I Went To Rural Idaho…

And the Black People Were Shocked to See Me

Idaho, from the ‘non-racist’ side

First, a bit of a backstory. I am a southern-bred Black woman. I am a descendant of American slaves, and I also hold a degree in African American studies. I am keenly aware of racism — both institutionalized and ignorance-derived. Yet, I ignored all warnings and voluntarily traveled into rural Idaho (and rural Oregon) and have survived.

Here’s my story

One bright summer day in summer 2016, I announced to my children that we would be taking a road trip to Idaho. Why Idaho? Besides the fact that a family friend (an Idaho native of Irish descent) lived there, I felt it was about time. We had been invited to visit for 3 years, and my silly fear of blatant Idaho racism kept me squarely out of the conservative state. Plus, my white Seattle friends didn’t help either…

“You don’t want to go to Idaho… they don’t like Black people out there.”

“They don’t like Black people anywhere,” I thought to myself.