Press editorial: In defense of a champion

Business people get a charge out of a big sale.

For a new mom, it might be baby's first steps.

Sports stars? There's a touchdown, a home run or maybe a game-winning shot.

For Tony Stewart, the light in his life is social justice. Righting a wrong or rewarding a right, either one; that's payday and first step and championship celebration all in one.

Working tirelessly against intolerance over the past two decades and beyond, Stewart has become the face of social justice in North Idaho. For 17 years he's organized popular annual human rights banquets with various themes and speakers but one common denominator: Driving home the message that all people deserve to be treated the same. And in Stewart's world, "same" means with respect, with dignity, with human compassion.

Gentle as can be, this former tennis coach and college instructor may be soft-spoken, but there's steel in his spine. One of the things that makes Stewart so effective in his campaign for human rights is his courage. Just watch. In the comments section of this editorial on cdapress.com, derogatory, anonymous remarks will most assuredly be leveled against him. That's been true almost every time his name has been mentioned in the local news or in opinion pieces over the years. It was true again recently, when The Press reached out to Stewart for his perspective on a PBS documentary about North Idaho's overwhelming whiteness - and nobody was talking about snow. For accommodating our interview request, the chorus from critics cranked into immediate high gear.

But he proceeds undaunted. If the criticism hurts, Stewart never shows it. He soldiers on fearlessly, and that's why he and his friends have vanquished so many ghosts of hatred. Stewart celebrates what's good in man while working with - not against - those who need a little encouragement to do what's right. He does so without any financial remuneration whatsoever. His pay is satisfaction at diminishing the level of hatred throughout the region.

We submit that there is nothing more fundamental to a free society than recognition of its members' basic human rights. It is the single issue of essence that underlies all others. The people of North Idaho are fortunate not just that Tony Stewart understands this, but that he's willing to champion this most noble cause.