Studies: Equality rising in Idaho

On Sunday, America celebrates the birth of a man whose dream could be ascribed to the nation as a whole: A land of equal opportunity for everyone.

Martin Luther King Jr. imagined an “oasis of freedom and justice” — “a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by their character.”

Where do we stand?

A recent study by Wallethub, “2023’s States with the Most Racial Progress,” ranked Idaho fifth in the nation for its progress on racial equality. That’s not to say the Gem State ranks fifth for equality itself — Idaho ranks anywhere from top 20 to bottom 10, depending upon the source, year and statistic measured.

But what this study does suggest is that Idaho’s progress is faster than most.

Take a different example, uncovered by the College of Idaho’s Redline Project, in which professor McKay Cunningham and a group of students investigated discriminatory housing practices in Idaho. Shockingly, until last year, a gap in Idaho law allowed neighborhood covenants and restrictions to discriminate among potential homeowners on the basis of race. In their research, the students uncovered more than 50 subdivisions in Ada County containing thousands of properties with discriminatory race covenants. Their work led to a change in Idaho Code preventing such race-based covenants (Senate Bill 1240), which became law in 2022.

The ability to own a good home is a primary vehicle for families to pass wealth to the next generation. According to the Federal Reserve, the net worth of a typical white family is $188,200. This is about eight times greater than that of a Black family at $24,100 and more than five times greater than that of a Latinx family at $36,100.

It’s a shame such discriminatory restrictions existed so recently, but progress is something to celebrate. About 60% of all adults and 70% of Black adults don’t think the spotlight on race has resulted in further improvement, yet.

Getting back to the WalletHub report measuring 21 key indicators, Idaho ranked fifth overall, with 1 meaning the most progress, and 25 as average (Wyoming was highest in progress; Vermont, lowest). Idaho’s integration ranking was also fairly high at 12 (Hawaii was highest; D.C., lowest).

Other Idaho progress rankings were:

21st — Change in median annual household income gap

Third — Change in unemployment rate gap

Second — Change in homeownership rate gap

Fourth — Change in gap in % of adults (25 and older) with at least a bachelor’s degree.

However, Idaho ranked much lower in one other key category of racial disparity — poverty (rank 49th in progress).

Chipping away at man’s subconscious and conscious assumptions about one another takes awareness, persistence and patience, but with time and encouragement, we’ll get there.

See the full report at https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-the-most-and-least-racial-progress/18428.

• • •

Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Email sholeh@cdapress.com.