Featured photo: Migrant workers from Mexico make up a large portion of the agricultural labor needed across the state. John Moore/Getty Images

Written by Ernesto Sagás, Colorado State University

In Colorado, a national debate about the role of Latinos in American society has deep roots in the state’s history, current identity — and future.

I’m a professor of ethnic studies at Colorado State University. I recently published a book titled “Latino Colorado: The Struggle for Equality in the Centennial State.” In it, I explore how Latinos in Colorado have bridged Old West and New West industries to help our state grow. As a longtime resident of the state, I have witnessed many of these socioeconomic phenomena firsthand and through my research.

Latinos have always been a part of the Colorado story. Let’s look at some ways Latinos help drive the state’s economy and contribute to its unique culture and lifestyle.

Latino labor in Colorado

Latinos were the first Coloradans.

San Luis was founded in 1851 by Hispanic settlers from northern New Mexico. It is the oldest continuously inhabited town in the state. In the late 19th century, Hispanic Coloradans and immigrants from Mexico fanned across the territory and later the state to work in mining, the railroad industry and the emerging agricultural sector.

Workers harvesting potatoes in the San Luis Valley of southern Colorado in 1939.
GHI/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

In the first decades of the 20th century, Colorado’s sugar beet industry relied heavily on Latino workers. Those workers then established Hispanic neighborhoods in cities along the Front Range and the Eastern Plains.

Colorado’s geographic diversity has led to the development of numerous economic sectors from so-called Old West industries like agriculture, cattle ranching and mining to New West industries like tourism, real estate and tech startups.

The running thread of Colorado’s diverse economic picture is its reliance on Latino labor, whether from U.S.-born or immigrant workers. The state has relied on this labor practically since the territory was acquired from Mexico in 1848. The region known as the Western Slope is a good example of this trend.

In the Western Slope, Latino workers were the muscle behind the building of railroad lines and the growth of the sugar beet industry in the early 20th century. Latino immigrants still work in the oil and gas industry and the fruit orchards that dot the region. But, more recently, their descendants have moved into the middle class. They’ve opened small businesses, and some have even become white-collar professionals.

As tourism began to flourish in the Western Slope in the 1990s, Latinos quickly became the indispensable labor force that kept the ski resorts, hotels and restaurants running. And as Baby Boomers began to retire and move to the region, Latino labor supported the construction boom fueled by this demographic shift. There is practically no sector of the Western Slope’s — and the state’s — economy that does not rely on Latino labor.

Latino demographic shifts

Latinos have also driven the Western Slope’s demographic growth. The expansion of the real estate and tourism sectors around the turn of the 21st century attracted tens of thousands of Latinos to the region. They came from Colorado’s Front Range, other U.S. states, and Mexico and Central America.

Their presence has revitalized towns historically afflicted by the woes of the boom-and-bust cycles of the oil and gas industry. For example, along the west I-70 corridor, towns such as Eagle, Edwards, and Gypsum in Eagle County, and towns like Glenwood Springs, Parachute, Rifle and Silt in Garfield County, have seen their Latino populations soar with the arrival of families attracted to job opportunities in resort destinations like Vail and Aspen. By 2020, Latinos made up more than a third of these counties’ total populations compared to the 1990s when Latinos made up less than 10% of the population in the region.

Further west, Montrose’s Latino population has grown in tandem with the popular resort town of Telluride’s economic expansion. Nowadays, Latinos represent more than 20% of the Montrose County population compared to 12% three decades ago. Mesa County has the largest number of Latinos on the Western Slope, about 25,000, who make up 15% of the population. Latinos are mostly clustered in and around Grand Junction, the largest metro hub between Denver and Salt Lake City.

Like most working-class Coloradans, these Latino families typically cannot afford to live in the ritzy communities where they work. Many make long commutes over treacherous mountain roads to get to their workplace. Some juggle multiple jobs and rely on carpooling because they don’t own cars and don’t make enough money to afford their long, potentially dangerous commutes.

While the first-generation immigrants who came to Colorado’s Western Slope in the 1990s- 2000s have a limited educational background and speak little English, their second-generation children are trying to realize the American Dream by moving into the middle class. This second generation benefits from a public education, command of the English language, and greater knowledge of American society than their parents.

