Boise community activist Marilyn Shuler passed away this morning. She was 77.
Shuler is best remembered for a number of accomplishments. She led the Idaho Human Rights Commission for 20 years, from 1978 to 1998. Former Governor Cecil Andrus called her “(an) influence at the moral center of Idaho.”
Afflicted by polio since age 10 and confined to a wheelchair, Shuler was nonetheless an energetic force in the community. She received a Master’s in Public Administration at Boise State University, where, accepting an honorary doctorate in 2014, she spoke about the need to fight inequality.
“More than one in five of our children in Idaho is growing up in poverty,” Shuler said. “Our average annual wage is 50th in the nation.”
Shuler co-founded the Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial in Boise, fought the Aryan Nations in Northern Idaho and helped to improve public kindergartens statewide. She celebrated diversity and tolerance.
Shuler also served on many community boards, including the Advisory Board here at Boise State Public Radio.
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