2021 in review: The people we met
These stories are featured in "Colorado Voices: Your Stories," airing Thursday, December 30 at 7 p.m. on Rocky Mountain PBS.
DENVER — 2021 has not been an easy year. In many ways, it was unpredictable. But through it all, one of the constants has been the amazing Coloradans who have trusted Rocky Mountain PBS to help share their stories.
As we approach 2022, Rocky Mountain PBS journalists decided to highlight a handful of our favorite stories of the past year. Their stories took our team all over the state, from the fourteeners to the San Luis Valley and countless communities in between.
Here are some of the people who shared their voices with us.
A medic, veteran and lifelong human rights advocate
Multimedia journalist Kate Perdoni spent much of 2021 reporting stories in Conejos and Costilla counties. One of the most impactful people Kate spoke with was Roque Madrid.
Madrid grew up on his grandparent’s subsistence ranch in Viejo San Acacio, where he still resides. But in 1973, Madrid flew a plane to Wounded Knee, South Dakota—not far from where he was born—to serve as an emergency medic during the Wounded Knee occupation.
On Feb. 27, 1973, over 200 American Indian Movement members, Oglala Lakota, and supporters occupied the town of Wounded Knee, South Dakota and declared sovereignty at the Pine Ridge Native American reservation. Together, the community led a standoff against the FBI, U.S. Marshals, and regional and tribal police in an effort to unseat a corrupt tribal government. At least two AIM tribal members died during the 71-day occupation, and one federal agent was shot and paralyzed.
“Roque told me the story of being shot by federal forces while providing humanitarian aid,” Kate said. “His spirit is evident, his bravery unparalleled.”
Learn more about Madrid’s heroism and activism here.
The Black Sherpa
Colorado is full of outdoorsy people, but few are as inspiring as Evan Gill.
Rocky Mountain PBS multimedia journalist Julio Sandoval laced up his hiking boots in October of this year to join Gill, also known as “The Black Sherpa,” for a sunrise hike.
Gill had recently become one of the only Black men to summit every fourteener in Colorado (peaks with an elevation greater than 14,000 feet; there are 58 in Colorado).
Gill hopes his achievement can serve as a motivating factor for others, especially people of color.
“I just want to remind people that this is here for us to explore and really take advantage of,” Gill said. “And we just really don’t do it.”
Julio said Gill’s outlook on life is something he’ll “never forget.”
“There's always another day, no matter your circumstances,” Julio said, recalling some of Gill’s wisdom. “There will always be another sunrise.”
Learn more about Gill’s journey from Baltimore to some of the tallest peaks in Colorado here.
Ophelia Peaches: 17-year-old drag star
For 17-year-old Jameson Lee, the thrill of dressing up in drag is hard to describe.
“The feeling when I put on my wig is...there are no words for it,” said Lee, who performs under the name Ophelia Peaches. “It’s delightful, it’s humbling, it’s exhilarating. It’s everything, because when I put on my wig, I am Ophelia.”
Ophelia started performing in drag at 13 years old, but the persona was years in the making, dating back to dress-ups and tea parties with her sister about 10 years ago.
Rocky Mountain PBS senior producer Alexis Kikoen spotlighted Ophelia for PrideFest 2021.
“After years of being misunderstood, she now takes pride in sharing messages of positivity, love, and acceptance,” Alexis said of Ophelia. “It's hard not to feel inspired in her presence.”
Learn more about Ophelia here.
“I’ve always found my place with the outcasts”
“I’ve never felt Native enough or Black enough, so I’ve always found my place with the outcasts,” Nizhoni Elizabeth Smocks told Rocky Mountain PBS’ Lindsey Ford. “Still, to this day, I feel this way.”
Smock, who identifies as Afro-Indigenous, grew up on a Navajo reservation near the Canyon de Chelly in Arizona but now lives in Denver.
She spoke with Lindsey about the struggles and joys that come with being of both Black and Indigenous.
“Some of my grandma’s family were shocked when they found out my grandmother married a Black man. They would say harmful and hurtful things to her like, ‘You are going to have polka dot children,’” Smocks recalled.
Learn more about her childhood and resilience here.
From tragedy to a beautiful remembrance
2021 marked nine years since the Aurora theater shooting in 2012 in which 12 people were killed and dozens more injured.
Heather Dearman’s family members were victims of that attack. On July 20, 2021—exactly nine years after the shooting—Dearman, who heads the 7/20 Memorial Foundation, spoke with Rocky Mountain PBS’ content production manager Brian Willie about the healing process.
“We can’t control any other mass shootings,” Dearman said, “but the one thing we can control is helping support one another and just reminding each other that we are a community and that love wins.”
A few months later, Brian caught up with Dearman once again. This time, she was helping erect a permanent lending library at the site of the memorial. The concrete used to secure the library included ashes from the original memorial items—flowers, posters, etc.
You can learn more about the memorial here.
As always, if you would like to share your stories with Rocky Mountain PBS, email us at coloradovoices@rmpbs.org.