Nicole received a permit to reserve the West Steps of the Colorado State Capitol from 11:00 am-4:00 pm to host the Solidarity Talk, but unexpectedly, several protest groups later made their way to the same area. The majority of the people who joined were either pro- or anti-COVID-19 vaccine. Despite this, Nicole thought it was serendipity that many with differing opinions joined together.

At her Solidarity Talks, Nicole walks throughout the crowd and conducts one-on-one interviews. These interviews help Nicole understand what people’s needs, ideas and opinions may be. One of the people she sat down with was Ian Tanner. Tanner told Nicole about his concerns aoround the scarcity of affordable housing in America.

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“I think one of the biggest things that anyone anywhere is having a problem with is housing. We’re in the middle of it. There aren’t any widespread solutions taking hold because the focus is on how much money an individual or corporation can make on what we consider homes,” Tanner said. “People are in a crisis to find places to call home.”

Nicole added: “Everyone was respectful on Saturday. My hope is for Solidarity Talks to help make a better tomorrow.” 

The inspiration for Nicole’s Solidarity Talks came from another Summit County woman: Evin Harris. In June 2020, after the national coverage of the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, Harris started solidarity walks.

Harris and her partner realized Summit County needed to start having honest conversations about race, white supremacy, and equity. On June 1 last year, in downtown Breckenridge, they organized a public protest/walk to support and stand with Arbery. Over 120 people participated.

“In Breckenridge, often the residents here say, ‘Racism doesn’t exist!’ Or that certain things don’t happen in small mountain towns, and that’s simply not true,” said Harris.

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Harris, originally from Denver, said she is excited to see what crowd Saturday’s Solidarity Talk will bring.

“I enjoy Alexandria’s Solidarity Talks. It’s inspiring to see that these talks bring together so many different members of society. No one ever has the same opinions at these talks,” Harris said. “I grew up in Denver and things have changed quite a bit. It’s great to see what people want to bring up and talk about.”

Nicole added: “Surprisingly, the Solidarity Talks have been peaceful and very pleasant. There will always be people with varying opinions, and that’s what it’s all about, but it always stays respectful. The foundation of the talks is for people to express themselves respectfully.”

[Related: Town of Frisco embraces Black Lives Matter conversation]

Since the talks have taken off, Solidarity Nation has partnered with many local organizations, such as the Breckenridge Tourism Office, Breck Film Fest, and Lake Dillon Theatre. Nicole shares that she was also selected for the Breckenridge Social Equity Advisory Commission and now serves as the Chair of the Commission.

Nicole’s big plan for Solidarity Nation is to create a documentary film named “After the Protest.” The film will document the community members who attended June’s Solidarity Walk. The film’s goal is to encourage people to stand up for what they believe in, which will hopefully lead to stronger and more unified communities. There is a GoFundMe set up to help fundraise the $100,000 needed to create the film.

Lindsey Ford is a multimedia journalist at Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach her at lindseyford@rmpbs.org.