The busy winter holiday season is upon us, full of celebrations and parties with family, friends, and co-workers. Holiday parties and New Year’s Eve events often include alcohol, and that comes with risk. Making informed decisions about alcohol consumption can be life-saving.

We in Colorado drink a lot (9th highest rate of excessive drinking in the United States) and we pay the price for it. The risk from alcohol consumption that is most often highlighted during the holiday season is that of drunk driving; 30% of Colorado’s fatal car crashes are alcohol related.  However, alcohol consumption causes much more than car crashes.

More than 2,200 Coloradans die each year from alcohol-related health problems. Colorado’s death rate due to alcohol has doubled in the past decade and is currently twice that of the United States. Alcohol is associated with all forms of injury, suicide, liver and heart disease, and breast cancer (among other health problems).

Alcohol also causes serious problems in non-drinkers, being a major factor in intimate partner violence, assault, child abuse, and birth defects.

Most of what we are told about alcohol comes from marketing by the makers, distributors, and retailers of alcohol products. The industry spends nearly $80 million each year to market alcohol in Colorado and devotes only a tiny fraction of its advertising dollars to communication about “responsible drinking.” By comparison, there is no public funding to provide information on the health risks of alcohol.

Alcohol is heavily marketed at Colorado’s sporting events and ski areas. Colorado’s professional and major college sporting teams all have alcohol industry sponsors, as do many Colorado ski areas. Holiday concerts and other performances often include alcohol marketing and the broad availability of alcohol for purchase. RTD, the metro area’s public transportation system, has ads for alcohol that cover an entire light rail car. Alcohol marketing is everywhere and all the time.

It is time to do something about alcohol’s adverse effects on health in Colorado. We need balanced public information about alcohol. Other states have passed sensible limitations on alcohol marketing, and we have none in Colorado.

These restrictions include prohibitions on false or misleading claims, images of children in alcohol advertisements or images that portray or encourage intoxication. Other states restrict outdoor advertising near places where children are likely to be present like schools, parks, and playgrounds, restrict advertising at retail alcohol outlets, and prohibit alcohol sponsorship of civic events such as college football games and public transportation.

The Colorado Alcohol Impacts Coalition has brought together concerned institutions and individuals to raise awareness, evaluate policies that can decrease alcohol’s adverse effects, ensure access to treatment, and produce data on the impacts of alcohol.

We do not in any way advocate for a return to prohibition; it was a completely failed policy. Balanced public information and appropriate policy changes can make our state a safer place.

So, have a joyous holiday season, and make an informed decision about what role alcohol will play in those celebrations.

William J. Burman is a public health and infectious diseases physician at Denver Health, the former executive director of Denver Public Health and a founding member of the Colorado Alcohol Impacts Coalition.

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Trump administration’s concern for Colorado inmates contradicts actions

Re: “DOJ investigating state’s prisons,” Dec. 9 news story

I read with great interest that President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice is “investigating whether Colorado prisons are violating the constitutional rights of the state’s adult inmates and youth detainees through excessive force, inadequate medical care and nutrition …”

I find it fascinating and ironic that this same DOJ has chronically overlooked similar issues in regard to the handling of the migrants who have been systematically grabbed without warrants, and imprisoned without due process in facilities that have been documented as being overpopulated, unsanitary, and with inadequate nutrition or medical care. I’ve only heard of a few, if any, interventions to undo these chronic civil rights violations.

David Thomas, Denver

Name-calling sign of the president’s immaturity

Re: “Federal court denies latest request to leave prison,” Dec. 9 news story

In the article, President Donald Trump refers to Colorado Gov. Jared Polis as a “sleazebag.” Trump seems to have numerous undesirable traits, but one of his favorites seems to be derogatory name-calling. He seems to have a less-than-complimentary name for anyone who is not loyal to him, anyone he disagrees with, such as journalists, etc. According to artificial intelligence, this form of name-calling is most prevalent among children, which seems to fall in line with his level of maturity, sophistication and intelligence!

Steve Nash, Centennial

The 11-2 Broncos are an underdog?

Further proof that the NFL/Vegas betting has no respect for the Broncos. The Broncos currently own the number one seed in the AFC, have not lost at home this year, and are on a 10-game winning streak. Still, Denver is the underdog in next week’s home game against Green Bay.

