Community Rallies Behind Wanda James Following CU Censure

The rows of chairs at New Hope Baptist Church rang with calls of “amen” Tuesday night, yet the gathering wasn’t a worship service. It was a rallying cry. Last night, community leaders announced plans to sue the University of Colorado and back Regent Wanda James as she launches a run for Congress.

During a town hall hosted by the Greater Metro Denver Ministerial Alliance and Colorado Black Democrats, speakers pledged to take legal action on behalf of Colorado’s 1st Congressional District, which they say was disenfranchised by the university’s sanction of James. James, the first Black woman elected to the CU Board of Regents in 43 years, vowed to fight both the censure and the broader culture she described as hostile to Black voices.

“I was elected by 211,000 people,” James said. “Yet seven white regents decided I didn’t have the right to sit at the table. I’m not backing down. I’m not going anywhere. When life gives you lemons, you make lemon drop martinis. Tomorrow is my birthday. And on my birthday, I will be running for Congressional District 1.”

The censure stemmed from a July vote by the Board of Regents following James’ criticism of “TEA on THC,” a CU-backed marijuana education campaign she said relied on racist imagery. James asked that funding for the campaign be revoked, which some regents viewed as a misuse of her role. The board followed with a sanction barring her from representing the university at events and stripping her of committee assignments.

James told the crowd that the campaign was just one example in a pattern of systemic exclusion. She pointed to the lack of BIPOC-owned vendors at Folsom Field, the absence of a fair procurement system, and the fact that of the university’s 37,000 employees, not one was a Black vice president or chancellor.

“I love this university with everything in my heart and soul,” James said. “But it was shocking to me how little regard they had for Black professionals, Black students and Black faculty.”

Her supporters echoed that sentiment. Hashim Coates, chair of the Colorado Black Democrats and James’ campaign manager, said the regents’ actions silenced an entire district.

Black Democrats attending a town hall in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Scott Hansen)

“What do we have to lose to stand up for what’s right?” Coates asked. “What CU Boulder has done is disenfranchised 700,000 people and kept them from having a voice. I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired. And we have to do something.”

Former Speaker of the Colorado House Terrance Carroll said James was fulfilling her duty as a regent.

“She held them accountable like she was supposed to,” Carroll said. “They just had a problem with a regent not doing the ‘same-ole, same-ole,’ just letting them do what they’ve been doing. We have an obligation to speak out against injustice. And this is an injustice.”

Representative Regina English added that Black women leaders are often pressured to stay quiet.

“I’m told to be quiet, to not ruffle feathers and stand down,” English said. “But I can’t be silent. I can’t sit down and let these things happen. No matter how good we are or kind we are, we are still being treated this way and retaliated against.”

The gathered organizations agreed on three next steps: pursuing the lawsuit, supporting James’ congressional bid, and offering financial backing for her campaign. They noted that other CU regents and administrators were invited to the town hall but none attended.

James said she has no plans to back down.

“I don’t know how to do anything other than stand up and fight,” she said. “This cycle of racism is a playbook that we must end or it will be used against us over and over again. We don’t have any intention of backing down.”

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