As the movement for racial justice presses on in Idaho and across the country, we’re hearing from people of color in the Mountain West who feel like this moment is long overdue. 

Leta Harris Neustaeder from Boise says it's great to see white people come out as allies in the fight for inclusion and justice, but allyship is more than just a social media post or participation in a protest. And four Black women scholars and activists in Colorado (Rosemarie Allen, Janiece Mackey, Michaela Lee and Carolyn Love) share their cross-generational experiences with and systemic racism. 

These stories were produced by Amanda Peacher and Rae Ellen Bichell of the Mountain West News Bureau.

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In the wake of the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers nearly one month ago, the conversation about race changed rapidly in the U.S. Calls for white people to educate themselves about systemic racism and how they benefit from it were brought to the forefront. And many white people who hadn’t engaged before seemed to listen.

Anti-racist book recommendations began popping up everywhere and local bookshops couldn’t keep their shelves stocked with many of the suggestions. 

All those recommendations can be overwhelming, especially for someone just beginning to acknowledge racism and white supremacy in our society and within themselves. 

So to help us begin our journey, we’re joined today by Laura DeLaney, owner of the Rediscovered Bookshop, to give us an anti-racist reading list and talk about why reading and learning is the best place to start.

Laura’s Suggestions, in order of mention: 

Rediscovered Bookshop's Best Seller List as of June 23, 2020: 

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For more than 20 years, the City of Boise’s Arts and History Department has offered grants to individuals and organizations big and small to fund projects that benefit the people who live in the city. Boise has expanded this program to grant $150,000 annually. But this year, because of the pandemic, they’re hosting two rounds of funding instead of one. This round will close on June 30. 

Idaho Matters talks with Grants Manager Amy Fackler to learn more about this change, and how to apply for the city grant. 

As COVID-19 cases spread through the U.S. and Idaho, we’re committed to keeping you updated and informed. You can get updated info on cases, closures and how to stay healthy at any time on our Coronavirus news blog.

Have a question or comment for the show? Tweet @KBSX915 using #IdahoMatters

Member support is what makes local COVID-19 reporting possible. Support this coverage here.

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court made two historic decisions: First, they ruled that the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects gay, lesbian and transgender employees from discrimination based on sex. Then, the court blocked the Trump administration’s plan to dismantle an Obama-era program that has protected 700,000 “DREAMers” from deportation.

So, what do these rulings mean and how will they affect Idaho?

University of Idaho law professor Shaakirrah Sanders joins Idaho Matters live to break it down. 

Have a question or comment for the show? Tweet @KBSX915 using #IdahoMatters

Over the weekend, folks gathered at the Idaho Statehouse steps to hold a rally in support of Black Lives Matter. But this protest had a very specific angle: health care and its connection to systemic racismc. 

Boise State Public Radio news reporter Heath Druzin was there, and joins Idaho Matters live to tell us what organizers want to see change when it comes to dismantling racism in health care. 

As COVID-19 cases spread through the U.S. and Idaho, we’re committed to keeping you updated and informed. You can get updated info on cases, closures and how to stay healthy at any time on our Coronavirus news blog.

Have a question or comment for the show? Tweet @KBSX915 using #IdahoMatters

Member support is what makes local COVID-19 reporting possible. Support this coverage here.

Protests against racism and police brutality are not new to the U.S. or to our region. However, large, sustained turnout, especially in small, mostly-white towns, is something we’ve not seen before. For many of those protestors, it’s been their first time demonstrating—ever.

The Mountain West News Bureau’s Maggie Mullen spoke to some of these first-timers in Laramie, WY.

You can find the rest of the Mountain West News Bureau coverage here. 

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Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the Idaho Foodbank has ramped up their efforts to fight food insecurity. The organization says their partners across the state have reported a 10-50% increase in food demand. 

The Farmers to Families Food Box Program is part of the USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. The goal is to get food from farmers and ranchers more quickly into the hands of food insecure Idahoans.

“Typically in a fiscal year for the Idaho Foodbank we will spend $200,000 to purchase food for the whole year," food bank president Karen Vauk tells Idaho Matters. "And in the last three months we’ve already spent $900,000.”

This Thursday the organization will distribute food to potentially thousands of folks in Boise. Unlike food stamps, the distribution this week will not require documentation. Vauk says families will drive up and two boxes of produce, meat, and dairy will be placed in the back of their cars. 

Vauk says working directly with farmers and ranchers allows them to knit the food supply chain back together after it was disrupted by the virus.

“By providing that supply chain for their products, we are not gonna see the fields being plowed under or the waste of the dairy product. It’s ensuring we are able to get this really great food to the families in need.”

The Idaho Foodbank’s drive-thru, contactless distribution is this Thursday at 3 p.m. at Expo Idaho (5610 N Glenwood St, Boise, ID 83714). 

As COVID-19 cases spread through the U.S. and Idaho, we’re committed to keeping you updated and informed. You can get updated info on cases, closures and how to stay healthy at any time on our Coronavirus news blog.

Have a question or comment for the show? Tweet @KBSX915 using #IdahoMatters

Member support is what makes local COVID-19 reporting possible. Support this coverage here.

The Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable has another weekly breakdown of the news you might have missed from around the state this past week. 

Besides updates on COVID-19, we'll cover Juneteenth, regional protests in support of racial justice, planning for the new library in Boise, and more. 

Joining the show today to break all this down:

As COVID-19 cases spread through the U.S. and Idaho, we’re committed to keeping you updated and informed. You can get updated info on cases, closures and how to stay healthy at any time on our Coronavirus news blog.

Have a question or comment for the show? Tweet @KBSX915 using #IdahoMatters

Member support is what makes local COVID-19 reporting possible. Support this coverage here.

Today is the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth. The holiday commemorates the freedom of the last slaves in the nation, as news of the Emancipation Proclamation finally made its way to slaves in Texas two years after President Lincoln’s speech. This year, as calls for racial justice and an end to systemic racism ring across the country, the day has special significance to one Idaho family. 

Our Morning Edition host George Prentice spoke with Phillip Thompson, the executive director of the Black History Museum in Boise. 

But the real star of the interview was Zaida, his 9-year-old daughter.

Have a question or comment for the show? Tweet @KBSX915 using #IdahoMatters

On Saturday in Boise, a group of health care workers are planning to gather at the capitol steps for a rally in support of Black Lives Matter. Speakers are set to address the connection between systemic racism and medical care in the United States. 

One of the speakers at the podium will be Boise native Devin Gaskins, a medical student at the University of Washington. He joins Idaho Matters to talk about a recent op-ed he wrote about growing up Black in Idaho. 

As COVID-19 cases spread through the U.S. and Idaho, we’re committed to keeping you updated and informed. You can get updated info on cases, closures and how to stay healthy at any time on our Coronavirus news blog.

Have a question or comment for the show? Tweet @KBSX915 using #IdahoMatters

Member support is what makes local COVID-19 reporting possible. Support this coverage here.