Do Black People Really Live in Idaho?

Idaho is a state. For some people, it’s hard to believe that there’s land west of Illinois and that people live there. I am here to tell you that despite what everyone says, there’s a place out west called Idaho. Two, Idaho potatoes are everywhere and delicious, but that doesn’t mean that we are all potato farmers. Last time I checked, I didn’t even know where these potato farms were located. Boise is a city with more people than Hartford. We are a city! We’ve got roads, electricity and everything else. Three, there are a lot of things to do in Boise and all of Idaho. Just because we can’t get out of our state in two hours doesn’t mean that we are boring people with nothing to do. Lastly, there are Blacks/African-Americans in Idaho. I don’t know how many people have asked me if there are Black people in Idaho and how many of them. I understand that we are less than one percent of the population, but that doesn’t mean that I know everyone.

The thing that bothers me the most is when people feel the need to tell me how sorry they are that I grew up there. Why are you sorry? I don’t see myself as having missed out on something because I grew up in a state and city that weren’t diverse. I came to college and discovered that diversity doesn’t mean anything if people aren’t willing to sit down and understand each other. It doesn’t mean anything if groups are living next door to each other, but can’t remember the last time they interacted, which doesn’t include saying hello. I am blessed! I’ve got so much support back home. I’ve got people watching my back and making sure that I do what I need to do to succeed. I’ll tell you that these are people who met my family when we moved there and welcomed us into their community. They didn’t care that they were White and we were Black. I made friends with people who are different from me and to this day, we may be separated by many miles, but we keep in touch. They’re White and I’m Black. They’re went to my junior high and high school. We labored over Beloved together. We wrote for the newspaper together. We mentored younger students at an elementary school together. We were friends, defined by our interests and shared experiences, not race.

Now, has my family experienced racism in Idaho? Yes. Is it terrible that some people immediately assume something of you because you are of a different race? Yes. Do I believe that this country still has some work to do before minorities will feel like they too belong in this country? Yes. Have I been educated on the long history of race problems in the United States? From U.S. History class in high school to Introduction to African-American Literature in college, I’ve been educated and I’m not stupid to assume that we all love each other. Do places like NYC allow for interaction between people of different races? From what I’ve heard and seen, it seems like it. Do minorities in NYC or other places filled with diversity not face racism? It can’t be true.  While it was odd for me sometimes while in Idaho, I learned very quickly that most people are logical and they are just people. They don’t walk around acting racist or making me feel inferior because of my race. In fact, I wasn’t looking at myself everyday crying that this state was full of racists and that I would be better somewhere else. Quite honestly, if the place was so bad and interfering with our daily lives, my parents would have moved us. In all of this, there’s to be said that there are always going to be racist people everywhere, even in cities that are diverse. It’s once people realize that we are a lot more alike than different and make the effort to know each other that anything can be done.  

People say I defend Idaho too much. They also say that I may be living in a bubble and don’t realize how racist people in my state really are. Maybe they are right but for me, I find it hard to believe that those I left behind were only nice to my face and secretly hate me because I am Black.