Together We Create Belonging
Together We Create Belonging September 8, 2025 At the Wassmuth Center, we hold a simple but profound conviction: everyone is welcome here. We imagine a world where every person’s dignity is honored and human rights are a lived reality for all. Such a vision grows through the choices we make, the spaces we shape, and the relationships we nurture every day. To guide this work, we turn to the Wassmuth Powerful Practices. These intentional actions bring human rights principles to life. Each of the six practices remind us that dignity is upheld not only through laws and institutions, but in quiet gestures, deliberate choices, and daily acts that signal welcome, build trust, and forge connection. This month, we turn to the powerful practice Design for Belonging. Belonging is more than being present in a room. It is being truly seen, genuinely heard, and deeply valued for who you are. It is the assurance that your voice matters, your presence makes a difference, and you can bring your full self without fear of exclusion. Belonging is justice made visible, requiring us to notice inequities, dismantle barriers, and design systems where every person can thrive. This call feels especially urgent right now. Some in our community and around the country are actively working to exclude people, casting suspicion on the simple ideas of belonging, kindness, and inclusion. In response, neighbors have rallied. People wear t-shirts with inclusive messages. Families plant signs in their yards. Groups pool their resources to purchase billboard space. These actions are important, affirming our shared conviction that every child, every neighbor, every person deserves to feel welcome, safe, and valued. The next step is to turn this conviction into daily practice. Shirts and signs declare our values; designing for belonging brings them to life. Belonging comes alive when we shape environments, experiences, and relationships with intention so that every person feels included. When people know they belong, they engage with greater trust, learn with deeper openness, and collaborate with stronger commitment. And this work belongs to all of us. Sometimes our design choices are grand: the architecture of a gathering space, the structure of a community event, the shape of a curriculum. Other times it looks like slowing down to invite someone into a conversation, rethinking the layout of a classroom, or respectfully acknowledging a dissenting view. Whether around a dinner table, in a grocery store, at a library, or in a school, every interaction holds the possibility of belonging. When we design for belonging, we are saying: You are welcome here. You matter. You make this community stronger. And in living this practice, we show that belonging is more than a message to display. It is a promise to uphold. Designing for belonging is how we put justice into practice, ensuring that human rights are not distant ideals but daily realities for all of us.
Women’s Rights are Human Rights
Women’s Rights are Human Rights September 1, 2025 In our nation’s long journey toward a more perfect union, the right to vote was never voluntarily protected. It had to be demanded, defended, and won – often at great personal cost. At our founding, only wealthy, white, land-owning men were allowed to cast a ballot. Every expansion of the franchise came through struggle and sacrifice. Women, after generations of exclusion, secured the vote in one of the hardest-fought victories of all. Each year on August 26, we honor the certification of the 19th Amendment on Women’s Equality Day. This was a watershed moment, an affirmation that women’s voices belong in our democracy. Yet the promise was incomplete in 1920. Many women of color, Indigenous women, immigrant women, and others continued to face legal and structural barriers that kept them from the ballot box for decades. The 19th Amendment opened a door, but the struggle for full enfranchisement – and equal participation in shaping our nation – was far from over. For much of our country’s history, women were largely invisible before the law, defined by their relationships to fathers, brothers, or husbands. Policies shaping healthcare, education, childcare, safety, and financial security were made without their voices. Securing the vote gave women the power to influence elections and laws, reshaping the very foundations of political life. But history reminds us that progress is never guaranteed. Rights once won can be challenged. Recently, prominent political and faith leaders have openly suggested that women should not have the right to vote, arguing that a household should speak with only one voice: the man’s. This ideology seeks to silence women. This is why we must affirm a fundamental truth: women of every background are central to a strong, vibrant political system. Their voices, perspectives, and leadership enrich our communities and strengthen democracy. Yet they continue to face attempts to undermine their health, safety, autonomy, and influence. Protecting their rights is not only a women’s issue; it is a human rights imperative. Our nation’s ongoing journey toward a more perfect union depends on expanding the promise of representation, not limiting it. And so, the work continues. Just as generations before us demanded inclusion in the democratic process, it is now our responsibility to protect and expand it. A future of dignity, equality, and belonging will not happen by chance. It will be built by all of us, together.
