This is one of a series of stories about the ten women being inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame. Click here to learn more about this year's honorees and the women being inducted.
Rosalind "Bee" Harris has dedicated her career to elevating communities of color by providing a platform for their voices and their stories with the founding of the Denver Urban Spectrum newspaper in 1987 and the Urban Spectrum Youth Foundation in 2000.
The Denver Urban Spectrum newspaper started as a way of "spreading the news about people of color" through informative, entertaining articles, and grew into a thirty-two-year-old institution that went beyond merely delivering information to showcase voices not heard in the mainstream media. In 2000 Harris founded the Urban Spectrum Youth Foundation, a mentoring program that trained youth from ages 11 to 17 in the field of journalism. During a seven-week summer program, participants learn skills and techniques in writing/reporting, photography, layout and design, sales and marketing, and business management. More than 250 youth have attended the award-winning program and produced multi-page publications distributed to all DUS readers after each session.
Harris has not only facilitated communication and advocated for people of color, but she has also been a cultural ambassador, historian, and advisor on local, national, and international levels. Harris has led the publication of stories of African American, Latino, Native American, and Asian women throughout the years. Her passion for and commitment to empowering women to reach new frontiers is seen in every issue of the newspaper and every event she supports. By dedicating her life's work to the empowerment of others, Harris' dedication to elevating the status of women is indispensable.