The U.S.-born descendants of Latino immigrants represent a tip-of-the-iceberg phenomenon. They currently make up a large component of the school-age population in these counties. In another decade or two, they will join the labor force, pay taxes, vote, and likely transform the demographics, culture, and political status quo of these mountain communities.

Challenges facing Latino Coloradans

Latino Coloradans’ story is fraught with challenges, too.

First-generation Latino laborers often endure long work hours for low pay, a high cost of living, occupational hazards and the stigma of racial discrimination. Moreover, shifting political winds represent a significant challenge for Latinos concerned about changes in U.S. immigration policies.

President Donald Trump’s recent immigration dragnet has reached the Western Slope, where Latino individuals have been routinely arrested and Latino families fear deportation. Many Latino families in Colorado are mixed-status families, in which some family members may lack U.S. citizenship or work visas and are subject to deportation. They feel targeted for the color of their skin, their accent or the jobs they do. The immigration operations are having an impact on the economy and social fabric of the communities where Latinos live and work.

Still, Latinos have grown deep roots in Western Slope communities. Grand Junction has a thriving Latino middle class and is home to the Western Colorado Latino Chamber of Commerce. Latinos, such as State Rep. Elizabeth Velasco, are running for office in the region and getting elected. Velasco represents House District 57, which covers Glenwood Springs and Aspen.

Latinos have always been an intrinsic feature of the Western Slope’s socioeconomic landscape, as ubiquitous as the area’s mountains, mesas and canyons. In cities like Grand Junction and Durango, and ski towns like Aspen, Telluride and Vail, they enrich the region’s economy, society and culture.

Read more of our stories about Colorado.

Ernesto Sagás, Professor of Ethnic Studies, Colorado State University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The post From The San Luis Valley To Vail, Latino Labor Powers Every Sector Of Colorado’s Economy appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Rodolfo Gonzalez, c:1967-70, John Gordon_The Denver Public Library-Special Collections

Remembering One of Denver’s Pioneers of Chicano Rights 

When Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales passed away on April 12, 2005, he left a lifelong legacy of trailblazing Chicano civil rights movements in Colorado. He founded organizations that still stand as a determined, resilient political activist and community leader. Gonzales contributed to Mexican American empowerment through facets like boxing and poetry all while championing boycotts, walkouts, and protests for social justice. 

Gonzales was born the youngest into a family of seven in Denver on June 18, 1928  – just a year before the Great Depression. He and his siblings were raised in poverty in eastern Denver by his father, Federico Gonzales, who had immigrated to the city from Chihuahua following the Mexican Revolution. His mother died when he was just two years old. 

His father worked in the coal mines while he and his siblings worked in beet fields. Despite this, Gonzales graduated from Manual High School at 16 years old. His uncle commented on his fiery personality, describing him as “…always popping off like a cork.” The nickname stuck and “Corky” was born. 

Gonzales married Geraldine Romero in 1949 and the two had eight children who carried on their father’s pursuit for Chicano equality. 

Before fully transitioning into politics, Gonzales was a notable boxer. He retired in 1955, ranked as the fifth-best boxer in the world with 63 wins, 11 losses, and 1 draw. He used the sport to empower himself, and his passion landed him in the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame inductee in 1988. 

Gonzales began his political involvement when he joined the campaign for the Democratic mayoral candidate in 1947. He later registered Latino voters for the Democratic party and led Colorado’s “Viva Kennedy” campaign to increase Latino turnout at the presidential polls. 

His passion only continued, and he began to imprint himself in Mexican American history as he tackled issues like educational inequality, police brutality, and systemic racism. In 1966, Gonzales founded the Crusade for Justice – a community-based organization that offered educational programs, legal assistance, and cultural enrichment. 

Picture of Corky Gonzales with donors and other founders of the Crusade for Justice, c. 1966-1970

It brought attention to the discrimination faced by Chicanos in almost every facet of life.

The group also supported students in walkouts and protests. Gonzales and other members joined Denver West High School students in organizing a three-day walkout after the school didn’t hold a teacher who used racial language accountable. 

A year after founding the Crusade for Justice, Gonzales wrote “Yo Soy Joaquin,” a genuine poem that captures the struggles of being a Mexican American. It spoke to the importance of cultural identity in a society trying to minimize and erase it. The poem became a rallying cry, inspiring generations of activists and artists who continued the fight to preserve Chicano pride and history. 

