Dear Emerge Colorado Family,
The Emerge Colorado team is sad to share the news that our alumna and former member of our Board of Directors, Cynthia Brashears (Wake), passed away earlier this week from cancer.
Cynthia was a member of our inaugural Emerge Colorado class in 2013 and immediately became one of our most engaged alumnae. Always an advocate for social justice and working families, she was constantly volunteering on her Emerge sisters’ electoral campaigns, drafting bill concepts for the state legislature, and offering to mentor and support those just stepping into the political arena.
As a working mother and grandmother, Cynthia knew what it meant to fight for her people and her community. She did so as a union member, grassroots organizer, and as staff at a variety of political organizations across Colorado. Cynthia even went back to school in recent years and received her master’s degree from the University of Denver in Global Affairs in 2019.
But Cynthia was more than the work she did for our community — she was also a kind and generous friend. Quick to laugh and with a smile that would light up a room, Cynthia’s warmth brought comfort and joy to those around her. She was a brilliant powerhouse of a woman and we are grateful to have shared space with her through the Emerge network for as long as we did.
If you would like to support Cynthia’s family during these difficult times, please feel free to contribute to this GoFundMe established in her name; all proceeds will be sent to her children, Xavier and Quintaisha.
We will miss Cynthia but her legacy will surely be remembered.
