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.
bullshit
ReplyDeleteCin- what do you mean by this comment?
DeleteThank you for your post. I am considering moving to Boise, Idaho, but have been concerned about how my family will fit it. We are a family of many colors. Most of my children have left home or almost left home, but I want to live where they will not feel uncomfortable or have problems because of their skin color. I have lived all over the United States and have encountered racist people all over. However it is worse in some areas than others. My youngest child, a daughter, is just 17 and African American. We are close and the last thing I want to do is move where she does not feel welcome. I am white, but brown on the inside. I think my daughter handles the racism we encounter better than I do. We are currently in a very rural town in southern Arizona. Let's just say it is not a good match.
ReplyDeleteIt is good to hear a positive posting. You can see our faces on the facebook page "Babycatchers and Company".
Thanks again for you clear and concise accounting of your experience.
Jeanne- It's good to hear that my story might have helped you and your family in some way. My family is very happy that we decided to settle here.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post. The plan is for me and my boyfriend to move to Idaho to be closer to his family this coming June for California. I'm black and he is mixed (black and white). His mother said we should be fine as long as we stay away from northern Idaho. I believe but my concern was that it was easier for her because she is a white woman now married to a white man. So thank you for clarifying that we will be okay. Now my only question would be is Moscow or boise better to move to? Because even though he is mixed with a low haircut and his pale skin he looks more white then mixed and folks have said Moscow would be better for us. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteKranae-
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to warn you that I can only speak from personal experience. I have only spent a week in Moscow whereas I have lived in Boise for nearly ten years. Some factors to consider are that Boise has a bigger population than Moscow and is slightly more diverse in terms of the racial makeup. The University of Idaho is in Moscow and from what I have heard, the town centers on that. There are many other factors to consider, but I would move to Boise because of the urban setting, access to employment depending on what I was looking for and the fact that there's more to do here than Moscow. I think that you'll both be treated nicely whether you end up in Moscow or Boise. Could Idaho be more diverse? Definitely. Are there times we feel like we're not treated fairly because of our race? There are some cases of that. For the most part, we have felt welcomed into the community here.
I hope that this has answered your questions. By the way, If you get on the City-Data forum and look up Interracial couple in Moscow, Idaho, you'll find what other people have to say about this topic.
Good luck to you and your boyfriend!
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ReplyDeleteKlh138July 3, 2014 at 3:22 AM
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post. I've had some concerns as well. My husband's job is sending him there for two weeks and possibly relocating us there. I've searched the web but I couldn't find much about blacks in Boise or the surrounding areas. We are from Tennessee and never been to Idaho.
What is it to do there?
I know that in Boise there are a lot of outdoors activities. For example, hiking, biking, snow boarding and skiing in the winter, and floating the river in the summer are very popular. I have gone camping anywhere from 45 minutes outside of Boise to 2-4 hours away in the Sawtooth Mountains. There are museums, concerts and other forms of entertainment as well. It's not like NYC or Chicago, but there are things going on.
ReplyDeleteTwo websites I had in mind to answer your question:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g35394-Activities-Boise_Idaho.html- here you will find a list of some of the places to visit. Even if you and your husband end up staying longer and don't want to be tourists, it can give you an idea of what Boise has to offer.
http://events.idahostatesman.com/- A list of events taking place this weekend put together by the local newspaper.
Hope this helps!
I don't get it. Why do minorities insist on moving to white majority states? then they complain about how there's no diversity and how "racist" it is. If you want diversity don't move to a white state and force that crap on us. We don't want to see diversity, we see plenty of that in Detroit, Los Angeles, Chicago, all high crime places. I want to be able to walk down the street at night and not have to worry about getting raped by some gross black thug.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteYou are so ignorant Sarah M
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThere are plenty of gross white thugs that do the same thing girl.. do you know how ignorant that just sounded...but each to his own!
DeleteI am white married to an Asian woman. We feel very accepted here. I have a few black friends and Hispanic friends. Idaho Falls is a nice place to live. There may be a few ignorant idiot fools. But they are very few and vary rare. We have lived here over ten years and never had any trouble.
DeleteI agree with you Gen.
ReplyDelete