Be Concerned About What We Are Letter Of The Week: From April 5

I’ve been following the recent controversy over the Kootenai County commissioners’ official-language resolution. I’m surprised so many people blame the Task Force on Human Relations for inflaming the controversy and for damaging our reputation. That is like blaming Rosa Parks for social injustice in Alabama.

Perhaps we should look to ourselves for the cause of our reputation.

Many people in Kootenai County feel deeply wronged by our reputation as a racist haven. We believe in equal rights. We believe the United States is the great melting pot, the land of equal opportunity for all people. We would find any overt act of racism to be abhorrent. Unfortunately, in such a homogeneous area, we find few opportunities to explore the finer nuances of our beliefs.

Over the years, many decent nonracists in Kootenai County have made statements to me that indicate we could use a reality check. I have heard people say that Kootenai County is better because we have few minorities or because there is little chance my daughter would date a person of color.

I have heard people casually use racial slurs because they thought it was OK as long as no minorities were around to be offended. I believe that the attitudes reflected in these statements are the source of our well-deserved reputation.

We don’t have to burn a cross on someone’s lawn to be racists. It doesn’t matter if other communities have racists, too. It doesn’t matter if news services pick on us. It doesn’t matter if the truth embarrasses us.

What matters is what is in our hearts and minds. Ted Kearn Hayden, Idaho

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