FILLING UP FAST FOR 2022 News continued from page 10 EVENTS! Large Event Center Breathtaking views of the Rockies and Downtown Weddings, Corporate and Holiday Events Cantonwine thought someone should re- spond to that, and he spoke with Edmondson for a Paw Print podcast episode about the goals of the decolonization movement. He also wrote a column for the Paw Print that took aim at Anderson’s column. “If you think that diverse, new additions will downplay the same white authors, then you have a slight understanding of the emotions associated with those who have not seen themselves in a book at school their whole life,” he wrote. Cantonwine pointed out that Anderson is white and may not have an understand- ing of why anti-racist teaching or a more inclusive curriculum is needed in schools. Cantonwine, who is also white, says he tried to make it clear in his column that he wasn’t attacking Anderson as a person but was concerned with the way the local media was covering the decolonizing group and just wanted to communicate its goals. But Anderson responded with a second he’ll be very successful,” Anderson adds. Anderson had also written about the proposed sex education curriculum, push- ing back on the idea that the policy would teach students about sexuality before they were ready. Given the nature of small com- munities, he says, controversial topics like sex education become larger. In Anchorage, where he also publishes a paper, he doesn’t think the subject would attract as much attention as it did in Delta County, which is one-tenth the size. Delta County has a population of just un- der 32,000 and is 81.2 percent white and 15.3 percent Hispanic or Latino, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Of Delta High School’s 600 students, about 60 percent are white and about 34 percent are Hispanic or Latino. “With a smaller community, your press really reaches people, and people are going to talk about your press the next day,” Can- tonwine says, adding that he doesn’t agree with what he sees as the conservative bent of the Independent. Call to schedule a tour (303) 507-3554 Delta High School has 600 students. Adults with Schizophrenia Needed for MRI Research Volunteers are needed for a research study to improve cognitive measures used in research. Participants will be compensated for their time $25 per hour and up to $175 total. The study will be conducted at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Please call (970) 491-6458 or email [email protected] for more information. COMIRB#20-1431 PI: Jason Tregellas, Ph.D. and Michael Thomas, Ph.D. 12 column, in which he discussed his upbring- ing in Delta County — he’s a graduate of Delta High School — and his experiences with prejudice, urging readers to reserve judgment based on skin color. “[Cantonwine] came out with his column... saying that I am an older white man and don’t have a clue,” Anderson recalls. “My next column was saying, basically, you never know what a person goes through just because maybe their skin color isn’t evident of what their culture is. My point was, my mother was German. ... In the ’70s, when I was a kid, when people would fi nd out that my mother was German, they were pretty cruel.” People would call him a Nazi simply because of his mother’s heritage, Anderson wrote. After Anderson’s second column, Canton- wine says he was the focus of criticism that made him feel even more isolated at school. “I’ve literally thought about this every single day since it’s happened,” he says. “I think I just wished that he would have actually responded to the issue.” Anderson says that he believes supporting young journalists is important. In fact, the weekly Delta County Independent prints the monthly Delta Paw Print and the Cedaredge High School student publication, distributing copies with the Independent as a courtesy to both schools. Between editions, Delta High students publish stories on the Paw Print website. “My personal feeling was [Canton- wine is] a very talented writer, and I think, if journalism is what he wants to do for a career, “I end up looking at the news every sin- gle morning,” he explains. “They’re not really going to get a grasp of a true diverse voice, and it’s just some- thing that’s really been hard to get used to, espe- cially when controversies about LGBTQ issues come up. I always get confused. I’m like, ‘Why don’t you just talk to gay people? Why don’t you just talk to Black people?’ That’s what I did when I reported on Decolonizing DCSD.’” Still, the value of local journalism, particularly in small counties, is something on which An- derson and Cantonwine can agree. According to Anderson, both liberals and conservatives think the Independent is biased against their views. “We’ve faced the same thing most of the newspapers across the country face,” he says. “With every story, if somebody doesn’t like the subject or has some kind of a political case against it, it’s always, ‘You’re writing from a liberal view- point,’ or ‘You’re editorializing the story,’ which is not true. I’m a pretty conservative person, so to be called a liberal, a communist, a socialist by people that live in my own hometown…it’s challenging, for sure.” So is working on a school paper in Delta, where Cantonwine has gotten a crash course in those challenges during his two years at the Paw Print. Hiestand is encouraged by students like Cantonwine, and urges other high school jour- nalists to write about any topic without fear. “We need young voices in particular,” he says. “They occupy a unique place: A sixteen-year-old’s take on climate change is going to be much different than my take as a fi fty-year-old, and so we need those voices, we need those fresh sorts of perspectives. It’s healthy for society, and it’s an important thing for students to get their message out — because if they don’t do it, nobody else will. “Take advantage of the law,” he urges, “and say what you need to say.” Email [email protected]. MAY 12-18, 2022 WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | westword.com TRAVIS CANTONWINE
