racism

"They Knew They Were Free": Remembering African American History In The West

By • Oct 4, 2019
Melodie Edwards

African American history in the American West goes back hundreds of years, but not a lot of that history made it into the history books, and many stories are at risk of getting lost in time.

A museum in Denver is working to salvage them before that happens. Wyoming Public Radio's Melodie Edwards sat down with the Black American West Museum's re-enactor guild when they came to Laramie's Higher Ground Fair. She wanted to find out about each of the characters they portrayed in full costume on stage at the fair.

Countering Hate Speech In Wyoming Up To Individuals, Not Police

By • Sep 6, 2019
Public Domain


The Mountain West may not be thought of as a haven for white supremacy but the Anti-Defamation League recently found that the region is responsible for ten percent of all white supremacy propaganda. That's even though there's just five percent of the nation's population here.

Report Finds Wyoming's Students Of Color Are More Likely To Be Suspended

By • Sep 5, 2019
Wyoming Community Foundation

 

 

Students of color are more likely to be suspended from Wyoming's public schools than their white counterparts. That's according to a report released by the Wyoming Community Foundation.

White Supremacy A Growing Concern In Mountain West

By • Aug 14, 2019

Hate-related activities are on the rise nationwide, and our region is seeing a disproportionate amount of these incidents given our population, especially when it comes to white supremacy.

How Japanese-Americans Found Some Happiness At Heart Mountain

By • Aug 9, 2019
Kamila Kudelska

The Heart Mountain Interpretive Center focuses on remembering the injustices Japanese-Americans faced during World War II. But the current special exhibition at Heart Mountain wants to remember how some of the nearly 11,000 incarcerees tried to find normal lives through music at the camp.

Cheyenne Schools To Host Equality Summit For Youth

By • Aug 7, 2019
McCormick Junior High

In March, racist and homophobic flyers were passed out by students at McCormick Junior High School to members of the school's Gay Straight Alliance club. It was the latest, but far from the only instance of bullying to take place at the Cheyenne school. And it put the school under a spotlight.

Housing Development Planned To Encroach On Historic Black Settlement

By • Jun 26, 2019

Update posted June 26, 2019 at 5:48 p.m.: A spokesperson with Clayton Homes says the company has reopened conversations with the Black American West Museum & Heritage Center about the properties they own in Dearfield. "Our hope is to find a way to support their goals while moving ahead with plans to establish affordable housing in the area," said a statement.

The Prairie Chinatown That Disappeared

By • Jun 7, 2019
Public Domain

Wyoming is one of the least racially diverse states in the country-but it wasn't always that way. A museum in Evanston chronicles a time when the state bustled with international immigrants.

LCSD#1 Presents Action Plan In Response To Racism And Homophobia

By • May 24, 2019
Tennessee Watson / Wyoming Public Radio

Community members gathered in Cheyenne Thursday evening to discuss next steps following incidents of racism and homophobia at McCormick Junior High. The incidents involved reports of ongoing bullying directed at students of color and LGBTQ students. Posters were found around the school with racist and homophobic language at the end of March.

Boulder Releases Data On Law Enforcement Discrimination

By • May 2, 2019

Back in March, Zayd Atkinson was picking up trash outside his dorm at Naropa University in Boulder when a group of police officers confronted him, apparently refusing to believe that he lived there.

LCSD#1 Superintendent Says There's No Ban On Pride Flags

By • Apr 19, 2019
pixabay.com

Parents in Cheyenne told Wyoming Public Radio they heard from school administrators, and through their children that rainbow flags -- a symbol of LGBTQ pride and inclusion -- were being banned in Laramie County School District #1.

Parents In Cheyenne Told Pride Flags Not Allowed In Schools

By • Apr 18, 2019
wikipedia.org

Laramie County School District #1 is still struggling to respond to racism and homophobia following an incident in late March. Posters attacking gay students and celebrating the Ku Klux Klan were found in the halls of McCormick Junior High in Cheyenne. In response, LGBTQ students and their allies carried Pride flags to send a message of inclusion.

New App Lets People Anonymously Report Hate Crimes And Speech

By • Apr 10, 2019

As the number of active white nationalist groups continues to rise across the country and the Mountain West, researchers at the University of Utah have unveiled a new app that lets people anonymously report hate crimes and speech.

New Zealand Terror Attacks Heighten Sense Of Insecurity For Muslims In The Mountain West

By • Apr 1, 2019

New Zealanders just held a national memorial for the victims of the recent terror attacks there.  Muslim communities are still reeling from the tragedy – including here in the Mountain West.  


LCSD#1 Announces Homophobic And Racist Behavior Is Under Investigation

By • Mar 28, 2019
Screenshot provided by Kaycee Cook

According to a statement released by Laramie County School District #1, an incident involving racism and homophobia is under investigation. On Wednesday posters targeting black and LGBTQ students were found on the walls at McCormick Junior High in Cheyenne.