Gonzales continued to write throughout his life. He delivered speeches, drafted plays, and wrote impactful letters. Message to Aztlán, a compilation of his writings, was published in 2001. 

The first National Chicano Youth Liberation Conference was held in 1969. The event welcomed approximately 1,500 Mexican Americans who discussed oppression, discrimination, and injustices in the community. 

It was here that Gonzales helped draft “El Plan Espiritual de Aztlán,” a foundational document outlining its goals. It encouraged self-determination and liberation by focusing on unity, the economy, institutions, and self-defense. The plan was also based on the importance of education, cultural values, and political liberation. 

Intertwined with Gonzales’ political activism was his advocacy for accessibility to quality education. He pushed for school curriculums to include Chicano history and literature.

“The walk for a “Revolutionary memory of Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales” founder of Escuela Tlatelolco”, by Dennis Schroeder, 04-17-2005

He began to build his vision on Downing Street when he founded Escuela Tlatelolco in 1970. The school used a dual language approach, giving Spanish speakers the opportunity to receive an education. Its mission was rooted in liberation for students through holistic education focused on academics, confidence, and cultural expression.

Escuela Tlatelolco adapted with the area and targeted the community’s needs by offering a variety of programs and activities for 46 years. The school shut its doors in 2017, having served over 7,000 students and families at its closing.

Gonzales passed away on April 12, 2005, at 76, in his Denver home. Just five days later, hundreds of people gathered to march in his honor. The Denver Public Library opened the Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales Branch in February 2015 to commemorate his fight for Chicano civil rights. 

Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales is embedded in Denver’s history and the broader Chicano community. His neverending passion and perseverance left an undeniable mark on the city, and his efforts will continue to inspire generations.

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The post Legacy Spotlight: Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Editor’s note: This story was originally published by The Colorado Sun and was shared via AP StoryShare. It was written by Tatiana Flowers, a  Colorado Sun Staff Writer.

by. Tatiana Flowers

Michael Diaz-Rivera hoped $25,000 in savings and a good credit score would give him enough leverage to buy a home. But his low teacher’s salary made that nearly impossible.

“The prices in Denver were just a little too steep for me and the market was just too high,” he said in late April. “Every time that I would find a house, while I was still thinking about whether I wanted to put the money down, somebody else is coming in and they’re just buying it all out with cash. It was wild.”

It took a year, but Diaz-Rivera was finally able to purchase a home with some help from a community land trust, one of a handful of programs working to make homeownership more accessible to low and moderate income Coloradans.

“To look at my kids and know we don’t have to worry about redoing a lease, knowing that everybody’s prices are going up and that we’ve got a stable house, is just something that I’m working for,” said Diaz-Rivera, who identifies as Black. “Now, I can say my kids have a house to grow up in, something I never really had.”

Homeownership is the primary means of accumulating wealth for the average family, housing advocates said, and closing the homeownership gap is the most effective way to close the racial wealth gap.

About 48% of white residents can afford to buy the typical home in Colorado, compared with 30% of Black residents and 32% of Latino people.

In the last decade, the gaps between Black and white homeownership have widened. In 1970, the homeownership gap between Black and white households was 19 percentage points and it has grown every decade since to 32 percentage points in 2020. In 2020, 73% of white Coloradans owned their own home, compared with 41% of Black Coloradans, new Census Bureau data says.

The news is better for Latino Coloradans. In 2020, the homeownership gap between Colorado’s white and Latino households narrowed for the first time in 50 years.

Home ownership rates among Latinos are highest now in the Adams County suburbs of Commerce City and Thornton.

“It’s encouraging that we see some closing of that gap among Hispanic homeowners and it is dispiriting to look at how wide the gap still is with Black homeowners,” said Mike Johnston, president and CEO of Gary Community Ventures, a nonprofit running a new down payment assistance fund for first-time Black homeowners. “When you look at a scenario where in Colorado the homeownership rates are almost twice as high for white families as for Black families, I think that is a major crisis.”

Nationwide, 63% of white Americans can afford to buy the typical home, compared with 43% of Black Americans and 54% of Hispanics, according to the National Association of Realtors.

