Two New Editors Join US Staff
Dante J. James was recently hired as the new Managing Editor of the Denver Urban Spectrum. James is an attorney, political consultant, adjunct professor, motivational speaker and martial arts instructor. He currently is the Project Director of the African American Voter Information Project. AA-VIP is a community-based education, mobilization and voter registration project focusing on the African American community through outreach, community forums, newsletters and white papers. Prior to that, he was appointed by Mayor Wellington Webb to a sub-cabinet position as Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Contract Compliance, the City’s affirmative action office related to construction and purchasing. He has taught at the University of Colorado at Denver and the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. He worked for the Clinton White House for several years doing advance work nationally and internationally. Dante has lived and worked overseas often giving presentations to Chambers of Commerce on internationalization and cross-cultural communication. 
James Michael Brodie has joined the Spectrum as the new Copy Editor. He is a Baltimore-based freelance writer and editor. He is the author of several books, including Created Equal: The Lives and Ideas of Black American Innovators, and the award-winning Sweet Words So Brave: The Story of African American Literature. Brodie has also contributed to several anthologies and collections. A graduate of the University of Colorado, he has two decades of journalistic experience on the local, national and international stages. Brodie began is journalism career with the Spectrum as a freelance journalist in 1987.

Bertha Lynn To Receive Prestigious Silver Circle Award
Bertha Lynn, anchor of 7News will be inducted into the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) Heartland Chapter Silver Circle, an elite group of broadcasting professionals recognized for making a significant contribution to the industry over a period of at least 25 years. Lynn will officially be inducted at the Heartland Chapter Emmy Awards Ceremony on October 21. The Silver Circle inductees represent the highest standards of integrity and honor in all aspects of their personal and professional lives. 
A graduate of Washington State University, Lynn began her career in Denver in 1976 at KBTV (KUSA). She spent eight years as an anchor and reporter at the station before joining the 7News team at KMGH-TV in 1984, where she still is today.  Lynn is very active in the Denver community. She currently serves as a trustee for Regis University, chairs the Public Affairs Council, and is a member of the Denver Art Museum’s African American Task Force. 

Hope Baptist Pastor Retires
Rev. Dr. James D. Peters, Jr., pastor of Denver’s New Hope Baptist Church for the past 28 years, plans to retire at the end of the year. Rev. Peters became the church’s eighth pastor on July 25, 1978. Dr. Peters’ community service has included positions with the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, The Denver Housing Authority Board of Commissioners and the Wells Fargo Bank Community Board. Rev. Peters is married to Lorene Lewis Peters. “You have been most kind to me and my family and I will always be grateful for these years together,” said Dr. Peters. The church plans to conduct a national search for a new pastor.

Whittier Couple Receives Human Rights Hero Award
Whittier residents, Theodore and Elizabeth Thomas, recently received a Colorado Human Rights Hero Award. The award ceremony was co-hosted by the Church of Scientology of Colorado and the Rocky Mountain Youth for Human Rights Club. The Hero Award is a special recognition given to caring adults who have made an impact in their area through human rights activities.
The Thomases were presented the award for their dedication to youth in their neighborhood through a program they created called “Rites of Passage.” They established the program to help boys and girls gain self-respect, responsibility and an education that included life skills and etiquette. 
Also awarded was civic leader, Andy McKean, who founded Liberty Day – a project that teaches children about the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.
Ten-year-old Alexander Khaldy received the Youth for Human Rights Hero Award for his creativity in finding ways to help others whose human rights are being violated. Khaldy uses his artistic abilities to create projects that raise money and inspire interest in helping others
For more information, visit www.youthforhumanrights.org.