Chandra Thomas Whitfield

Host/Producer, Colorado Matters

[email protected]

Chandra Thomas Whitfield joined CPR as a host and producer of its daily interview show, Colorado Matters, in 2022.

Professional background:
Whitfield has produced stories for NPR, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Essence, Ebony and a number of other national media outlets. She also hosted and produced the award-winning podcast “In The Gap” from In These Times magazine, which explored how the gender pay gap and pay discrimination affects the lives and livelihoods of Black women who work in America.

A New Orleans native by way of Atlanta and Clark Atlanta University graduate, she is also an alumna of a diverse mix of journalism fellowship programs, including the Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism at the Ohio University and Ted Scripps Fellowship in Environmental Journalism at the University of Colorado Boulder. Most recently she completed the Medill and The Garage Media Entrepreneur Fellowship with Northwestern University’s esteemed Medill School of Journalism.

Education:
Bachelor's of Arts degree in Journalism, Clark Atlanta University.

Awards/recognition:
Whitfield is the recipient of numerous awards for her writing, including “Journalist of the Year” awards from the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and the Atlanta Press Club, as well as honors from the Association for Women in Communications, the Colorado Association of Black Journalists and Mental Health America. An award-winning feature story she penned for Atlanta magazine is widely attributed with helping contribute to a change in Georgia law and a young man's early release from a 10-year prison sentence.

A group of people are gathered together, with some of them holding hands. They are standing close to each other.

June 5, 2025: Supporting Boulder attack survivors; Measles and summer travel; Reimagining fatherhood

We hear from a survivor of the firebomb attack in Boulder as the community gathers to show support and solidarity. Then, what to know about the spread of measles as the busy summer travel season begins. Plus, a summit ahead of Father’s Day aims to “restore, rebuild, and reimagine” fatherhood in a supportive and inclusive way. Later, how federal cuts to arts funding is having a ripple effect on a unique exhibit in western Colorado. And singer/songwriter Kayla Marque kicks off the Cultural Caravan festival.
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June 3, 2025: Aging Matters explores grief and ways to cope; How Colorado’s policing laws have changed

Today, we explore grief and how to cope with it in Aging Matters. Plus, we visit a clothing and coffee shop in Longmont where they host weekly “grief circles.” Then, how has Colorado state law about policing changed since George Floyd was murdered by police in Minneapolis five years ago. And later, Colorado Wonders about why there aren’t more fruit trees in cities like Denver.
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May 29, 2025: The campaign to free Tina Peters; The teeth behind the benefits of fluoride

Due to President Trump’s involvement and a recent high profile pardon, the governor’s office has received hundreds of emails from people wanting to see former Mesa County clerk Tina Peters released from prison. Where does the effort stand? Then, it’s long been shown that fluoride helps prevent tooth decay. A young dentist actually discovered it in Colorado Springs in 1901. We get some grounding amid a recent debate about its benefits. And, looking inside oneself to overcome professional barriers. And a unique end-of-the-year school project for students at Warren Tech.
Vietnam Veteran David Lyons PTSD Treatment

May 27, 2025: Can psilocybin help veterans overcome PTSD? Black Lives Matters five years after George Floyd’s murder

Today, the stories of two Colorado veterans who’ve had two different experiences with PTSD and how to treat it. Could psilocybin be the answer, and if it is, what are the challenges to getting it? We find out with “The Trip: CPR’s Coverage of Colorado’s Psychedelic Journey.” Then, five years after the death of George Floyd, where does the Black Lives Matters movement stand? Plus, it’s the beginning of the end for the penny. And, the story of a special education teacher in Colorado, and the effort to recruit and train more.
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May 22, 2025: A ‘final exam’ for education — in the classroom with Colorado’s teacher of the year; Monarch migration

Today we go inside the classroom, with Colorado’s Teacher of the Year, Janet Damon of Delta High School, an alternative public school in Denver. How growing up in Colorado helped shape her as an educator, plus, her students share the qualities they’ve learned from her that will help them seize the summer. Also, documentary filmmaker and Colorado College alum Mike Shum speaks at graduation day. Plus, scientists estimate that as many as 75 percent of the insects in the world have vanished over the past 50 years. Among the species hardest hit: the Monarch butterfly. What you can do to help.
A woman is seen working on strips of orange straps. She is standing behind a table that has square measurements on it.