In partnership with the Colorado News Collaborative and news organizations across the state, The Colorado Sun examined gaps in homeownership rates for “Chasing Progress,” an in-depth reporting project on the social, economic and health equity of Black and Latino Coloradans.

The U.S. is short about 3.8 million housing units relative to demand, making one of the toughest real estate markets in history even more difficult for middle and low wage earners trying to rent and buy homes.

The market has been further complicated by institutional investors buying single-family homes that might otherwise have gone to first-time homebuyers. Rising interest rates have made it even harder for the many buyers to afford homes as prices continue to rise.

Buying a home is a considerable feat for anyone. But the challenge is steepest for Black and Latino homebuyers, especially first-timers, who are still facing racial discrimination, income inequality, and the reverberating effects of predatory lending and exclusionary zoning practices.

Diaz-Rivera, who now owns a cannabis delivery company, was able to buy with some help from the Denver-based Elevation Community Land Trust, which made the house in his north Aurora neighborhood more affordable by retaining ownership of the land it sits on. Under the agreement with the nonprofit, if he sells the home, he will retain 25% of the equity that has built up. The remaining 75% remains with the home, which will make it affordable to the next buyer who will be selected from applicants who earn less than 80% of the area median income.

Diaz-Rivera moved into the three-bedroom house in February 2021 understanding that it won’t be a “forever home.” He wants total ownership one day and said his new home is a step toward financial stability.

The white/Latino homeownership gap

The homeownership gap between white and Latino Coloradans grew from 7 percentage points in 1970 to 21 percentage points in 2010, but then narrowed to 18 percentage points in 2020. It’s difficult for housing experts to explain the narrowing gap, but they said, a number of conflicting factors could help explain the trend.

“There’s this huge trend and desire within both the Black and brown communities to increase homeownership, and it’s a huge desire, especially with young Latino adults,” said Jonathan Cappelli, executive director of the Neighborhood Development Collaborative, which works to create equitable and sustainable development in Colorado and across the country.

“But there’s a dampening effect that’s countering that because of existing systemic racism and also direct racism and discrimination,” Cappelli said.

Latinos are 81% more likely to be denied financing for a conventional loan when compared to their non-Latino counterparts. Generational wealth disparities also play a role in the homeownership gap. Median white households have more than five times the wealth of median Latino households, helping them come up with all-cash offers or qualify for pre-approval in Colorado’s fast-selling market, according to the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals’ 2021 State of Hispanic Homeownership report.

Home appraisers are more likely to undervalue homes in majority Black and Latino neighborhoods relative to majority-white areas, leading to lower rates of homeownership for those two groups of color, according to a 2021 study by Freddie Mac.

Data from more than 12 million appraisals from Jan. 1, 2015, to Dec. 31, 2020, shows 12.5% of properties in Black census tracts were appraised at values lower than the contract price, compared with 7.4% of homes in white census tracts and 15.4% in Latino census tracts, according to Freddie Mac.

People hoping to buy homes in these majority Black and Latino areas are applying for loans that are based on the value set by the appraiser. If the appraiser is biased or intentionally discriminatory and sets a lower appraised value, the buyer will be approved for loan that may not be commensurate with the actual price of the home, Cappelli said.

Black and Latino people selling homes in those communities will also face wealth-building obstacles because a low appraisal would cause them to sell for less than their home is worth, he said.

Rachel Chaparro, a Colorado real estate broker who specializes in working with first-time buyers, said one of her Latino clients who had a 640 credit score, which is considered fair, was deemed high-risk and denied a conventional mortgage loan, while white clients with lower credit scores and more debt were approved.

Most people who are turned down for a conventional loan try for a mortgage backed by the Federal Housing Administration. While the FHA is willing to loan to those who might be a higher credit risk, its loans come at a higher cost, including mortgage insurance, which must be paid for the life of the loan if the recipient makes the minimum 3.5% down payment.

Now, Chaparro’s client is paying almost $400 per month for mortgage insurance, on top of his mortgage payment.

Latinos are twice as likely to purchase a home with an FHA loan than white homebuyers, according to the Hispanic Homeownership report.