In a Divided World, We Choose Connection
In a Divided World, We Choose Connection August 26, 2025 Division is everywhere. Neighbors pitted against each other over politics. Entire groups reduced to labels. Online spaces flooded with outrage. It can feel as if mistrust and polarization are permanent, leaving many to wonder whether we can ever find our way back to each other. The Wassmuth Center is here to meet this moment. When division weighs heavily, we provide spaces where our community can come together to connect, learn, and create. At the Center, we endeavor to practice what human rights require: choosing connection over isolation, learning over indifference, and creation over despair. Connection begins with story. In our programs, we support people to set aside labels and encounter one another as human beings. Hearing a Holocaust survivor describe how prejudice became law, listening to a refugee share what it means to rebuild their life in Idaho, or reading the memoir of someone experiencing homelessness transforms our understanding. Each story becomes a thread, weaving us closer together and reminding us that dignity is defended not in theory, but in relationship. And these connections open us up to learning. At the Wassmuth Center we use the Spiral of Injustice to learn how dehumanization begins with stereotypes and escalates into exclusion, discrimination, and violence. We see these same patterns play out today in rhetoric that normalizes “us versus them,” in policies that blindly target entire groups, and in the casual dismissal of people’s humanity. Learning this history equips us with the tools to recognize warning signs and the courage to act before harm deepens. And once we experience connection and engage in learning, we are prepared to effectively create. Creation starts with imagination: What could our world look like if human rights were a lived reality for everyone? It requires the courage to picture a world that looks different from the one we see now. At the Center, imagination is sustained through deep listening and collective visioning: young people identifying ways to make our community more equitable, teachers reimagining classrooms as places of belonging, and neighbors finding common ground across difference. Each act of imagination pushes back against despair and brings us closer to the future we long for. The Wassmuth Center is not just a building and a memorial; we are a community and a living invitation to connect, learn, and create together. At a time when divisions are pulling people apart across our nation, we are determined to build a counter-story here in Idaho and beyond: one where human rights are a lived reality for everyone. But this vision is only possible if we work together. Every person who joins in – by connecting with a neighbor who has a different perspective, slowing down to learn and deepen their understanding, or engaging in the hard work of creating places and policies that honor everyone’s dignity – becomes part of the fabric of hope we are weaving. The choice before us is urgent and clear. We can resign ourselves to a world where division hardens into hate, or we can insist on another way. At the Wassmuth Center, we choose connection. We choose learning. We choose creating a world for all of us.
Freedom of Belief, Freedom for All
Freedom of Belief, Freedom for All August 18, 2025 America’s founders understood a timeless truth: faith must be freely chosen, never dictated by the state. This principle shaped the First Amendment, which guarantees both the free exercise of religion and protection from government establishment of religion. These freedoms make pluralism possible – allowing people of every faith, and of no faith at all, to live together under shared laws. Pluralism is not passive tolerance; it is the active, ongoing work of building a society where deep differences can peacefully coexist. That commitment to pluralism is what sustains our democracy, which has endured for more than two centuries because we defend each person’s right to believe freely. But this safeguard is under growing pressure. In recent months, political rhetoric and policy decisions have elevated one form of religion within the highest levels of American government. When elected leaders begin telling people what they must believe, whose morality is “correct,” or what values are mandatory, we step away from pluralism and toward a theocracy where religious authority and government power are dangerously entangled. At the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has infused military policy with overt Christian nationalist messaging, endorsing extremist pastors while targeting transgender service members and women in leadership. These actions politicize the military, breaching the constitutional wall between church and state. In Texas, Senate Bill 10 mandates the display of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom. This law directly violates the Establishment Clause. In Idaho, legislators plan to reintroduce a bill requiring reading the Bible in public schools. Similar efforts are surfacing across the country. Meanwhile, the newly formed Religious Liberty Commission and White House Faith Office amplify select religious voices, blurring the line between personal belief and public policy. Coupled with a weakened Johnson Amendment—which