Racial Justice

Many institutions acknowledge that land they've built upon once belonged to Native peoples, but experts say some well-intentioned statements can actually do harm.

Thursday marks Canada's first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – a day meant to acknowledge the enduring impacts that residential schools had on Indigenous people.

Willy Pepion had a cracked skull, and guards at the federal jail on the Blackfeet Reservation dismissed his pleas for help. He died in his cell. Three hours went by until anyone noticed.

"The corrections officers are basically holding these lives in their hands with their decisions."

The National Congress of American Indians has urged the federal government to place medical personnel in its tribal jails, arguing that the current situation "exacerbates the already challenging problem of health disparities for American Indians."

After months of repeated written questions and public records requests from NPR and the Mountain West News Bureau, Interior Department officials said they now plan to contract with an outside agency to examine the troubles plaguing tribal detention centers.

Idaho Matters talks with Idaho Falls native Dennis Patterson about his experience living and working in the Gem State as a Black man.

The movement for Palestinian liberation has gained new momentum following recent violence in Palestine and Israel that disproportionately affected Palestinians. And in the Mountain West and beyond, women are on the front lines of this movement.

Many communities across the Mountain West were once known as “sundown towns.” Those are places that once had policies to force people of color to leave town by nightfall. If they didn’t, they could be arrested or worse. One town in Nevada is grappling with its racist legacy.

Tuesday Americans mark one year since George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer, including in Boise, where a vigil is planned.