Civil Rights Movement in Idaho

During the 1960’s

Unit 4
SS310: 3 Exploring the 1960s: An Interdisciplinary Approach
Instructor: Bettie Ware
Lisa Rowe
01/08/2012
 Idaho Time Line 1960-1969

Legislative Council
established.

Idaho State
College in Pocatello
attains University
status.
Combined
Oxbow Dam convention
completed on Lewis-Clark
and primary
Snake River. Normal becomes a
Idaho population: system
four year college.
667,191. implemented
W.A. Harriman , parties
and E. Rolland Horse Racing Act,
Seven month attempt to State parks Governor Smylie
Harriman to permit
strike at Bunker restrict the department, water defeated for 4th
provided that pari-mutuel
Hill Mine. number of resource board, and term.
their holdings at betting, becomes
state primary personnel system
Railroad Ranch law over
July and August candidates created. Voters uphold 3
eventually Governor's veto
forest fires in appearing on percent sales tax in
become a state (first override in
Hells Canyon and Lewis and the ballot. Nez Perce National referendum.
park, providing twenty years).
Idaho City area. Clark Historic Park
that the state highway Federal Court established in Northern Pacific ends
establish a Idaho celebrates
State employee (U.S. 12) in ends Bible north-central Idaho. passenger service
professionally Territorial Hell's Canyon Dam
group insurance the Lochsa reading in between Lewiston
managed park Centennial. completed.
system Canyon Boise public Boise Junior College and Spokane. Legislative Compensation
established system. completed schools. given 4-year status Commission established.
Annual
Ernest legislative
Hemingway dies International Boy Scout
sessions
in Ketchum July 2 Jamboree held at
commence.
Farragut State Park.

1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969

(Idaho Timeline of State History, 2012)

 14 Amendment
th

Section 1 - All persons born or naturalized in the

United States, and subject to the jurisdiction
thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the
state wherein they reside. No state shall make or
enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or

immunities of citizens of the

United States; nor shall any state

deprive any person of life, liberty, or property,

without due process of law; nor deny to any
person within its jurisdiction the equal protection
of the laws. (14th Amendment, 2012)
 1964: Civil Rights Act Passed
The Act effectively desegregates public facilities,
stating: “All persons shall be entitled to the full and
equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities,
privileges, advantages, and accommodations of any
place of public accommodation…
without discrimination or segregation
on the ground of race, color, religion,
or national origin.”
(Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act,
2012)
 Idaho during the 1960’s to Present
The concerns for most of Idaho during the 1960’s was conservation
of the land as well as the rights of businesses that wanted to use the
land. During the 1960’s there were not any organized civil rights
protests. There were a small number of individual group protests.
The state house was the first and largest rally on civil rights in
Boise, ID on April 12, 1968. (Recommendation for National
Register Designation of Properties Associated with Civil Rights in
Idaho, Oregon and Washington , 2012) The rally was to protest the assassination of
Martin Luther King, Jr. and to demand a commission be established to monitor racial discrimination in the state.
This rally led to the establishment of the Idaho Civil Rights Commission in 1969. Smaller communities in Idaho did
not
experience any civil rights protests only a few larger populated cities.
Any protests or rallies were quiet and not reported.

The focus in The 1960’s was on conservation of the land and

resources and continues to be to this day. There are many efforts to
preserve the land as well as the health and population of the wildlife
in Idaho. Conservation efforts in Idaho today range from soil
conservation to natural resources as well as saving rivers and wildlife.
(Idaho State Legislature , 2012)
Idaho’s National Parks,
Monuments & Wildlife
 Mormons and the Civil Rights
Movement in Idaho
In the 1960’s the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints played
an important role in Idaho communities which promoted peace and
tolerance of all citizens. There were no bars in Idaho during the
1960’s only churches and no organized protests. The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints made up the majority of the
churches statewide. African Americans have been a part of the
church since it was founded in the 1800’s. However it was not until
1978 that African Americans were admitted into the temples and
held the full Priesthood as well as going on
missions. (Black History Timeline, 2012)
The church today continues to have a strong
Influence on community and businesses
coming into Idaho.
 Idaho and John Purce
John and Idaho Purce are African-Americans from Pocatello, ID. Both were active in human

rights issues in Idaho. John was the director of the local chapter of the NAACP, and Idaho
was on the first Idaho Commission on Human Rights. During the 1950’s in Pocatello, ID,
John Purce noticed that the ethnic group treated the worst was the Native Americans. He

stated the only sign he ever saw that said a certain group of people were not allowed in an

