50 signatures reached
To: Gilpin County Commissioner Jeff Aiken, Gilpin County Commissioner Susan Berumen, Gilpin County Commissioner Sandy Hollingsworth
Petition for the Clara Brown, Jeremiah Lee, and Lorenzo Bowman Monument
To the Honorable Commissioners of Gilpin County:
We, the undersigned, call for the immediate reinstatement and rededication of a monument along Highway 119, honoring Clara Brown, Jeremiah Lee, and Lorenzo Bowman, three pioneers whose labor, vision, and sacrifice helped shape Colorado’s foundation.
Earlier this year, a historic marker to Clara Brown was removed. Its absence is more than an oversight it is an erasure. These leaders deserve permanent recognition for their accomplishments and contributions to the pioneer era of Colorado.
We demand: Installation of a permanent monument in Gilpin County honoring Clara Brown, Jeremiah Lee, and Lorenzo Bowman.
Inclusive dedication language that reflects their true legacies as entrepreneurs, community-builders, and pioneers.
County support and protection ensuring this monument remains a lasting tribute to Colorado’s Black history.
This is not just about history, it is about justice. Monuments tell the story of who we are. If we fail to honor Clara Brown, Jeremiah Lee, and Lorenzo Bowman, we fail to honor ourselves.
We call upon the three Gilpin County Commissioners to act now.
We, the undersigned, call for the immediate reinstatement and rededication of a monument along Highway 119, honoring Clara Brown, Jeremiah Lee, and Lorenzo Bowman, three pioneers whose labor, vision, and sacrifice helped shape Colorado’s foundation.
Earlier this year, a historic marker to Clara Brown was removed. Its absence is more than an oversight it is an erasure. These leaders deserve permanent recognition for their accomplishments and contributions to the pioneer era of Colorado.
We demand: Installation of a permanent monument in Gilpin County honoring Clara Brown, Jeremiah Lee, and Lorenzo Bowman.
Inclusive dedication language that reflects their true legacies as entrepreneurs, community-builders, and pioneers.
County support and protection ensuring this monument remains a lasting tribute to Colorado’s Black history.
This is not just about history, it is about justice. Monuments tell the story of who we are. If we fail to honor Clara Brown, Jeremiah Lee, and Lorenzo Bowman, we fail to honor ourselves.
We call upon the three Gilpin County Commissioners to act now.
Why is this important?
Why should others join us in this campaign? Because honoring Clara Brown, Jeremiah Lee, and Lorenzo Bowman is not only about restoring a monument, it is about restoring truth, dignity, and justice to the story of Colorado. These three pioneers embody the resilience and vision that helped build our state, yet their contributions have been systematically overlooked, minimized, or erased. Clara Brown, once enslaved, became Colorado’s first Black woman pioneer, a business owner, and a community leader who reunited families torn apart by slavery. Jeremiah Lee, a veteran of the Mexican-American War and a successful prospector, built one of the first brick homes in Central City and fought for education for Black children. Lorenzo Bowman, a skilled smelter and entrepreneur, co-founded vital mining operations that powered the economy, only to lose his life under suspicious circumstances that reflect the racial violence of his time.
When their names are left out of the narrative, when their monuments are removed, we are left with a distorted history that elevates the powerful few while silencing the voices of those who sacrificed the most. By joining this campaign, you are standing for more than a plaque or statue, you are standing for truth in public memory, for inclusivity in the stories we tell, and for the next generation who deserve to see themselves reflected in the legacy of this state.
This campaign is a call to action: to tell Colorado’s full story, to honor the ancestors who paved the way, and to ensure that justice is not only spoken but inscribed into our public spaces. Together, we can make sure that Clara Brown, Jeremiah Lee, and Lorenzo Bowman are remembered not as footnotes, but as foundational figures in the history of Colorado.