Making the World a Better Place
IDAHO HUMAN RIGHTS COLLECTIVE BY MICHAEL STRICKLAND, IDAHO HUMAN RIGHTS COLLECTIVE FOUNDER
I AM NOT OK–
and neither are many. This phrase has been shared by more and more African Americans in recent months, and begins the opening statement for the Idaho Human Rights Collective (IHRC), a group founded to help identify solutions for a hurting nation. Through active multimedia and in-person training and education, IHRC aims to dismantle racism in Idaho. “Show me this imaginary racism. Then I’ll do something about it,” a man at an Idaho university repeated, which underscored the fact that a large portion of racism is so ingrained in our society that it had become invisible. Unfortunately, conversations like this one were and are too common. The collective, which began as a Facebook page called Human Rights Report, wanted to raise awareness of racism in our state, and began posting with the hashtag #ExamplesOfRacism. With no shortage of material, a growing and very loyal group
R.H., a Black 12-year-old autistic child, created the logo and artwork for the Idaho Human Rights Collective.
Right-Mural at Inspiration Alley in Boise.
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of followers began to engage, validating the need for such a discussion. About a year later, the images of George Floyd were flashed across the screen and indelibly marked in the American psyche, forever. No longer could the reality of hostility and discrimination toward Blacks in the country simply be dismissed.
Hundreds of people from all walks of life, races, and political perspectives started asking what they could do. The outpouring of sincere concern, from around Idaho and the rest of the nation, was astounding. So the IHRC evolved, and helped the community tap into the mission to, as our tagline says, “make the world a better place.”
The response from the community were thoughtful and robust. “I keep hoping that all of this was what we (USA) have to go through collectively to address all of the nastiness and racism that was always there. I hope that somehow, these backward steps will lead to some real change as opposed to the lip service we often give to the issues in this country. The whole history here is rank with abuses, and people need to start addressing and rectifying (to whatever degree possible) these abuses. We (collectively, Caucasians) were (and are) too complacent and frankly, distracted to see what was really happening. I cannot imagine how draining it is,” wrote one concerned citizen in a message to IHRC. She expressed hope that this extremely rough patch leads to real evolution of consciousness and action.