Homophobic And Racist Posters Are Part Of Ongoing Harassment At McCormick Jr. High

By • Mar 28, 2019
Provided by Wyoming Equality

A Cheyenne junior high was the target of hate speech Wednesday. Racist and homophobic posters discovered at McCormick Junior High have students concerned for their safety.

Movement That Fueled New Zealand Terror Attack Percolating Through Mountain West

By • Mar 19, 2019

European authorities are looking into whether the suspect in last week’s terror attack on two mosques in New Zealand was inspired by an emerging, European-based breed of white nationalism.

Cheney Pushes Back On Criticism Over Vote On Anti-Hate Resolution

By • Mar 15, 2019
Bob Beck / Wyoming Public Radio

Wyoming Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney turned some heads in Washington last week when she opposed a resolution denouncing all forms of hate. She was one of a mere 23 who voted against the measure.

Black 14 Members Return To UW To Be Honored

By • Feb 11, 2019
Maggie Mullen

Friday six former African-American football players from the University of Wyoming's team reunited after almost fifty years to be honored on UW's campus.

Cody Stampede Board Reorganizes After Scandal In Las Vegas

By • Jan 7, 2019
by Billy Hathorn via CC BY-SA 3.0

Recent events at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas caused some reshuffling of the Cody Stampede Rodeo's board.

University Of Wyoming Amps Up Efforts To Combat Discrimination

By • Oct 30, 2018
Screen shot from http://www.uwyo.edu/diversity/council-on-dei/committee-membership.html

The University of Wyoming is introducing new mandatory training for faculty and staff in an effort to foster a stronger culture of inclusivity. Increased programming on diversity and inclusion is part of the university's strategic plan.

Two Women Share Civil Discourse About Whether University's New Campaign Is Sexist

By • Oct 19, 2018

The University of Wyoming has a new recruitment campaign featuring the slogan "The World Needs More Cowboys." It rolled out with a video and new advertising materials, but some on campus are not happy about it. Christine Porter is a professor of community and public health, and says the slogan excludes women and people of color. Helen Raleigh is a Chinese-American UW alum. She also writes for the conservative publication The Federalist, and recently published an article supporting the new slogan.

In The Mountain West, Latino Families Stabilize Shrinking Small Towns

By • Sep 14, 2018
Melodie Edwards

A Tour Of Rawlins

Longtime Rawlins city councilor and former mayor DeBari Martinez gives me a tour around town in his truck. He points out all the Latino-owned businesses we pass: a flower shop, a photographer's studio, a steakhouse.

Neo-Nazi Trolls Idaho Residents With Anti-Semitic Robocalls

By • Aug 6, 2018

According to The Spokesman-Review, residents in North Idaho are reportedly receiving anti-Semitic robocalls from a prominent neo-Nazi.

Nazi Flag Found Raised In Wyoming Public Park

By • Aug 6, 2018
City of Laramie

This week, a Nazi flag was raised on a flagpole in a public park in Laramie, Wyoming. There are no hate crime laws in Wyoming so it's not a criminal act. Still, police are investigating the incident.

Trauma Piles On For Refugees In The Wake Of Boise Stabbings, Family Separation

By • Jul 30, 2018

Fatimah Abbood’s wedding was supposed to happen on July 1. She and her family had everything ready the night before—lace and flowers on the tables, her dresses were laid out, trays and trays of baklava were at the ready. 

But that evening, a disgruntled, transient man went on a stabbing rampage at an apartment complex in Boise.

 


Do Politics Go With Football? 50 Years Ago Wyoming's Black 14 Said Yes

By • Jul 27, 2018
Maggie Mullen

  

Football season kicks off soon with the sport still mired in controversy over whether players should stand for the national anthem. A new NFL policy that would force them to do that is now in limbo while the league negotiates with its players. But the underlying debate over whether political protest belongs on the football field is a familiar story to the University of Wyoming.

Indigenous Lawmaker Compares Trump's 'Pocahontas' Remark To Racial Slur

By • Jul 16, 2018

A bipartisan group of indigenous state lawmakers just published a letter condemning the President’s use of the name “Pocahontas” in a recent Montana rally. They say it hurts the already-wounded image of Native American women.

Tribes Say Yellowstone Landmarks Celebrate Genocide Of Native Americans

By • Jul 13, 2018

A controversy over the names of two landmarks in Yellowstone National Park highlight a forgotten genocide in the U.S. and how historical awareness, conflicting narratives and misinformation help muddy the waters.


Trump Calls Democratic Senator 'Pocahontas' In Montana Rally

By • Jul 6, 2018

At Thursday’s Montana rally, President Donald Trump repeatedly called Democratic U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren “Pocahontas.” Montana is home to eight tribal nations and more than 60,000 Native Americans.  

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