once prohibited churches from endorsing political candidates—these shifts invite houses of worship to become political platforms. Individually, these developments might be framed as policy debates. But taken together, they signal a coordinated drift away from pluralism and toward privileging one belief system over all others. History warns us where this road leads. After the 1979 revolution in Iran, leaders promised a purified society. Instead, they imposed a rigid theocracy that stripped women of basic rights, punished dissent, and crushed diversity of thought. Afghanistan under Taliban rule offers a similar warning: girls barred from school, art and music banned, men flogged for beards deemed too short, and daily life policed in the name of faith. Even centuries earlier, the Spanish Inquisition showed how the union of church and state breeds persecution, torture, and exile. None of these societies became more moral or just; they became more oppressive, less creative, and more divided. The lesson is clear: morality imposed from above becomes control, not conviction. A healthy democracy, on the other hand, ensures that beliefs are embraced freely — not demanded by law. Pluralism doesn’t weaken our values. It is how we live them out. Public policy must be grounded in universal human rights, not theological doctrine. Our government should neither endorse nor exclude religion from public life, but preserve the freedom of conscience that gives faith its meaning. If we value freedom, we must pay attention now. Theocracy does not arrive overnight; it advances through gradual normalization. We can still choose a different path. By grounding public life in human rights—and by keeping government power firmly separate from religious authority—we preserve both our democracy and the authentic freedom of belief that pluralism protects. The strength of our nation has never depended on everyone believing the same thing. America has endured because we protect each person’s right to live by their own conscience. At the Wassmuth Center, we know that making human rights a lived reality for all requires defending this freedom, especially when it is under duress. Pluralism is not a threat; it is the foundation that allows dignity and justice to flourish. The choice before us is clear: uphold freedom of belief for everyone, or risk losing it for all. By defending this freedom, we preserve the human rights that belong to every person and ensure that our society remains a place where all can live with dignity.
Everyone–Truly Everyone–Is Welcome Here
Everyone–Truly Everyone–Is Welcome Here July 28, 2025 At the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights, we believe that the truest measure of any law is how well it upholds human dignity. History reminds us that legal systems have too often been used to silence, exclude, and marginalize rather than to protect and uplift. True justice requires moral clarity, ethical courage, and an unwavering commitment to the dignity of all people. Today, this commitment is being tested. A recent legal opinion questioned whether the message Everyone is Welcome Here belongs in Idaho schools, challenging the fundamental obligation public schools have to welcome all children. In a troubling reading, four words rooted in kindness and inclusion were treated as suspect, as though welcoming students of all backgrounds is somehow a partisan stance. This isn’t just a flawed interpretation of the law. It’s an attempt to undermine the very values that hold our communities together. Everyone is Welcome Here is not a political slogan. It is a moral affirmation. It reflects our shared responsibility to create learning spaces where every child feels safe, seen, and valued. To argue otherwise is to invent division where none exists, to politicize compassion, and to erode the foundation of a just society. This moment reveals a deeper crisis: when legal guidance is politicized, it threatens the integrity of our institutions and the rights of those they are meant to protect. Neutrality in education does not mean silence in the face of exclusion. It means actively ensuring that no student is made to feel invisible or unworthy. When laws are weaponized, even the simplest expressions of decency are put at risk. As a new school year draws near, the chilling effect of this decision will likely leave students feeling less safe and educators afraid. Both of these outcomes are deeply damaging to learning and growth. At the Wassmuth Center, we know that advancing human rights requires more than resisting injustice. It requires building something better. That means crafting policies rooted in dignity, challenging narratives that divide us, and creating communities where every person belongs. Everyone is Welcome Here is more than a message on a wall. It is an actionable human rights commitment grounded in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in our moral responsibility to one another. We stand firmly on this ethical ground. Human dignity cannot be legislated away or sidelined by political rhetoric. Every child and every community member has the right to be welcomed and affirmed in our public spaces. As we face challenges to these enduring truths, we renew our commitment to elevate voices for justice and to build a future where everyone–truly everyone–is welcome.