Thornton and Commerce City

The Colorado Housing and Finance Authority conducted focus groups in 2017 and 2018 with Latino residents and housing professionals to gauge the gaps, opportunities and barriers to homeownership. Since then, the portion of households CHFA has served that are Hispanic/Latino has grown to 40% in 2021 from 28% in 2016. “This has contributed to the 3.6% increase in the overall Latino homeownership rate in Colorado,” Cappelli said.

Some of the highest homeownership rates among Latinos in Colorado are now in Commerce City, where 68% of Latinos owned their homes in 2020, and Thornton, where 61% of Latinos owned a home that year.

“The biggest thing with Thornton and Commerce City is just affordability,” Chaparro said.

Census data shows that homeownership rates are high in both cities for people of Hispanic origin between the ages of 25 and 44 as far back as 2010.

“That really points to the uniqueness of both markets in terms of both affordability and amenities that they offer to Hispanic homebuyers,” said Avilia Bueno, a labor economist and associate at Root Policy in Denver, which conducts economic and housing research.

Historically, Latinos have also been more likely to live in multigenerational households, compared to other demographics, according to the Hispanic Homeownership report.

“Once a relative buys in a neighborhood, maybe the son or daughter might want to buy in a close-by location. I think if they could afford it, they would buy two homes close together, and those may be markets where you can actually do that,” Bueno said of Thornton and Commerce City.

Latinos were also more willing than any other demographic to choose a house that was farther from shopping and entertainment and were more willing to endure a longer work commute, according to the Hispanic Homeownership report. Since the pandemic, they have increasingly moved to suburbs for more outdoor space and to accommodate live-in family members, and have been more likely to rent space in their homes to others to help pay the mortgage.

After the Great Recession in 2008, there was a significant decline in homebuilding, which created a shortage of housing that never caught up. Homeownership rates among Latino households was at 49% in 2008 and dipped to 45% in 2014, but by 2021, the rate was at 48%.

“Basically, they’ve (almost) reobtained pre-recession rates, so they’ve gone back to the same homeownership rates that they had before the recession, or right when the recession hit,” Cappelli said. “It’s not like this is an increase, historically speaking.”

The Black/white homeownership gap

Explaining the gap in homeownership between Black and white Coloradans appears more straightforward.

Redlining and other exclusionary housing policies, income inequality, discriminatory lending and appraisal practices have sidelined Black people in the past, and the reverberations of those inequities are affecting their children’s ability to buy a home today, Chaparro said.

Redlining, a policy in which banks determined whether to lend based on the racial composition of a neighborhood, kept Black people, other people of color, and others with low incomes from accessing mortgage loan, creating long-term and wide-ranging health, environmental and income disparities.

“Over time, those have accumulated to make it next to impossible to build wealth, particularly because one of the ways that you do it is in buying homes,” said Johnston of Gary Community Ventures.

The median white household has at least 10 times the wealth of the median Black household, according to the Brookings Institution. The racial wealth gap has continued to grow over the past 30 years. More than half of Black households lack any savings for retirement, according to Zillow.

The biggest obstacle for Black families is the ability to afford a down payment. About 93% of Black families with the credit scores and income to qualify for a home loan do not move on to purchase a home because they lack the cash for a down payment, according to an analysis by Gary Community Ventures. The organization is offering up to $40,000 in down payment assistance to at least 500 Black families in metro Denver, over the next 10 years, through its new Dearfield Fund for Black Wealth.

Bias in lending and appraising

Prejudice in the lending and appraisal system is still occurring, according to three housing professionals interviewed for this story.

In Colorado, Black mortgage applicants were turned down almost twice as often as white applicants. According to a Zillow analysis, 15% of Black mortgage applicants in Colorado were denied in 2020, compared with 9% of white applicants.

Owner-occupied homes in Black neighborhoods are undervalued by $48,000 per home, on average, which amounts to $156 billion in losses nationwide. When half of the residents in a neighborhood are Black, the homes are valued at roughly half the price of homes in neighborhoods with very few or no Black residents, according to Brookings.

April Denmon, a real estate broker, said she has had clients who, after seeking loans from five or six lenders, have come to her, frustrated and in need of help.

“Some lenders out there may discriminate a little bit, or may not want to work with you, so they may make it a little bit harder, or make your terms harder, whereas if you go to another lender that maybe looks like you or this person is supporting you, you may get a better rate, or they may give you a higher approval amount,” Denmon said.

