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Five Points, Colorado
Five Points contains more history, bridled within its perimeters, than most of the Denver-Metro area combined. It has traditionally been a bastion of the African-American community and culture, and a source of diversity awareness in a predominately homogenized state. However, due to a surge in construction, gentrification has changed the face of the neighborhood, and African-Americans families no longer chiefly occupy it.
The neighborhood, which borders downtown Denver to the North, once flourished as a jazz centrality. In novelist Jack Kerouac's semi-autobiographical book, On the Road, he details how one could skip from bar to bar, engrossed in heart-thumping jazz music. Now, the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs organizes an annual Five Points Jazz fest, which is part of the city's free concert series. Each year, the Juneteenth celebration, which salutes the announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas, draws 100,000 people to the region for a parade through Five Points, shopping and entertainment.
The Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Studio, located in Five Points, contributes to the area's (and the city's) art scene. Since 1970, Cleo Parker Robinson and her troupe have brought shows to people not only in Denver, but also around the country and even around the world. Five Points also houses the Black American West Museum and Heritage Center and the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library, which dually pay homage to this historic neighborhood.
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