There’s a lot that people don’t understand about Colorado’s Black, unhoused youth

On this special edition of Black Talk, host Michele Simpson talks with Keyanna and Montii, whose last names we have reserved for the sake of privacy, about being a Black, unsheltered teen in Boulder.

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, Black people make up less than 13 percent of the US but more than 40 percent of the unhoused population across the US.

In Colorado, Black individuals, who only make up about 5 percent of the population, are 24 percent of the unhoused population. Indigenous communities face similar odds.

Kenyanna and Montii along with Breonna Bird and Cidnee Ray of TGTHR (formerly known as Attention Homes), a Colorado nonprofit that works with unhoused youth, discuss how Black, unhoused youth face a unique set of obstacles. We hear about disparities in services and general goodwill that are present in child welfare systems, education, criminal justice, housing, and employment.

There’s a lot that people don’t understand about Colorado’s Black, unhoused youth Alexis Kenyon

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There’s a lot that people don’t understand about Colorado’s Black, unhoused youth Alexis Kenyon

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Alexis Kenyon

Alexis Kenyon is an experienced radio reporter with more than 15 years of experience creating compelling, sound-rich radio stories for news outlets across the country. Kenyon has master's degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism in radio broadcast and photojournalism. She has worked in KGNU's news department since 2021 as a reporter, editor, and daily news producer. In all her work, she strives to produce thought-provoking, trustworthy journalism that makes other people's stories feel personal. In addition to audio production, Kenyon runs KGNU's news internship program and oversees the department's digital engagement.