“If you’re a seller and you see the name ‘Martinez’ versus ‘Smith,’ and Martinez has an FHA loan, and Smith has a conventional loan, there’s just inherent biases that people have, whether they’re intentional or not,” Chaparro said.

On the appraisal side, Denmon pointed to two experiences where homes she was helping to sell for two Black clients were significantly undervalued. In both cases, the appraisers knew the sellers were Black. Denmon disputed the appraisal for one of those clients, by finding other homes in the area that were comparable, and provided the information to the appraiser. After the challenge, the appraiser raised the price of that home by more than $50,000, Denmon said.

Many Black people are told by their real estate agents to take down any personal belongings that would indicate their race, Denmon said.

“As a homeowner myself, when I went to go and put my home on the market, I was asked to take down personal items, but when I walked into people’s homes I was looking at buying, I walked into a person’s home who had a Trump flag flying,” said Jice Johnson, founder and chief visionary officer of The Black Business Initiative, who purchased her home in Aurora, in 2021.

Solutions

To help close the gap, the government should institute a loan program specifically for Black Americans that would reduce the risk to banks and allow them to relax their policies to help close the homeownership and racial wealth gaps, Johnson said.

She pointed to VA-backed loans, where the Department of Veterans Affairs guarantees a portion of the loan that a veteran (and their surviving spouse) gets from a private lender. If their VA-backed home goes into foreclosure, the guarantee allows the lender to recover some or all of their losses. Since there’s less risk for the lender, they’re more likely to give the veteran or their spouse the loan under better terms. Nearly 90% of all VA-backed home loans are made without a downpayment, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website.

The department’s Native American Direct Loan program also often has better terms than a home loan from a private lender, such as a private bank, mortgage company, or credit union.

“They made it specific to veterans,” said Johnson, a U.S. Army veteran. “They can create a program and make it specific to the Black community, in which they’ve caused harm.”

Latinos are more ready to become homeowners than ever before, and are the youngest of any ethnic or racial demographic, and in their prime home-buying years. They’re expected to make up 70% of homeownership growth over the next two decades. But that future growth is threatened by barriers in the housing market today, which could affect the nation’s productivity and economic wellbeing, according to the 2021 report.

Increasing the number of Latino real estate professionals could be one of the most effective strategies at increasing the number of Latino homeowners because they could create a “multiplier effect” that accelerates homeownership among their own friends and family, according to the report.

“It would help to make the name and race blind in all real estate transactions,” Chaparro said. “From loan applications to buyer offers and appraisals, not seeing the first and last name could help prevent intentional and unintentional discrimination.”

A glimmer of hope

Metro Denver has been a seller’s market since 2012, the year that the recreational sale and use of cannabis became legal. The COVID-19 pandemic cemented the market conditions, Realtor Denmon said.

In January 2021, there were only 912 houses and 1,119 condos on the market in metro Denver, which includes Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties. Many people began bidding on those houses, creating an appraisal gap on almost every home, which occurs when a buyer’s offer is higher than the appraised value of the property. It complicates the home-buying process, especially for low-wealth, first-time homebuyers.

“That was in January of last year. If you look at January of this year, it’s even worse,” Denmon said. “Now we only have 712 houses, and we have 436 condos.”

For comparison, in 2007, there were 35,000 houses on the market in metro Denver. In 1973, a person could buy a house in metro Denver for $20,000. In April, the median single family home sale was $600,000 in Colorado and $660,000 in metro Denver, according to the Colorado Association of Realtors. Both medians were up about $100,000 from April 2021.

“These prices are not going to stop,” she said. “They’re going to keep going up.”

Some of Denmon’s Black buyers won’t budge on the size, amenities or location of their home. But she advises that they be more flexible and get into the market as quickly as possible.

Normally homes appreciate at 6% a year. However, homes in the last year in metro Denver have been appreciating at just over 20% per year. So, if a person buys a house for $500,000, and the home appreciates at 20%, they will make $100,000 in equity in one year.

“So I tell everybody, ‘If you’re on the fence, or if you’re waiting, jump in now, buy now and don’t wait,”’ Denmon said. “Homeownership is possible. I can’t stress that enough.”

The post After 50 years, homeownership gap between white and Latino Coloradans narrows. But for Black Coloradans, it’s widened. appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.