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Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh will travel to Denver on Wednesday, Feb. 23, to discuss the value of workforce training in strengthening the nation’s economy. The visit follows Secretary Walsh’s recent announcement of the Department of Labor’s “Good Jobs Initiative,” a coordinated effort by the Biden-Harris administration to improve job quality nationwide with the implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed on Nov. 15.
Roadrunner Community

Too Long in Darkness, Reaching for Light

Chicana/o Studies Department helps bring powerful mural to campus.

Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh will travel to Denver on Wednesday, Feb. 23, to discuss the value of workforce training in strengthening the nation’s economy. The visit follows Secretary Walsh’s recent announcement of the Department of Labor’s “Good Jobs Initiative,” a coordinated effort by the Biden-Harris administration to improve job quality nationwide with the implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed on Nov. 15.

The Jordan Student Success Building at MSU Denver is the latest temporary home of “Too Long in Darkness, Reaching for Light” by Chicano artist Leo Tanguma. The large freestanding sculptural mural depicts the symptoms, pain, trauma and social stigma of mental illness, balanced against images of hope, rehabilitation and healing. Tanguma’s overall objective for the piece is to portray the beauty and human dignity of every person, including those who suffer from mental illness. 

Tanguma created the mural from 1989 to 1990 at Bayaud Enterprises, a Denver nonprofit organization that provides services to people with mental, emotional, physical and economic challenges. The creation of the piece involved Bayaud Enterprises clients and patients from the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Fort Logan. Tanguma collaborated with the MSU Denver Department of Chicana/o Studies to bring the artwork to the University and was on hand to supervise the installation. 

Roadrunners are invited to experience the piece in person in the JSSB lobby throughout the spring semester.