Leroy M. Martinez, Denver

Senator’s tragic death reminds us to do good in our lives

Re: “State Sen. Winter killed in I-25 crash,” Nov. 28 news story

Life can change within a second. The entire trajectory of someone’s future can be altered in the blink of an eye. I would’ve never believed that the section of the highway, Interstate 25, I travel on so often, the one that blurs by in a moment, could ever be remembered as something so tragic. That highway is now a distressing symbol of how life is a gift and can be snatched away at any random moment.

Recently, two accidents occurred on the northbound I-25 near Dry Creek. Faith Winter, a Colorado senator, was killed, and three others were injured. However, it is important to remember Sen. Winter not the way she passed but how she lived.

Reporter Katie Langford reminded us about how Sen. Winter fought to make Colorado a better place her entire life. She strongly advocated for and brought paid family leave to the state of Colorado, passed an important transportation bill to improve roads and public transportation, and fought against workplace sexual harassment, making impactful changes wherever she went.

Sen. Winter made history and brought positive changes to many Coloradans and she will be honored and remembered in our hearts for years to come.

Life is so short and unpredictable. Those who realize the importance of living each day like it’s your last and doing good in the world never really pass away. They live in everyone’s hearts, and the memory of them lasts for a lifetime.

Swatiswagatika Nayak, Castle Pines

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Just on the other side of the holiday season, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, the organization that helped raise me and that I currently lead, is celebrating the grand opening of our new Center for the Healing Arts.

As I think about this milestone, I’m reminded of a Denver interview a decade ago with the great Black American ballerina Misty Copeland as she reflected on how dance rescued her from a chaotic childhood to help her find her voice through artistic expression.

“…Once I discovered ballet it was so clear to me that it was such an escape from all of the obstacles at home …  And when I was in the studio is really the first time that there was this clarity, and it was something that was so beautiful that again was my own. And I never experienced that as a child. And to this day it still is an escape for me,” she said.

Copeland was addressing young girls, but her comments resonate for anyone curious about the power of dance. The arts have been a balm for the soul, for individuals young and old, from every background, and political persuasion. It is something Cleo Parker Robinson Dance has understood for our 55 years of existence.

Our 25,000 square-foot expansion, adjoining our longtime home in the Historic Shorter African Methodist Episcopal Church (100 years old in 2026), is not just a beautiful edifice. It represents a melding of the old and new to forge an expansive future.

My parents grew up a couple of blocks away and my late dad, Tom Robinson, attended Boy Scouts in the church’s garden-level gymnasium. Thirty-eight years ago, CPRD transformed that very gym into dance studios and the sanctuary upstairs into a theatre that has been home to more than 30 performing arts companies from around the metropolitan area.

But we always dreamed of a new facility to match the quality of the organization’s educational and artistic programs.

After fits and starts, including surviving the pandemic and price escalations, we launched a multi-phased capital campaign. In 2021, CPRD purchased the historic building and adjacent land, and today stands a new four-level structure that includes a state-of-the-art theater with world-class acoustics, new studios, rehearsal spaces, and gathering areas designed for our community wellness programs.

With an annual budget of $2.5 million, CPRD has always punched above its weight, but we would not have succeeded in raising the $25 million for the expansion without the support and collaboration of the Denver arts, political and philanthropic infrastructure.

What we have accomplished is a testament to the galvanizing power of bringing people together and the learning that brings about. Through an extensive public-private partnership, funding for the project came from every corner of our city and state.

Community foundations, political representatives and corporate partners stepped forward as well as individual donors from across the community (who contributed nearly 20 percent of the total cost) — proof that Cleo Parker Robinson Dance is a valued asset to Denver and Colorado.

For five decades, we have championed the arts to spark curiosity and learning, promote healing and foster belonging. My mother, our founder, Cleo Parker Robinson, established the company after earning double degrees in dance and psychology.

Her passion and vision have integrated the arts and behavioral health into award-winning programs. Those early “healing power of art” workshops have morphed into the new Center for the Healing Arts. Our work is not only cross cultural, but intergenerational, multi-regional and deeply rooted in African Diasporic traditions.

It’s a big reason for our success. Over the decades, we’ve trained thousands of young dancers in ballet, hip-hop, jazz, African dance, and tap. Our company has performed all over the world, and touched every corner of Colorado, making more than 2,000 school visits to reach kids from pre-K to high school who might not otherwise have seen a professional dance company.

And for 34 years, our holiday production, Granny Dances to a Holiday Drum, has become a Denver tradition — blending dance, live music and seasonal customs from around the world for families that have made it a part of their annual December celebrations.

That’s why the grand opening January 15 is far more than a ribbon-cutting. It is a powerful reminder of the remarkable ability of the arts to break down barriers, promote greater understanding and lay bare our common humanity.

We truly appreciate how Denver and Colorado have invested in our future. We will reciprocate that love by continuing to innovate and collaborate, to nurture young artists, preserve Black dance traditions and push creative boundaries while entertaining new generations. That means staying accessible, inclusive and relevant to all. We will never veer from that mission.

As I walk through our new space, I am grateful to all the people who made this possible: my parents, our founding company members, our generous partners and donors, and every child who has taken a first leap with us.

Malik Robinson is the president and CEO at Cleo Parker Robinson Dance in Denver Colorado.

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Throughout America’s history, Thanksgiving has been celebrated in times of difficulty and dissension. People from diverse walks of life eat together with appreciation for the food and for each other. This Thursday should be no different.

Believe it or not, the first Thanksgiving meal held among native peoples and European migrants was in1565 not 1621. After grueling months at sea, some 800 Spaniards landed safely on the shores of what is now Florida. Thankful to be alive and on land, they celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving and ate a meal with members of the Timucua people who lived nearby.

Their story has been eclipsed by the more popular telling of the Pilgrims’ Thanksgiving feast which they celebrated in autumn 1621 with the Wampanoag people whose crucial aid helped them survive their first year. As with the first Thanksgiving, people who differed in language, ethnicity, faith, culture, and politics shared a meal together in appreciation of God’s goodness.

One of the first official Thanksgiving proclamations was given during the Revolutionary War. General George Washington proclaimed December 18, 1777, the first national day of Thanksgiving. Later, once he took office, he issued the first presidential Thanksgiving proclamation. On that Thursday, November 26, 1789, Washington celebrated by attending church at St. Paul’s Chapel in New York City and donating food and beer to the city’s imprisoned debtors. Gratitude inspires a generosity of spirit.

After President James Madison proclaimed a day of Thanksgiving on April 13, 1815, the tradition languished until the dark days of the Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln issued a Thanksgiving Day proclamation for the last Thursday of November 1863, imploring the “interposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation, and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union.” This proclamation began the tradition of holding the day on the last Thursday of November.

That nearly changed during the Great Depression. When the last Thursday of the month landed on the last day of November, President Franklin D. Roosevelt feared the shortened Christmas season would negatively affect the struggling economy. FDR moved Thanksgiving to the middle of the month. States balked and for two years, Thanksgiving was celebrated on two different days. Congress passed legislation in 1941 to make Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday of November.

Just as the day of the holiday has changed, the foods served have as well. While the first Thanksgiving likely featured wild game and fish, Native American crops such as beans, squash, and corn and vegetables brought by the Pilgrims such as onions, cabbage, and turnips, modern Thanksgiving meals are a rich hybrid of foods from around the world.

Turkey, green beans, pumpkins, and corn were domesticated in Mesoamerica (today’s southern Mexico and Central America) while the wheat in the bread stuffing and peas were first developed in the Middle East and Near East, along with cows from which we get that ancient invention, butter. Potatoes hale from South America. The marshmallows you might add to another South American-bred crop sweet potatoes, however, were first made in ancient North Africa.

Brussel sprouts, as the name implies, were developed from cabbages in Belgium. Cranberries are native to North America but the sugar that sweetens the tart fruit dish originated in Papua New Guinea. If you have apple pie, thank the ancient farmers of Central Asia. If you’re going for pecans, thank Antoine, a Louisiana slave whose grafting technique in the 1840s took the native North American nut to the next level of deliciousness.

The food alone is worth celebrating! But Thanksgiving is so much more. Celebrated during times of war, economic depression, and strife as well as in years of plenty and unity, the holiday brings together people to eat and drink united in common humanity.

So put political pique aside this Thursday and be grateful to God, or wherever your faith tradition takes you, and for the people who sit beside you at the table.

Krista Kafer is a Sunday Denver Post columnist.

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