CountDown to the nomination
July 2021
During Black History Month in February 2021 local Denver and Aurora media outlets that include 9 News, AuroraTV and the Denver Post ran stories about Zipporah. On March 1, 2021, Zipporah was recognized and honored by District 32 Representative Adrienne Benavidez and others on the floor of the Colorado General Assembly.
Zipporah graduated from the University of Colorado more than 80 years ago. In the 1940s, prejudice at the university was not uncommon and minorities were looked down upon and in some cases treated very poorly. Zipporah
and other minority women who lived in the International House endured the inequities, mistreatment and social mindset of the time. They ultimately opened new frontiers by standing up for their right to be on campus and at local Boulder, CO establishments. Zipporah's history-making graduation from the University of Colorado in 1946 signaled a start of slow but significant change at the university and in the state of Colorado. Through her accomplishments and actions that broke new ground, she elevated the status of women and proved by example that minorities were fully capable of meeting the high standards of a nursing curriculum.
Thirty years later in 1979, Betty Williams was named as the first black Dean of the CU School of Nursing. Today the university embraces the involvement of every student, staff, and faculty member, recognizing that a truly diverse community includes individuals from a range of ethnic, regional, cultural, economic, and religious backgrounds — as well as first-generation students, persons with disabilities, students who are parents, people of different sexual and gender orientations, people of different ages and political viewpoints, and many others. The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Community Engagement (ODECE) leads CU-Boulder's diversity efforts. The office fosters the university’s vision for a diverse campus climate and works with students, faculty, and staff to implement the campus diversity plan.
Without knowing it at the time, Zipporah was a social and medical-education pioneer on the leading edge of civil rights working for access to equal education. Her nursing education was one of choice, not one that society deemed appropriate for her. Despite the challenges she faced during her college days, Zipporah was extremely proud of her alma mater for the advances it has made over the years in supporting minority women in pursuing their educational and career goals.
Zipporah graduated from the University of Colorado more than 80 years ago. In the 1940s, prejudice at the university was not uncommon and minorities were looked down upon and in some cases treated very poorly. Zipporah
and other minority women who lived in the International House endured the inequities, mistreatment and social mindset of the time. They ultimately opened new frontiers by standing up for their right to be on campus and at local Boulder, CO establishments. Zipporah's history-making graduation from the University of Colorado in 1946 signaled a start of slow but significant change at the university and in the state of Colorado. Through her accomplishments and actions that broke new ground, she elevated the status of women and proved by example that minorities were fully capable of meeting the high standards of a nursing curriculum.
Thirty years later in 1979, Betty Williams was named as the first black Dean of the CU School of Nursing. Today the university embraces the involvement of every student, staff, and faculty member, recognizing that a truly diverse community includes individuals from a range of ethnic, regional, cultural, economic, and religious backgrounds — as well as first-generation students, persons with disabilities, students who are parents, people of different sexual and gender orientations, people of different ages and political viewpoints, and many others. The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Community Engagement (ODECE) leads CU-Boulder's diversity efforts. The office fosters the university’s vision for a diverse campus climate and works with students, faculty, and staff to implement the campus diversity plan.
Without knowing it at the time, Zipporah was a social and medical-education pioneer on the leading edge of civil rights working for access to equal education. Her nursing education was one of choice, not one that society deemed appropriate for her. Despite the challenges she faced during her college days, Zipporah was extremely proud of her alma mater for the advances it has made over the years in supporting minority women in pursuing their educational and career goals.