HREI Juneteenth panel examines race, inequality, and what we have in common

Speak up, educate yourself — and others — and reach out a hand.

These were some of the solutions found in the Human Rights Education Institute’s Juneteenth community panel.

“This is a safe space,” said Jeanette Laster, director of the HREI.

After reading from the Emancipation Proclamation, Laster began the HREI’s Juneteenth community panel and annual chili tasting Friday by emphasizing the educational institute’s role as a place where community members could come together and discuss anything safely.

The event, open to the community with limited in-person seating and following social distancing guidelines, also emphasized this role.

The panel featured seven “city and county representatives and people of color,” who answered questions and shared personal experiences with the goal of finding “solutions to move past racial disparities into a new change in culture and systems.”

“It is essential to have community conversation that leads with an open heart and dialogue — or meaningful dialogue,” Laster said. “These are the building blocks to a better community.”

After initial questions prepared by the HREI and posed by Laster, who was moderating the event, questions and comments were opened up to the public audience.

Speakers were of diverse professional, social and ethnic backgrounds, representing universities, health professionals, the city council, law enforcement, and volunteers and interns with the HREI.

Panelists included:

Kiki Miller, city of Coeur d’Alene councilwoman; Capt. John Kempf of the Idaho State Police; Dr. Scott Finney, director of Africana Studies and professor of Eastern Washington University; Merrick Bonar, a history major at the University of Idaho and resource development intern at the HREI; Kerry Green, a therapist at Kootenai Health and licensed clinical professional counselor; Mai Xiong, a recent graduate of EWU and volunteer at the HREI; and Tiffany Lopez, a respiratory therapist at North Idaho Advanced Care Hospital and UI student of organizational leadership.

Panelists discussed complex and diverse topics including the role of the police in the community and how to start conversations between the police and community members, white privilege, and how to have difficult conversations.

“Now we have the time to collectively think about these things,” said Tiffany Lopez, during a discussion of the role of COVID-19 on recent nationwide examination of race and inequality.

“This is a great time to think about how people are feeling, finding out what we have in common so we can get together and make the world a better place.”

Much of Kempf’s work focuses on educating other officers and the community. Ultimately he was positive about the area’s ability to change for the better.

“Of course we have problems, but we’re not afraid of them. We address them with groups like this,” he said, gesturing to the other panelists.

Kempf discussed how the law enforcement profession has been protested, its many roles called into question, and how officers deal with “being the bad guy” while attempting to do good. He also discussed police — and militia — presence at local protests.

“I think it’s important that part of the training (for police officers)…has to come from the community,” said Kempf.

“I love this job and I want to make it better than when I started it. And I’m dumb enough to believe I can make it happen.”

Kempf and Dr. Scott Finney both emphasized the use of events and other interactions between the police and the community.

“We get more out of those interactions than the people we touch,” said Kempf.

“I think we need more events like this, more interaction they (the police) put on,” said Finney. “… because then the fears and the walls come down.”

Mai Xiong also spoke about the need to initiate conversations with others.

“I think that first step is people have to reach out the hand,” she said.

Miller spoke about working with uncomfortable conversations.

“I lived here during (Richard) Butler’s time,” said Green while talking about what to do when hate groups exercise first amendment rights.

“I know that our police chief says if we don’t defend one right we can’t defend them all.”

Instead of denying that right, she suggests countering hate symbols with one that “has love all over it.”

“We have the freedom to challenge them at every single term,” said Merrick Bonar.

“We can’t pretend the presence (of white supremacist groups) from the ‘90s has just effervesced into thin air.”

Bonar also emphasized the importance of “creating and sustaining excellent educational systems.”

“It’s the education piece that’s so important. That’s why I volunteer here (at the HREI), so we can talk about these things,” Lopez said in agreement.