Getting your player ready...
P. Solomon Banda, The Associated Press
In this Nov. 12, 2016 photo, a close-up of an 1876 copy of the Colorado Constitution which contains an exception under which slavery could be used as punishment for a crime, is shown at the Stephen H. Hart Library & Research Center in Denver. Colorado’s voters were asked to eliminate an archaic and offensive reference to slavery as a punishment for a crime in the state Constitution. But a week after the vote, the poorly-written amendment is on the cusp of failing, and a lack of clarity from lawmakers may be to blame.Re: Nov. 16 news story.
I voted to keep the slavery language in Colorado’s constitution because it keeps us humble by reminding us of the evil we as humans are capable of. Just as the Nazi concentration camps remind us of the evil and horror of genocide, so the reference to slavery in our state constitution reminds us of the evil and degradation of slavery. Sometimes itap necessary to take bitter medicine to achieve a healthy outcome. This is one of those instances. Erasing the past only increases the likelihood of repeating it.
David Landes, Lakewood
Submit a letter to the editor via or check out our for how to submit by e-mail or mail.
