Former Steamboat Springs City Councilor Joella West has launched Uncomfortable History, a local nonprofit with the mission of connecting current events to the past through raw, honest conversations facilitated through speakers and community dialogues. 

West, who chairs the organization’s board, has also been a longtime board member of Seminars at Steamboat, which has provided a free, nonpartisan lecture series with public policy experts to the Yampa Valley community every summer for the past 24 years. 

While Seminars tends to reach an older, often largely retired audience — especially with its sessions taking place in the summertime — Uncomfortable History, with events planned for the fall and spring seasons, aims to reach those who “might not find public policy discussions … in their field of interest,” such as students, parents and the working class, explained West. 

“Why do we keep doing the same thing over and over again?” said West of what she views as the United States’ tendency to repeat history. “That was the genesis of this.” 

The organization will kick off its inaugural season next week with journalist and podcast host Vann R. Newkirk for a talk called “250 Years of Voter Suppression,” which will address the historical roots of efforts to restrict voting rights in the United States and “current initiatives similarly aimed at curtailing those rights,” states a news release for the event. 

A senior editor at The Atlantic, Newkirk is well known for his comprehensive reporting on voting rights, democracy and environmental justice. 

He co-created and hosted “Floodlines,” a 2020 Peabody award-winning podcast that examined the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and the podcast “Holy Week,” an investigative series on the civil unrest that occurred following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. 

In 2024, Newkirk was named “Journalist of the Year” by the Washington Association of Black Journalists. 

The debut event will be held on Monday, Sept. 28 at 6 p.m. at Wildhorse Cinema & Arts (655 Marketplace Plaza) in Steamboat Springs. The talk is free and open to the public, and will be followed by a moderated Q&A session with the audience. Refreshments will be provided. 

Beyond West, Uncomfortable History’s board members include Abby Meiselman, Dagny McKinley, Ron Krall, Mitch Wallerstein, Deirdre Boyd and Daniel Foley.

West said all of the events will be live-streamed so that “anyone with an interest” can tune in from wherever they may be located.

“We are living in an era of intense polarization where history is frequently weaponized,” states Uncomfortable History’s website. “Now, more than ever, our community needs a grounded, academic, and rigorous exploration of the root causes shaping our contemporary society.”

“By addressing issues like voter suppression, imperialism, and nationalism directly, we equip ourselves with the critical thinking required for an informed democracy,” the website adds. 

To register for in-person attendance at the Sept. 28 event, visit TinyUrl.com/bdzjxn5j. To register via Zoom, visit TinyUrl.com/5ffsu83n. The talk is free and open to the public.