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Minorities in the State Home for Dependent Children letter

TXT

Denver, Colorado
November 1, 1951




The Honorable Dan Thornton
Governor of Colorado
State Capitol Building
Denver, Colorado

Dear Governor Thornton:

The recent disclosures made by the Denver Post regarding conditions
at the State Home for Dependent Children have focused the attention of
minority groups in Colorado to the treatment of children belonging to
these groups at the Home. While the general conditions regarding the
operation of the Home have been widely discussed and steps are now bein[...]his letter proposes to deal with the
treatment of children of minorities at the Home.

It has been reported that approximately 50[...]s of the staff and conversations with some of the children at the Home,
reveal that the members of the staff arc not adequately prepared to deal
with children of minority groups with sympathy, love and unders[...]uncomplimentary stereotype names when addressing children
of minority extraction, constantly reminding them[...]A survey of the composition of the staff at the Home reveals that only
two persons of the Spanish-American group are employed at the Home. These
two persons are employed in the infants de[...]reveals that only two
Negroes are employed at the Home. These two persons are also employed in
menial ca[...]nderstand the English language are
brought to the Home and that no provisions are made to help these children
during the period while they are learning a now l[...]d of Control and the Executive Dir­
ector of the State Home were informed about the above conditions l[...]
Page Two


1. That the Board of Control of the State Home for Dependent children
be reorganized to include professional persons in[...]t one person belonging to the groups of which the Home
is so predominantly populated be appointed to the[...]make a contribution
to the general welfare of the children, and where they may serve as motiva­
tion for be[...]e of the peculiar
problems which trouble minority children. That professional inter—group
relations worker[...]the staff to deal with problems of minority group children.

5. That you, as Governor of the State of Colorado, use your influence
with the General Assembly t[...]ry appropriations to the end
that the dependent children in our state institutions shall have the best
possible care[...]u moved to correct the
existing conditions at the Home. We therefore pledge our support and coopera­
tion to you as Governor of our State, for continued progress in the improve­
ment of conditions at State Institutions and to make Colorado a better place
in which to live.[...]

MD

Letter to Governor Dan Thornton asking that the state specifically deals with the treatment and conditions of children of minorities at the State Home for Dependent Children. In this letter the author(s) provide five recommendations to help improve the lives of the children of minorities in the Home. The second page is signed by Victor Rose[...]
Colorado. State Children's Home (Denver, Colo.)
Orphanages--Colorado--Denver
Children--Institutional care--Colorado--Denver
Child welfare--Colorado--Denver
Children of minorities--Services for