City of Boulder Celebrates Dia de los Muertos

Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a vibrant cultural tradition that honors the lives of those who have passed on and welcomes their spirits back to the world of the living. Rooted in pre-Hispanic times and blended with Catholic rituals, this tradition symbolizes the unity of life and death. Altars are traditionally decorated with marigolds, candles, papel picado, sugar skulls and the favorite foods of their loved ones, welcoming them back for a brief reunion.

City staff members in the Latina/o/e/x affinity group built an altar in Penfield Tate II Municipal Building featuring historic city leaders and prominent government activists. You can find this altar in Tate from Oct. 26 through Nov. 2.

• El Centro AMISTAD: 2338 Broadway St.
• The Dairy Arts Center: 2590 Walnut St.
• Growing Gardens: 1630 Hawthorn Ave.
• The New Local: 713 Pearl St.
• City of Boulder Municipal Building: 1777 Broadway
• The Family Learning Center: 3164 34th St.
• MiChantli: 1750 30th Unit 22
• Boulder Housing Partners: 660 Manhattan Dr.
• Boulder Public Library: 1750 13th St.
• New Horizons Co-op Preschool: 1825 Upland Ave.

Join El Centro AMISTAD for a free ruta de altar (altar tour) and catrina y catrines procession on Nov. 2 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Meet at The New Local on 713 Pearl St. at 5 p.m. and proceed to the Downtown Boulder Visitor Center on 1303 Pearl St. where the communal altar construction will begin at 6 p.m.

All participants are encouraged to wear traditional catrina/catrines attire to add to the festive atmosphere.

Penfield Tate
 June 11, 1931— Oct. 2, 1993 (62 years)

The first and only Black mayor of Boulder, Colorado and prominent LGBTQIA+ activist. He served as mayor from 1974 to 1976 and on City Council from 1972 to 1974.

Nino Gallo
Jan. 5, 1950 — Dec. 1, 2020 (70 years)

A Chilean immigrant and advocate for new homeowners and low-income communities. He advocated for city council to act on immigration reform and for the creation of Boulder's Celebration of Immigrant Heritage Month.

Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales
June 18, 1928— Apr. 12, 2005 (76 years)

A Mexican American boxer, writer, political organizer, and civil rights activist as leading figure in the Chicano Movement of the 1960s and '70s. He founded the organization Crusade for Justice that offered the Chicano community job training, a food bank, and a bilingual school for children.

Shirley Chisholm  
Nov. 30, 1924— Jan. 1, 2005 (80 years)

The first Black woman to be elected to the United States Congress and the first woman and African American to run for president of the United States.

Cesar Chavez
Mar. 31, 1927— Apr. 23, 1993 (66 years)

A Mexican American organizer, labor leader, and civil rights activist. He co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW), the first successful farm workers union in the United States.

Harvey Milk 
May 22, 1930— Nov. 27, 1978 (48 years)

The first openly gay man to be elected to public office in CA. As a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors he helped pass a bill that banned discrimination based on sexual orientation in public accommodations, housing, and employment.

Joanne Marie Conte 
Oct. 18, 1933—Jan. 27, 2013 (79 years)

The first openly transgender person to be elected to a city council in the U. S., serving on Arvada, CO’s City Council from 1991- 1995. She dedicated her life to public service after serving in the U.S. military as a Morse code operator during the Korean War.

Elizabeth Caddy Stanton
Nov. 12, 1815— Oct. 26, 1902 (86 years)

A leading activist and intellectual of the women’s rights and suffrage movements that demanded women's rights, including the right to education, property, and a voice in public life.

Suzanna Salter 
Mar. 2, 1860— Mar. 17, 1961 (101 years)

The first woman elected to serve as mayor in the U.S. and one of the first women to serve in any U.S. political office.

Jeannette Rankin
June 11, 1880— May 18, 1973 (92 years)

A women's rights advocate who became the first woman to hold U.S. federal office as Montana’s U.S. House Representative in 1916.

Crystal Dreda Bird Fauset 
June 27, 1893— Mar. 27, 1965 (71 years)

A civil rights activist and social worker who became the first African American female state legislator in the U. S. as a representative of Philadelphia.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Mar. 15, 1933—Sept. 18, 2020

The second woman—and first Jewish woman—to serve on the Supreme Court from 1993 to 2020. She fought for gender equality and abortion rights.

John Robert Lewis
Feb. 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020 (80 years)

An American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for Georgia's 5th congressional district from 1987 until his death in 2020.

Soledad Chávez de Chacón
Aug. 10, 1890 – Aug. 4, 1936 (45 years)

The first Hispanic woman elected to a statewide office as New Mexico’s Secretary of State, and the second woman to act as chief executive of a U.S. state when she served as acting Governor for two weeks.

Constance Baker Motley 
Sept. 14, 1921—Sept. 28, 2005 (84 years)

The first African American woman to argue a case before the Supreme Court, and the first to serve as a federal judge.

Eunice Sato 
June 8, 1921— Feb. 12, 2021 (99 years)

The first Asian American female mayor of a major American city and first female mayor of Long Beach, CA.

Thurgood Marshall 
July 2, 1908— Jan. 24, 1993 (84 years)

The first African American justice on the Supreme Court. He was also an American civil rights lawyer and served on the Supreme Court of the United States for 24 years from 1967 until 1991.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Jan. 30, 1882— Apr. 12, 1945 (63 years)

The 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. The longest serving U.S. president, he is the only president to have served more than two terms.

Justin Dart 
Aug. 29, 1930— June 22, 2002 (71 years)

He was an American activist and advocate for people with disabilities. He helped pass the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and co-founded the American Association of People with Disabilities.

Ed Roberts 
Jan. 23, 1939—Mar. 14, 1995 (56 years)

An American activist and a pioneering leader of the disability rights and independent living movement.

Fedelina Lucero Gallegos & Porfirria Hidalgo Saiz  

In 1930, they were the first two Latinas elected to statewide legislatures.