A snowy Colorado evening did little to stifle the warm celebration at the 2008 Rachel B. Noel Distinguished Visiting Professorship Community Event Monday, Feb. 4, at Shorter AME Church in Denver.

Noel’s death earlier in the day at the age of 90 (http://www.mscd.edu/~collcom/artman/publish/noelobitse_twv5020408.shtml) lent a bittersweet tone to the evening as a host of prominent Denver civil rights movers and shakers and Metro State representatives came to the church to hear 2008 Noel professor and California poet laureate Al Young and found themselves mourning the loss and celebrating the momentous life of a great pioneering leader, educator and friend.

President Stephen Jordan talks with guests at the 2008 Rachel B. Noel Distinguished Visiting Professor community event.

More than 100 people began the evening with a private reception to honor the civil rights leaders. Assistant Vice President of Alumni Relations Cherrelyn Napue then opened the public program as the mistress of ceremonies before giving way to Rev. Joseph C. Nixon, pastor at Shorter AME Church, who led the gathering in prayer.

Representatives from the Rachel B. Noel Middle School choir led the group in singing the Black national anthem Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing and Metro State President Stephen Jordan talked of Noel’s legacy in the Denver civil rights movement while paying tribute to the work of countless other human rights pioneers.

“We are privileged tonight to celebrate the building of civil rights in Denver and Colorado with many community leaders,” said Jordan. “Some of us are old enough to remember those times at the peak of the civil rights movement, but no matter what our age or our station in life today, we have all benefited from the work of these pioneers in creating a more just and equitable society.”

Jordan talked about the April 25, 1968 Denver school board meeting – exactly three weeks after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. – where Noel called for the integration of schools to bolster the equality of educational opportunities for all students. The Noel Resolution, as it became known, led to a 1973 order by the U.S. Supreme Court mandating the desegregation of all Denver public schools.

He spoke of her work as an associate professor of sociology and African American studies at Metro State, noting that Noel helped found the Department of African American Studies and chaired the department from 1971 to 1980 before being given professor emeritus status at her retirement.

2008 Noel Professor Al Young shared two poems and talked about the interconnectedness of people.

Jordan talked about the reinvigoration of the professorship program, which began in 1981 in Noel’s honor, with last year’s creation of an endowment committee that has set out to raise a large endowment in the next four years. Earlier in the evening, Jordan and his wife Ruth committed to contributing $6,000 to the program and endowment committee co-chair Landri Taylor of Forest City Stapleton voiced his company’s pledge to add $15,000 to perpetuate the Noel legacy.

“Just as Mrs. Noel herself supported the rights of all students in Denver to a high-quality education, the Rachel B. Noel Professorship supports the mission of Metro State to provide a high-quality baccalaureate education to diverse body of students,” said Jordan.

A video presentation of Rachel B. Noel: A Life Shared The Middle Years briefly chronicled, in historic pictures and poignant narration, Noel’s contributions as an activist, educator and community leader.

Rachel Noel's grandson, Peter, spoke of his family's gratitude for honoring his late grandmother.

“We are honored and delighted to have the opportunity to pay tribute to Mrs. Noel tonight … and we will continue to do so as we stand in the light given off by one of the brightest luminaries in Denver’s history,” said Jordan.

Noel’s grandson, Peter Noel, spoke on behalf of his family and thanked the College and those in attendance for honoring his grandmother.

“Needless to say our family is very proud of the accomplishments of my grandmother, and we are very appreciative of the honor that Metropolitan State College has given her by this distinguished professorship,” said Noel.

Noel Professor Young took the stage to remind the audience that everyone is connected regardless of whether they want to be or not. Young recited two poems, including one he was commissioned to write about Noel entitled, That Colorado Still Means Colored Stuns. He talked about celebrated African American writer James Baldwin, noting that literature has the power to unite and bring light to darkness.

For more information about the Noel professorship, go to www.mscd.edu/news/noel.

Watch the Audio Slideshow.