Washington, DC – Michael Bennet, U.S. Senator for Colorado, released the following statement on the passing of storyteller and Denver native Opalanga Pugh on Saturday:
“Those who were lucky enough to know Opalanga and experience her gift for storytelling understand how she crafted her stories to teach us all life lessons with such a keen gift for subtlety. She commanded attention in a room, not just because of her stature, but because she had a natural talent for drawing people into the stories she told so passionately. Opalanga played an integral role in maintaining the African storytelling tradition in the United States and teaching younger generations about their heritage. She is a community treasure and will be greatly missed by all those she touched through her stories.”