establishment, said “No Indians Allowed”. Idaho remembers African Americans having to
sit in back of the theater with Mexican Americans and Native Americans. She said despite
this she never felt discriminated against. She felt other minority groups had it worse off
than she did. When asked if White Supremacy was a threat in Idaho, Idaho stated she did not know they existed
here until she was in her twenties. John said he never felt there was a threat in Idaho like in the south. In the
early 1960’s after the new federal civil rights laws were passed, Idaho Purce and members of the NAACP
decided to test the new laws in Pocatello, ID. White patrons walked into a restaurant and were seated and
served. Idaho and other black patrons walked in and were told to leave. The restaurant owners were told that it
is a federal law and the restaurant had to serve them. Idaho stated that the owners complied after
learning the rules. Idaho felt, “You change things through education. You bring the law,
the legislation forth and say "This is against the law, you cannot do this; this carries a
penalty to an employer." And one thing about employers, when you talk about money
and dollars and their liability, they all at once want to listen to what you have
to say and "How can we correct this?“ And that's what I always wanted to hear 'em say,
 White Supremacy in Idaho
White Supremacy did not come to Idaho in full force until the mid 1970’s. The
Aryan Nation was then headquartered in Hayden, ID. (Aryan Nations - Extremism
in America, 2012) In 1981 a group of 8 citizens banded together called the
Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations to help bring down the Aryan
Nation in Idaho. On Sept. 7, 2000, a Kootenai County jury rendered a $6.3 million
verdict against the Aryan Nations and its leader, Richard Butler. This action
bankrupted the racist organization, severely diminishing its influence in North
Idaho. Since then the group has not been in the news much and it’s following has
gotten weaker in Idaho. In the summer of 2011 the Aryan Nation had a meet and
greet at Valley County’s Lake Cascade State Park. Only 8 people showed up.
Over the years the lack of support has diminished and the Aryan Nation has not
been a threat in Idaho for many decades. The task force based their resistance on
the strategies of Martin Luther King Jr., they believed in peaceful disobedience
but never violence. The task force never directly confronted the Aryan Nations at
their marches or at the compound. (Kootenai County Task Force on Human
Relations, 2012)
 Minorities in Idaho today
• In 2010 there were only .06% African Americans that lived in Idaho.
Since the late 1800’s to present day there has always been less than
1% of the population that were African American. Black owned firms
in Idaho .02%
• There are 1.4% Native Americans in Idaho as of 2010. Native
American owned firms in Idaho .09%.
• There are 1.2% Asians in Idaho as of 2010. Asian owned firms in
Idaho .08%.
• As of 2010 the highest minority population in Idaho is Hispanic at
11.4%. Hispanic owned firms in Idaho 2.6%.
• There are 49.9% females in Idaho as of 2010. Women owned firms in
Idaho 23.5%.
(State and County QuickFacts, 2012)
 References
• Anti-Defamation League (2005). Aryan Nations – Extremism in America. Retrieved on 01/08/2012 from
http://www.adl.org/learn/ext_us/aryan_nations.asp
• Cornell University Law School. 14th Amendment. Retrieved on 01/08/2012 from http://
www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/amendmentxiv
• Franklin, Marcia. The Color of Conscience. Retrieved on 01/08/2012 from http://
idahoptv.org/productions/specials/colorofconscience/purces.cfm
• Idaho Conservation League . Idaho State Legislature . Retrieved on 01/08/2012 from
http://www.idahoconservation.org/issues/idaho-state-legislature
• K.C.T.F.H.R. (2011). Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations. Retrieved on 01/08/2012 from http://
www.idahohumanrights.org/Home.html
• Lowe, TurkIya and Taylor, Quintard. Recommendation for National Register Designation of Properties Associated with Civil
Rights in Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Retrieved on 01/08/2012 from http://
www.cfr.washington.edu/research.cesu/reports/UW-01-7-B-Recs-for-National-Register-FR.pdf
• SHG Resources. Idaho Timeline of State History. Retrieved on 01/08/2012 from http://www.shgresources.com/id/timeline/
• The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research. Black History Timeline. Retrieved on 01/08/2012 from http
://www.blacklds.org/history
• Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Retrieved on 01/08/2012 from http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/cor/coord/titlevistat.php
• U.S. Census Bureau. State and County QuickFacts. Retrieved on 01/08/2012 from http://
quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/16000.html
• All photos were taken by Lisa Rowe in Idaho in 2011. The photo with the Native American is a friend, he does community
fairs and gave his permission for the photo to be used by Lisa Rowe, and the child in the picture is Lisa Rowe’s teenage son.