Mile High United Way's physical office is currently closed, but all of our services including 2-1-1 will be running at full capacity. Please dial 2-1-1 to reach our community resource center.

Social Justice and Racial Equity

Galvanizing our community to join us in our stand against social injustice.

Mile High United Way seeks to engage all voices and to co-create more equitable communities.

Our vision is a community united to create opportunities for all. But structural racism is a powerful force that inhibits our progress toward creating opportunities, justice, peace, and prosperity.

As we continue to work alongside schools, families, children, individuals, businesses, and communities, we will take bold steps in galvanizing our community to join us in our stand against social injustice.

Here you will find resources to learn, invest, and act in order to create change and join the fight against systemic racism.

Our Statement Against Injustice

We stand united against the injustices and cruelty of systemic racism. We are calling on our Metro Denver community to stand united with us.

Read Our Statement

GROW WITH US

As a learning organization, we have been on our own equity and anti-racism journey. We invite you to join us by growing your knowledge of social justice issues.

Denver’s Historic Five Points Neighborhood

Five Points has been a backbone of the Black experience in Denver for generations. In celebration of Black History Month, we asked some of our Black board members to share their takes on the past, present, and future of Five Points and Denver.

Read Article

Building Equity as a Learning Organization

Francisca Angulo-Olaiz, PhD, VP of Community Engagement and Roweena Naidoo, Senior Director of Community Impact share how Mile High United Way is evolving to create greater equity in our community.

Read Article

Courageous Conversations Event Series

Courageous Conversations is our virtual event series that explores topics around social justice and racial equity. During each session, we host leaders in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to share their insights. Learn more about the topics we've covered and get updates on upcoming events.

Learn More

Staff Recommended Resources

See a list of staff recommended books, articles, podcasts, documentaries, and more to deepen your understanding of racial inequality in our local community and in our country.

View Recommendations

INVEST



When you invest in Mile High United Way, you support programs focused on building equity that are led by the voices of those we serve. Learn more:

Bridging the Gap - Supporting young people as they transition out of the child welfare system

United for Business - Strengthening under-resourced communities by helping locally owned businesses realize their growth potential

United for Families - Focusing on high-need areas and resources to ensure all children have access to high-quality early care and childhood education

United for Schools - Helping students increase presence and engagement in school through coordinated work that addresses underlying circumstances that contribute to truancy, behavioral issues, and poor academic performance

Below is a list of our funding partners who support Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities:

Supporting Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Organizations – Click to Expand

  • Ability Connection Colorado 
  • Adams 12 School District 
  • Center for Work Education and Employment 
  • Centro Humanitario para los Trabajadores 
  • Centro San Juan Diego 
  • City Year Denver 
  • Clayton Early Learning 
  • Colorado Association of Black Professional Engineers and Scientists 
  • Colorado Legal Services 
  • Colorado Statewide Parent Coalition 
  • Colorado Uplift 
  • Colorado Youth for a Change 
  • Denver Children’s Advocacy Center 
  • Denver Indian Family Resource Center 
  • Denver Kids 
  • Denver Public Schools Foundation 
  • Downtown Aurora Visual Arts 
  • Early Excellence Program of Denver 
  • Environmental Learning for Kids 
  • Family Star 
  • First Steps at Monarch Montessori 
  • Florence Crittenton Services 
  • Focus Points Family Resource Center  
  • Girl Scouts of Colorado 
  • Girls Inc of Metro Denver 
  • Heart and Hand Center 
  • HOPE Center 
  • Hope Communities 
  • Hunger Free Colorado 
  • Invest in Kids 
  • La Raza Services 
  • Metro Denver Partners 
  • Mile High Early Learning Centers 
  • Open Door Youth Gang Alternatives 
  • Rocky Mountain Welcome Center 
  • Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network 
  • Roots Family Center 
  • Scholars Unlimited 
  • Sun Valley Youth Center 
  • The Bridge Project 
  • The Senior Hub 
  • Volunteers of America 
  • Warren Village 
  • WorkLife Partnership 
  • YMCA of Metro Denver 

 
Bold indicates Black-led organization and/or specifically serving the Black community
 

Social Justice Fund

Mile High United Way’s Social Justice Fund invests in impact-focused and collaborative community programs that focus on equity and social justice, education and awareness of issues affecting our communities of color, and ongoing engagement through volunteering around social justice issues.

Learn More

SUPPORT



One of the easiest ways to get involved is to support minority-owned businesses in our community. Below is a list of suggested businesses in our neighborhood of Five Points.

• Coffee at the Point
• Mo-Betta Green Marketplace
• TeaLee’s
• Welton St Café

See a full list of minority-owned businesses in and around Denver here

United we rise. Rise with us. Together, we are a #CommunityUnited.

To everyone who wants to understand how to do more, to affect change, to be part of the short- and long-term solutions our community needs, this is for you. This is an invitation to get inspired to unite with us in supporting our community.

Join Us