The Inland Northwest has a reputation as a haven for racists, with north Idaho’s now-defunct Aryan Nations Church as the leading example.
But the Inland Northwest is also home to a bi-annual scholarly conference that examines issues related to hate. Gonzaga University will host this year’s version this week.This will be the sixth annual International Conference on Hate Studies sponsored by Gonzaga’s Institute for Hate Studies.
“The fact that people from all over the world are coming together in a time when we’re all exhausted. I mean, it sounds sappy, but it’s so true for me that people are committed to this resource of time on this virtual screen when we’ve all been coping with Covid and figuring new things out and this is still a priority for us, no matter where you’re at," said Kristine Hoover, the director of the institute.
The conference will run from Thursday through Saturday and include a variety of speakers from universities and activist organizations. It’s open to the public. You can register through Gonzaga’s website. It will also include a Saturday evening virtual event where people will be honored for doing human rights-related work in Spokane.
Gonzaga’s co-sponsors are the human rights task forces from Spokane and Kootenai counties.