Interrupting Hate Starts with Us
Interrupting Hate Starts with Us July 21, 2025 In early July, the Idaho State Police released its 2024 report on crime in Idaho, offering a detailed snapshot of statewide trends. While the overall crime rate declined by 6.6%, one alarming statistic stands out: reported hate crimes rose by 21% compared to the previous year. Behind that number are real people–friends, neighbors, classmates, coworkers–targeted for simply being who they are. Each incident represents significant harm experienced by individuals and communities. And because hate crimes are chronically underreported, the true extent of the damage is likely far worse. A hate crime is defined as “a criminal offense committed against a person or property which is motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender’s bias against a race/national origin, religion, sexual orientation, mental/physical disability, or ethnicity.” According to the report, 43% of incidents were motivated by race, 25% by sexual orientation, 19% by ethnicity, and 12% by religion (notably, the report categorizes “Arab” under religion, though it is an ethnicity). Victims ranged in age from 11 to over 60 years old, and incidents took place in 16 counties across Idaho. While the rise in hate crimes might not come as a surprise, this data paints a concerning picture and demands our attention. At the Wassmuth Center, we often turn to the Spiral of Injustice to understand how societies devolve. The spiral begins with language–words, images, and symbols that dehumanize, divide, and label people as “less than.” When this language is used by leaders–whether in politics, religion, media, or civic life–it becomes legitimatized and contagious, paving the way for avoidance, discrimination, violence, and ultimately, elimination. But just as words can wound, they can also heal. When leaders unequivocally denounce hate, they reinforce the boundaries of what a just society will–and will not–tolerate. The corollary to the Spiral of Injustice is a question we must all ask: What actions can we take to interrupt it? The ISP report makes clear that hate crimes don’t just occur in distant or extreme contexts. They happen in the regular spaces of our lives: parks, stores, churches, classrooms, front porches. These are the areas where we have both the responsibility and the power to act. We don’t need to wear a superhero cape to make a difference; courage can look like calling in a harmful joke, refusing to laugh at cruelty, asking a hard question, or standing next to someone who has been made to feel alone. These small, everyday choices are actually not small at all. They are the building blocks of a safer and more just world. Each of us moves through circles of influence – families, workplaces, faith communities, friend groups, sports teams. Within those communities, we can choose to lead. We can model respect, ask questions, push back against harmful stereotypes, and extend dignity to those around us. While we reasonably expect our leaders to set the tone, we don’t have to wait for them. Whether or not they rise to meet this moment, we can. Together, we can build communities rooted in welcome, belonging, and the unwavering belief in every person’s humanity. Let’s keep showing up – for one another and for the kind of Idaho we know is possible.
It Starts With You
It Starts With You April 14, 2025 The communities we dream of — where everyone belongs, where each person is treated with dignity, where kindness and justice shape daily life — don’t just happen. They are created. They are built, moment by moment, by people who choose to live their values out loud — in their workplaces, their neighborhoods, their schools, and their homes. At the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights, we believe in the power of ordinary people to do extraordinary things when they commit to cultivating communities rooted in human rights. We imagine an Idaho and a world where kindness is non-negotiable, inclusion is intentional, and every person’s humanity is honored. But creating that kind of world takes more than good intentions. It takes learning. It takes courage. It takes practice. That’s why we offer programs like our Human Rights Certificate — an online learning experience designed to help people reflect deeply, act intentionally, and lead with heart. Through six engaging modules, participants explore what it means to lead with intention, respond to the needs of their communities, and foster environments where all are treated with dignity and respect. Whether you’re seeking to strengthen your leadership, create a more welcoming workplace, or simply live with greater awareness and compassion, this course offers tools, insights, and inspiration to guide you. The future we long for is shaped by the choices we make today. We invite you to join us to learn, to reflect, and to be part of building a more just, joyful, and inclusive world. It starts here. It starts with us. It starts with you.
A Place to Call Home
A Place to Call Home April 21, 2025 As April brings warmer days, blooming flowers, and green leaves, many of us head back outside—on bicycles, in gardens, and on trails—after a long winter indoors. Idaho offers so many beautiful outdoor spaces to enjoy. But for many of our neighbors, spring marks the return of another season without stable housing. While the cold may ease, heat and smoke will soon bring new challenges. April is Fair Housing Month—a time to reflect on one of our most basic needs: a home. The most recent estimate is that at least 2,750 Idahoans are unhoused. An additional 9,500 Idahoans received some kind of housing assistance in 2024. The paths to becoming unhoused are varied, and the solutions are complex, personal, and structural. Many Idahoans live just one paycheck or an unexpected medical bill away from losing their houses. Waitlists for affordable housing often exceed 300 families, with some people waiting years for a chance at securing an affordable place. Communities across Idaho and the nation are exploring various strategies to address housing shortages and support those who don’t have stable housing. The Fair Housing Act of 1968, established to counter discriminatory practices like redlining, prohibits housing discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, or familial status. This landmark legislation provides crucial legal protections, but ongoing housing challenges reveal how much work remains to ensure that all people have equitable access to safe and affordable housing. While there is broad agreement that the crisis deserves urgent attention, many people are reluctant to support potential solutions—such as increased housing density—in their own neighborhoods. As systemic efforts continue, each of us can reflect on our own assumptions about people who are unhoused or in vulnerable circumstances. A resident at a shelter in Boise said it best: “People look down on me, but my worth and value is not based on my circumstances.” As we work to build communities rooted in dignity and belonging, let’s ensure our welcome includes those living on the uncomfortable margins. Let’s not just view housing instability as a problem to solve but see the people—parents, children, veterans, fellow community members—all with names, stories, and the right to be treated with compassion.
