Spokane County Human Rights Task Force: Pioneering a Community Hate Documentation Project
Dean Lynch (SCHRTF) welcoming attendees at the Good Neighbors Conference in December 2017.
SCHRTF and community members at the 2017 MLK Jr. Rally and March in Spokane.
This SCHRTF graphic was developed to promote the hate report tool. It has been used in both social and print media.
The Basis of Spokane County Human Rights Task Force
In 2016, the Spokane County Human Rights Task Force (SCHRTF) formed as an organization to guard and advance human rights so that all community members could feel welcomed, safe and valued. Over the years, this has been done by supporting and collaborating with the networks, organizations, and initiatives already present in the area, including the NAACP Spokane Branch, the Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane, Hispanic Business and Professional Association, and others.
Since its inception, SCHRTF has co-sponsored an array of conferences, hosted workshops, and participated in community events such as Unity in the Community, MLK Jr. Rallies and Pride Festivals.
Hate Crime and Incident Report
Community advocates had a commitment to implementing bias education that would reduce hate crimes, but there was no substantial data about what was going on in Spokane County. SCHRTF developed a hate report tool in 2019 that would illustrate an accurate picture of hate bias incidents in Spokane County, as well as aid in shaping responses to reduce hate crimes and incidents. Since its creation, there have been minor modifications to make it more user-friendly, and it has been translated into two languages with others planned. The Task Force will publish its first annual hate report in 2022.
The QR code (left), which is featured in SCHRTF’s business card, was created by a student group from the Gonzaga undergraduate course called “Why People Hate.” Other projects produced from this class include a poster used by the Islamic Center, medical materials for communicating with Deaf & Hard of hearing and a video promoting Odyssey Youth Movement.
Community Recognition and Additional Stories
SCHRTF was awarded the Eva Lassman Take Action Against Hate Award in 2020.
In 2021, Spokane community members came together to rally for the removal of the John Robert Monaghan statue, a U.S. Navy officer who had made efforts to colonize Samoa.
A vigil was held at Riverfront Park, Spokane in March 2021, where hundreds gathered to mourn the deaths of eight people in Atlanta, including six Asian American women.
In 2022, Lesley Haskell, wife of Spokane County prosecutor Larry Haskell, called herself a "white nationalist” in addition to using a racial slur via the social media platform Gab. See SCHRTF's response here.
For more information about SCHRTF, visit their website, or email information@schrtf.org
References:
Alexander, R. (2017, January 16). Dialogue key to keeping Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'dream' alive. Spokesman.com. Retrieved April 2022, from https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/jan/16/dialogue-key-to-keeping-martin-luther-king-jrs-dre/
Cabeza, G. (2021, October 18). 'There is no honor in genocide': Rally at Riverfront Park calls for removal of downtown Spokane Monument. Spokesman.com. Retrieved April 2022, from https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/oct/16/there-is-no-honor-in-genocide-rally-at-riverfront-/
Gonzaga News Service. (2020, October 29). Gonzaga honors Leslie McAuley, Spokane County Human Rights Task Force. Gonzaga University. Retrieved April 2022, from https://www.gonzaga.edu/news-events/stories/2020/10/29/gonzaga-honors-mcauley-and-spokane-county-human-rights-task-force
Hill, K. (2016, March 10). Spokane County Forms New Task Force directed at Combating Hate Crimes. Spokesman.com. Retrieved April 2022, from https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2016/mar/08/spokane-county-forms-new-task-force-directed-at-co/
Miller, T. (2021, November 3). Gonzaga offers course on 'Why People Hate'. Gonzaga University. Retrieved April 2022, from https://www.gonzaga.edu/news-events/stories/2021/11/3/why-people-hate-course
Pelle, D. (2021, March 20). Stop Asian Hate: Spokane vigil. The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved April 2022, from https://www.spokesman.com/galleries/2021/mar/20/stop-asian-hate-spokane-vigil/
Vestal, S. (2022, February 1). Shawn Vestal: In the words of the prosecutor's wife, reason for concern about justice. The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved April 2022, from https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/feb/02/shawn-vestal-in-the-words-of-the-prosecutors-wife-/
Video gallery. Unity in the Community. (n.d.). Retrieved April 2022, from http://www.nwunity.org/video-gallery/