This Is [Not] Who We Are, explores the gap between Boulder’s self-image and the more complex lived experiences—both historical and contemporary—of its Black citizens.

In 2019, a Boulder police officer harassed and threatened Zayd Atkinson, a Naropa University student, with his taser and gun. This racial profiling catalyzed a mass protest and a community-wide conversation with increased awareness that Boulder is struggling with deeply-entrenched racism, and activitists are now working to turn dialogue into sustained transformative action. 

Black people have lived in Boulder continuously for nearly 150 years, but their history is not well known. Although the particulars of Boulder’s history are unique, its social trajectory into the 21st century is nevertheless emblematic of many cities across the country that struggle to reconcile their liberal politics with the reality of their communities.

This is [Not] Who We Are opens a space for dialogue among Boulderites and about cities like Boulder, overwhelmingly white, wealthy, and conflicted about issues of diversity, inclusion, and equity. Is a more economically and racially diverse future possible, both in Boulder and in cities like it across America. It documents Zayd’s story and interviews a cross-section of Boulderites to capture aspects of this conversation and the issues it has raised. The film seeks to deepen the dialogue about Boulder, the increasingly gentrified future toward which it is heading, and whether a more economically, racially diverse, and socially just future is possible. The young people speak on their own behalf, and the elders share their decades of experience in a community that is not as open as it believes it is. The film explores new solutions to old problems, frontiers that are trying to reach beyond dialogue to informed action.

This is [Not] Who We Are will speak to communities across the country, as people from many backgrounds seek positive efforts toward dialogue and systemic change.