13,000.
“This is what grassroots organizing looks like: neighbors meeting in living rooms and community centers to elect precinct leaders, choose delegates, and shape the future of our party. And it’s just getting started.
“County assemblies are happening now through March 14. Then on March 28, Democrats from every corner of Colorado will gather in Pueblo for State Assembly to advance candidates to the primary ballot and organize for 2026.
“We’re breaking down barriers to entry and are better off when more people participate.
National News
From National Public Radio (NPR) (Feb. 20): Theater: In the new off-Broadway comedy BigFoot! The Musical, the protagonist is really anyone who has ever been othered, co-producer Amber Ruffin tells NPR.
Excerpt: “Amber Ruffin’s joy is infectious. And she’s bringing that joy to her latest production, the original off-Broadway show Bigfoot! The Musical, co-written by Kevin Sciretta. The show’s plot involves a corrupt mayor, gullible townspeople and a kindhearted Bigfoot who longs for community. What evolves on stage takes on even more meaning in today’s political landscape.
“Ruffin started writing Bigfoot! in 2014. In an interview with NPR’s Michel Martin, she talked of how her protagonist is really anyone who has ever been othered — a detail that shifted over the years she was writing the musical. ‘Bigfoot, in my mind, is a Black woman,’ she said. ‘Bigfoot, in my mind, is a trans person. Then I was like, Bigfoot, in my mind, is just all LGBTQ. Then I was like, Bigfoot is an immigrant.’”
From the Los Angeles Times, “Decoding Bad Bunny’s triumphantly Puerto Rican Super Bowl half-time show” by Tatiana Tenreyro:
“…The Instagram stories on my feed were filled with Puerto Ricans and other Latines hosting watch parties, taking in this much-needed moment of sheer joy during a treacherous time when speaking in our native language, or being a brown-skinned person is enough of a risk factor in being abducted by ICE. Having had the privilege of seeing Bad Bunny at the Choliseo during his residency in San Juan last August, I knew this performance would not only be an impactful homage to my island, but the Super Bowl halftime show carried an underlying, defiant message, that no matter how much conservatives prop up hatred and fear-mongering toward Latines and immigrants, nothing will stop us from being proud of our roots…”
From Entertainment Weekly:
The 2026 Winter Olympics kicked off with some serious star power.
Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron took the stage during Friday’s opening ceremony to deliver a message of peace from the late leader and activist Nelson Mandela, who hailed from her home country of South Africa.
“Peace is not just the absence of conflict,” Theron quoted Mandela as having said. “Peace is the creation of an environment where all can flourish, regardless of race, color, creed, religion, gender, class, caste or any other social markers of difference.”
Food for Thought
From John A. Powell of the Othering & Belonging Institute (March 9):
“We currently live in a world that is rapidly changing. And depending on where you stand, many would say it is for the worse. Long before the recent attacks on Iran, the prime minister of Canada, Mark Carney, made the observation at Davos in mid-January that we have moved beyond a transition to a “rupture,” suggesting that the old world order is gone or disintegrating, and it is time to think about a new one. Similarly, the writer Masha Gessen observed that for a long time we have been in decline, and recently have begun to “fall off a cliff.”
“For some time, many have wondered how to slow or hamper authoritarian impulses, and the incipient tyranny or established fascism that seems to be sweeping across the United States and the world. There is an emerging consensus, as reflected in these comments, that we have crossed that line, that we are no longer in an emerging, but in fact already within an authoritarian society.”
Read the rest of the essay on the Othering & Belonging Institute website.
Disclaimer: The ideas expressed in this essay are not necessarily those of the Othering & Belonging Institute or UC Berkeley, but belong to the author.
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