Racial Justice

As Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders across the country grapple with the Atlanta shooting and continued attacks, organizers in Idaho are moving quickly to provide resources to young community members, including student — some of whom are far from home, especially international students.

Across the country, Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities are coming together and standing up to often deadly hate and violence directed at their people. Between March of 2020 and February 2021, the group “Stop AAPI Hate” has received almost 4,000 reports of hate incidents against this marginalized group. Accounts of violence and malice continue to come in, and experts say the actual number is far higher than what’s been reported. 

Idaho has its own shameful history of racism and bigotry against people of Asian descent.

Idaho has a dark history of white supremacy, a history that tragically still shows up in our story today.

But just as importantly, the state is also home to a resilient and proud community of Black and African American Idahoans. For some, their history in this majority white state goes back generations.

We Are Idaho is an ongoing series of stories from Boise State Public Radio featuring Idahoans from all walks of life telling their own stories, in their own words. In this episode, Jesse Levin tells us what it’s like to be a Black woman navigating Idaho’s outdoor recreation space — a space that isn’t always welcoming to people of color. 

Today on Idaho Matters, we're sharing a special encore presentation of our July 6 conversation about policing in America and in Idaho.

Today in a special encore presentation from Idaho Matters, we take a deep dive into the history of racism in the Gem State and what that history tells us about our present day reckoning with white supremacy. 

Jessie Levin helped plan last summer’s vigil at the Idaho State Capitol to remember African Americans killed by police violence. After the gathering, the organizers founded Inclusive Idaho, a nonprofit promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in Idaho.

This year we celebrated the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage. And while this was a great accomplishment for the movement and gave so many more Americans the right to vote, we also know that the constitutional amendment only applied to white women, leaving out countless other groups including Black women, Indigenous people and other marginalized groups.

My name is Gabrielle Davis. I am the owner and counselor for Equitable Counseling and Consulting based in Boise.

When I came here, I was looking for a way to serve my community. So I started to volunteer at ALPHA Idaho, which is a clinic, then I also volunteer at Youth Alliance for Diversity, which is a local LGBT youth social support group here in Boise.

Since election night almost two weeks ago, some folks in the national media are pointing to what they see as a surprising turn toward President Donald Trump among the Latino population. The “Latino vote” is a refrain used by political pundits, polling experts and journalists.

But what is the “Latino vote?” Is it even accurate to use this phrase? What are we missing when we lump so many diverse groups under one umbrella? 

This interview originally aired Oct. 1, 2020.

During World War II, thousands of Japanese Americans were ordered by the U.S. government to be incarcerated in remote camps. The order, signed by President Franklin Roosevelt, was meant to prevent Japanese people on American soil from taking up arms and bringing the war inside U.S. borders. Today, that period is recognized as one of the most shameful in American history. 

The Idaho Walk Bike Alliance is hosting a virtual Transportation Conference on October 28-29 to educate transportation agencies, city staff, biking/walking advocates, elected officials, and residents on transportation issues in Idaho.

As more people stay home during the pandemic, reports show domestic violence is on the rise. Now, a rift between some domestic violence coalitions and law enforcement is adding another challenge to getting survivors the help they need.

My name is Keith Anderson. I work for the TRIO Program at Boise State as an educational specialist.

My name is Mone’t Alberts. I am a student at Boise State in Biomedical Tissue Engineering, and I grew up in Boise, Idaho.

I went to elementary, middle, high school and eventually college, all in Idaho. I am African-American and female and I did have a lot of experiences at a younger age that definitely made me feel awful.

During World War II, thousands of Japanese Americans were ordered by the U.S. government to be incarcerated in remote camps. The order, signed by President Franklin Roosevelt, was meant to prevent Japanese people on American soil from taking up arms and bringing the war inside the United States borders. Today, that period is recognized as one of the most shameful in American history. 

Latino USA is an award-winning public radio show led by journalist Maria Hinojosa, which is celebrating its 25th year as an hour-long program. Boise State Public Radio is proud to announce we’re adding Latino USA to our lineup. 

A growing list of arts, history and culture institutions, including the Boise Philharmonic, Idaho Botanical Garden, Opera Idaho and Treefort Music Fest, are committing to action steps within their own organizations as part of a greater community-wide effort to effect change to systemic racism.