Perspectives on Psychedelics

In 2024, an all BIPOC speakers series focused on psychedelics in Colorado took place in Denver. The events with ten different presenters was free and in-person.

BIPOC refers to Black, Indigenous and People of Color.

Beginning in 2025, presentations in the speaker series are being repurposed into chapters as part of the edited book Honoring Master Plants:Ancestral Worldviews and New Perspectives on “Psychedelics” (working title)

Project Goals

• Create a repository of free educational materials (e.g., videos) featuring BIPOC who support genuine equity in psilocybin and other spiritual medicine rule implementation in Colorado
• Increase solidarity among local psychedelic community members self-identified as BIPOC who advocate for spiritual medicine and social equity praxes

This project was designed to provide educational materials for psychedelic policy makers in Colorado and elsewhere, including Denver's Psilocybin Mushroom Policy Review Panel and its working groups, and the 15-member Natural Medicine Advisory Board created by the passage of the Natural Medicine Health Act (Proposition 122) in November 2022.

The series is part of the project called "Citizen Science and Community Education in Colorado’s Legal Psilocybin Sector: BIPOC Responses to Increase Policymakers’ Accountability." Funds provided by the Source Research Foundation Community Grant Program (2023-24).

Marty Otañez, PhD, Associate Professor, Anthropology Department, CU Denver, organized the project in partnership with BIPOC Psychedelic.

Presenters and Schedule

• Daniel Castro-Kuthoomi, A Decolonial Overview on the Arising Use of Plant Medicine in the Western Realm, Ant Life (venue), 7-8:30pm Wednesday 20 March. Watch Daniel's presentation (53 minutes) here.
• Ana Medina, A World Class Ethical Dilemma, Ant Life (venue), 7-8:30pm Wednesday 17 April. Watch Ana's presentation (90 minutes) here.
• David Martinez, Perspectives of Being a Member of the Native American Church, Ant Life (venue), 7-830pm Wednesday 15 May. Watch David's presentation (1 hour 16 minutes) here.
• Gabriela Galindo, Unearthing the Root Causes of Our Collective Struggles: Nurturing Intergenerational Healing of Land and People, Ant Life (venue), 7-8:30pm Wednesday  22 May. Watch Gabriela's presentation (1 hour 8 minutes) here. 
• Gary Perez, Rethinking the Interaction of Peyote and Humans, Ant Life (venue), 7-830pm Wednesday 29 May. Watch Gary's presentation (60 minutes) here.
• Valeria Martinez, The Power of Ceremony, Green Spaces (venue) 7-830pm Wednesday 10 July. Watch Valeria's presentation (50 minutes) here.
• Jeff Campbell, Sharing Our Personal Journeys: Discovering Our Commonalities Beyond Psychedelics, Green Spaces (venue), 7-830pm Wednesday 7 August (presentation not recorded)
• Benu Amun-Ra, Elders, Elder-Care, Transitions and Access, Main Studio, Denver Community Media (venue) 2101 Arapahoe St Unit 1, Denver 80205, 530-7pm Wednesday 14 August. Watch Benu's presentation (1 hour 3 minutes) here.
• Andrea Valeska, A Heart-Led Perspective in the Entheogen Community, GreenSpaces, 2590 Walnut St, Denver 80205, 7-830pm Wednesday 4 September. Watch Andrea's presentation (53 minutes) here.
• Melanie Rose Rodgers, Healing, Lessons Learned and Insights from almost a Decade in Activism in Denver, Colorado, GreenSpaces, 2590 Walnut St, Denver 80205, 7-830pm Wednesday 20 November. Watch Melanie's presentation (29 minutes) here.