Keep Showing Up
Keep Showing Up May 5, 2025 As we step into May, many of us feel the weight of what it means to live through another chapter of historic and unprecedented times. The fatigue is real. We long for calm, for clarity, for something steady beneath our feet. And yet—while we don’t get to choose the times we live in, we do get to choose how we respond. In a moment when political division runs deep and economic uncertainty touches nearly every corner of life, it can feel tempting to withdraw and turn inward. But these are not times to retreat. These are times that call for something bolder: showing up for one another with hope, with courage, and with belief in a brighter future for all of us. At the Wassmuth Center, we draw strength from the many ways people across Idaho continue to show up. During Idaho Gives last week, more than 13,500 Idahoans gave what they could—money, time, encouragement—to support nonprofits working every day to meet urgent needs and build a more just, compassionate future. That’s not just generosity; it’s civic action. Every donation, every volunteer hour, every shared conversation speaks clearly about the kind of world we want to live in and the legacy we hope to leave. Whether you’re donating, organizing, mentoring, making art, discussing books, attending town hall meetings, or talking with your kids about values at the dinner table, you are part of the work. You are creating ripples of impact that move outward in powerful, often unseen ways. But grassroots efforts grow. They connect. And together, they shape a future that is more fair, more generous, more human. So let’s keep showing up—for each other, for our communities, and for the future we still believe is possible. Join us at the Center this month for learning, for conversation, for connection. Let’s stay rooted in joy, keep choosing courage, and move forward together.
Hope’s Defiance
Hope’s Defiance May 12, 2025 In a world increasingly fractured by injustice, we need more than comfort. We need hope—hope that pushes back against darkness, shines through the cracks, and calls us to act. This can feel difficult when democratic norms are eroding, books are being banned, hate-fueled violence is rising, and basic rights are under threat. But in the face of these challenges, we must turn to what has always sustained movements for justice. Not despair, but imagination. Notsilence, but expression. Not fear, but defiant hope. Art has long played a vital role in this work. In moments of crisis, art helps us see clearly, feel deeply, and envision a future beyond the fractures of the present. At the Wassmuth Center, we are surrounded by 28 human rights-themed artworks created by artists from diverse backgrounds. These pieces offer more than beauty. They speak truth, stir conscience, and compel us toward action. One powerful example is Hope’s Defiance, a mosaic by local artist Reham Aarti. In it, Hope is not passive or gentle. She stands tall on a pile of books—symbols of knowledge and community—and pushes back against darkness, cracking it open to let light through. Especially now in times of censorship, this image reminds us that learning and truth-telling are essential forms of resistance. Mosaics are made from what’s been broken. And today, as systems crack under the weight of injustice—from attacks on voting rights to violence against marginalized communities—we are called to gather the pieces and build anew. This is the work of championing human rights. That’s why Hope’s Defiance matters. Because sometimes, hope rises from the rubble and is pieced together with courage. Like a mosaic, it is formed from what has been shattered, reassembled into something stronger and more beautiful than before. This is not naive optimism. It is a grounded, determined response to all that threatens to divide and diminish us. Hope is a commitment: to see clearly, act defiantly, and move forward together. We invite you to visit Hope’s Defiance and the other remarkable works at the Center. Please also join us for programs that foster understanding, amplify community voices, and inspire meaningful action. Together, we can shape a future rooted in dignity, built with courage, and powered by defiant hope.