Assault sparks community effort to heal

Bukky Ogunrinola’s mother taught her years ago to use caution in how she dressed and presented herself in public. Being a young black woman in Idaho meant living in a world where she’s sometimes greeted with suspicion.

Still, the 16-year-old was stunned to wake up one cold January morning to see the windows of her family’s SUV smashed and the words “go back” in white paint splashed across the vehicle.

“I’m a woman of color, and I’m an athlete in Idaho. That’s not that easy. I mean, I think there’s three of us in Idaho?” said Ogunrinola, whose family emigrated from Nigeria 14 years ago. “It feels like people in Idaho want to watch us play sports, but they don’t have our backs when push comes to shove.”

Community leaders in Idaho are collecting stories of violence and discrimination like Ogunrinola’s in the wake of a sexual assault of a disabled black athlete by his white teammates that shocked not only a small town but residents across the state. They hope to identify possible policy changes or improvements to community outreach/ Kimberlee Kruesi , Associated Press. More here.