On Monday, Sept. 28, Colorado College hosted the former Colorado Attorney General, U.S. Senator, Secretary of the Interior and Ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar ‘77.
Salazar chatted with students in the Political Science Department over lunch in Palmer Hall, then wrapped up the day with a Fireside Chat moderated by Southwest Studies Professor Santiago Guerra and Rosalie Rodriguez, interim dean of students. He told stories about his time at CC and his career trajectory, many of which can be found in his new book, “Borderlands: My Fight for an Inclusive America.”
Salazar told the audience that his journey to CC was one of pure luck. “The only thing I knew about CC was that the year before, I had gone to the state track meet and passed a sign that said ‘Colorado College next right,’” he said. “And so I took the next right.” This highway sign, Exit 143, would be the same one Salazar took with President Barack Obama for his 2012 campus visit, almost 40 years later.
Rodriguez, who served as CC’s first College Diversity Officer, asked Salazar how he found belonging and a sense of place on our campus, especially among those who were different from him. One of the things that surprised Salazar most was how much he learned from other students. “We should celebrate our diversity, not just tolerate it,” he said.
However, Salazar acknowledged that there are two sides to this coin. Throughout the course of his career, he has been accused of being a “sellout” and of not belonging, he said.
When asked by an audience member what it was like to be a Mexican-American representing U.S. interests as an ambassador to Mexico, he responded that it was the most painful job he’s ever had. Salazar gave examples of moments in his career in the Colorado Department of Natural Resources where he faced challenges but he urged the audience not to give up on their dreams.
“It’s never just water off the back of a duck,” he said. “But you’ve got to keep going, because the cause is much bigger than that.”
Salazar’s primary motivation for switching from Senator to Secretary of the Interior was his desire to tell the stories of those who have been marginalized in American politics and history. One such story came in the form of a scholarship for Native American students funded by settlements from Native American activist Elouise Cobell’s lawsuit against the U.S. government. Cobell is the namesake not just for the scholarship fund, but for the chapter of Salazar’s book titled “Yellow Bird Woman.”
Another kind of story can be found at the History Colorado Center exhibit on the borderlands, which was funded in part by Salazar and contains items from his family’s collection.
Rather than merely a political memoir, Salazar wanted “Borderlands” to be a book that spurs action. He explores the potential for a new politics of migration that abandons borders as a source of division and criminalization, envisioning a deeper, more reciprocal collaboration. This future, according to Salazar, is achievable, provided we can muster the political courage to make it a reality.
In addition to courage, Salazar advised students to keep their minds open. “Keep thinking, keep learning,” he told the audience. “Know that you don’t know it all, and know that I don’t know it all.” Most of the students in the room, he said, were given opportunities not afforded to their parents, so he encouraged them to make the most of it.
“We have a very special state, and this school is a very special part of it,” he concluded.
In addition to supporting the History Colorado Center, Salazar serves as special envoy to Colorado Governor Jared Polis in resolving a decades-long land and water rights dispute in the San Luis Valley. Salazar continues to be an advocate for justice in the American Southwest.