May 20, 2020 – The Doyle Inn made history by conducting the May meeting virtually. President Becky Bye hosted her final monthly meeting by organizing and conducting the event. The Tymkovich group presented The History and Legacy of the Sand Creek Massacre with Wyoming Representatives Andi Clifford and Sara Burlingame. Tymkovich group member Charlotte Powers moderated the presentation about the Sand Creek Massacre. Two Wyoming state representatives Ms. Clifford and Ms. Burlingame, spoke to the members virtually, from Wyoming.
The topic was the history and continuing legacy of the Sand Creek Massacre for Colorado and the Northern Arapahoe Tribe in the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. Representative Clifford represents Wyoming’s 33rd District. She is a member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe and a descendant of the Arapaho attacked by the Third Colorado Calvary on the Big Sandy Creek. Representative Clifford and her colleague Representative Burlingame, who represents Wyoming’s 44th District and serves as Executive Director for Wyoming Equality, discussed the history of the Sand Creek Massacre from multiple perspectives and explored the massacre’s legacy now 156 years later. Rep. Clifford gave an emotional talk about the massacre of her people and the lasting effects.
There was an interactive conversation after their presentation on how Sand Creek’s legacy has affected the Arapaho and White people who live in the region. It was a moving and powerful evening.