Op-Ed: Journey continues for human rights, social justice

From the earliest European settlements in the New World, there has been a continued struggle to overcome deep-seated bigotry, prejudice, hatred and acts of inhumanity directed at those persons who are thought to be different, are of a different race/nationality or perceived as less human.

Historically, it did not take long after the European settlers arrived in the New World that cruelty toward fellow human beings took shape with atrocities inflicted upon the Native American tribes, as well as the enslavement of African Americans immediately after their first arrival at the Jamestown Colony in 1619. During the writing of the U.S. Constitution, slavery was embedded into the document in four sections, only changed or voided by constitutional amendments after the Civil War. This can only be described as institutional racism.

Although, I recognize the great historical civil rights movements and brave heroes who brought about major improvements in our cultural values leading to significant constitutional changes and statutory provisions guaranteeing the extension of equality and justice for many more Americans, the work of human rights for everyone is not finished.

Today we are witnessing an upsurge in uncontrollable anger, violence and intolerance across the United States, leading to growing victimization of individuals based especially upon lingering racism along with other individuals and communities that have historically experienced discrimination and have often been victims of hate crimes based on who they are. We locally witnessed such horrific acts including murder against some of our people because of their differences during the almost three decades the Aryan Nations operated in North Idaho.

I approach this continuing challenge of these acts of inhumanity from both a religious perspective and the principles of democracy.

First, the tenets of the world’s great religions teach us to be kind, compassionate, loving, humble and forgiving toward our fellow human beings. As one who grew up in the Christian faith, I recall Genesis 5: 1-2 when we read: “In the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God…”

Second, as one who spent nine years at three universities as a student of political science with great mentors and then as a college faculty member for 39 years, I learned to cherish the ideals embedded in a democracy that require the citizens to uphold and protect the three pillars of a democracy: freedom, equality and justice for all.

Over many years, I have had the honor to speak to large audiences of college students within Idaho at the University of Idaho, Boise State University, Lewis-Clark State College and of course North Idaho College, as well as a visiting lecturer at numerous colleges across America. The one common factor, without an exception, that all these great academies have in common is an inclusive mission with written policies, curricula and diversity in activities that welcomes, embraces and respects every student, every employee and visitors to their campuses.

The goodness in the thousands of students I have met gives me energy and hope for the future of our democracy.

Idaho’s colleges and universities are committed to what I have described here as our responsibility to teach and model what is required of us all and that is to respect and value all humanity.

For more than two years, I have been deeply troubled by the growing negative attacks from some elected officials and candidates toward Idaho’s great educational institutions regarding their present mission, curricula and programs to foster inclusiveness, valuing the uniqueness in the student body, diversity among the employees, and providing a safe and harmonious place to work, learn and live.

It will be an unimaginable tragedy if these attacks succeed in changing the mission and policies of these great institutions, thus sending the message across America that Idaho’s higher educational system no longer holds to the values that embrace, celebrate and support the diversity of their students and employees that has been the Idaho way of life.

Like the crusading civil rights giants who went before us, let us work together toward the goal when every man, woman and child in America and Idaho will be equally valued by all members of society. At the end of life, this is what will really matter.

I wish to leave each of my fellow Idahoans with these words of wisdom from the late Nelson Mandela when he once said: “To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.”

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Tony Stewart
 is secretary of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations.