A Legacy of Love: The Life of Clara Brown

Denver Institute is co-hosting an event with Histories of Christianity in our City on Friday, June 7, on the life and legacy of Clara Brown.

Clara Brown reflects both enduring heartache and hope through the early history of Christianity in Denver. To be a leader rooted in the Christian faith in our city is to build on the foundation she laid as a business leader, faith leader, and philanthropist. Jeff Johnsen of Mile High Ministries will tell us Clara’s story, and here he gives a snapshot of her legacy:

"Aunt Clara” was a Colorado pioneer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who understood that we are all connected to one another like branches on a vine. After nearly sixty years in bondage, Clara came to Colorado in search of her family and became the heart and soul of her community. She cared for the sick and destitute, built churches, spent her own fortune to help former slaves attend college or start new lives in Colorado, all the while building a successful business, resisting discrimination, and searching for the family from whom she had been separated by enslavement. We hope that living at Clara Brown Commons will help us be connected the way Clara was, and follow her example of compassion, generosity and neighborly love.

Join us for this conversation to learn more about one of Denver’s finest leaders and see the brand new affordable housing complex named after her.