New State Historian Shares Colorado’s Past & Its Relevance Today

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11min 38sec
Avery Lill/CPR News
William Wei began his year as Colorado’s state historian on August 1, 2019, which is also the state’s birthday.

It has the notorious distinction of being the first race riot in Denver's history. It happened nearly 150 years ago, in what was then the city's Chinatown. And it's just one "moment in time" Colorado's new state historian is eager to share. William Wei is a professor of history at the University of Colorado. He met us on a busy street corner in Lower Downtown, just across from Coors Field, to talk about this, and his goals as the state historian.