May 15, 2025: Colorado raft supply companies navigate the uncertain waters of tariffs; Preserving oral histories

Navigating the on-again-off-again tariffs can be like navigating the rapids on a river in Colorado. We hear from two raft supply companies about the impact. Then, words to live by from the student speaker at Western Colorado University’s commencement. Plus, how older Coloradans are connecting with kids in the classroom for mutual benefit. And a creative way to preserve oral histories in Denver’s Curtis Park neighborhood.
Just a small handful of the 700 cards and letters 92-year-old Angela Lee has received

May 13, 2025: How letters bring love to seniors facing loneliness; Finding care for ‘The Invisible Patient’

When Angela Lee moved to senior care facility, she was lonely. Until one day changed it all. Love For Our Elders is a non-profit organization that relieves loneliness through letter writing. Then, a new documentary examines “The Invisible Patient” and the challenges parents face finding care for their mentally ill adult children. Seniors for Seniors pairs older pets with older adults.
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May 6, 2025: Colorado nonprofits work to overcome cuts; What ‘climate realism’ means for green energy

Federal funding cuts are creating a domino effect for Colorado nonprofits as they work to figure out what’s next. Then, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright says he’s not a climate change denier; he’s a climate change realist. What does that mean for alternative sources of energy? Plus, author Tommy Orange’s commencement message for the graduating class of Fort Lewis College in Durango.
A woman is sitting on the ground next to a grave marker in a cemetery in Boulder.

May 1, 2025: Voters, Congressional delegation on Trump’s first 100 days; The secret life of Mary Rippon

As President Trump marks 100 days in office, we get a read from Colorado’s Congressional delegation and the state’s voters. Then, she was the first female professor at the University of Colorado Boulder but she had a secret that remained hidden for nearly a century. Plus, Colorado Wonders about a disappearing river. And, are you ready to evacuate if there’s an emergency? We’ll get insight into how to prepare and plan with the start of wildfire season.
Four people are pictured standing side by side smiling at the camera.

April 29, 2025: Elevating Africa and the opportunities it creates in Colorado; Authenticity in African fashion

For the past 20 years, the Denver-based, grassroots non-profit Africa Agenda has been working to build and elevate relationships between Colorado and the continent of Africa. George Bamu is its founder and executive director and his organization often works closely with state Rep. Naquetta Ricks. Then, an entrepreneur based in Broomfield has a vision to bring authentic fashion from Africa to Colorado. Koya Nyangi is a stylist and fashion blogger from Kenya and the founder of Let Me Show You Different. We spoke in 2024.
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State Rep. Naquetta Ricks sees opportunities in connections between Colorado and Africa

State Rep. Naquetta Ricks of Aurora is a native of Liberia and the first African immigrant to be elected to the Colorado General Assembly. She comments about the Denver-based non-profit Africa Agenda’s 20th year working to elevate connections and economic opportunities between Africa and Colorado and the diversity and representation of Africa in metro Denver’s population, especially in Aurora.
A man at the site of a proposed geothermal power plant

April 22, 2025: The debate over geothermal energy boils over; Colorado reflections on Pope Francis

With all the debate about where to get energy, from oil and coal to wind and solar, there’s one source we don’t hear a lot about. Hot water. Colorado wants to become a leader in developing geothermal energy, but the debate on how to do that is heating up itself. Colorado In Depth explores what we know, and don’t know about this energy resource. Then, Coloradans reflect on the impact of Pope Francis.