Approximately 11,000 public comments were received by the Bureau of Land Management on its draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Lava Ridge project proposed on public land surrounding Minidoka National Historic Site. Thanks to all of you for your collective resistance — speaking out and educating others about the need to protect Minidoka. The painful history of confinement sites and their somber, reflective, and immersive educational experience must be preserved to teach the lessons about what many legal scholars call one of our nation's worst civil liberties violations.
We must continue the fight to protect our history and ask for the siting of energy projects to be evaluated with an environmental justice and racial justice lens.
This issue highlights other acts of resistance in our past as well as acts of resistance today in an effort to protect our future.
Robyn Achilles
Executive Director
Featured Stories
Nisei Trials – 80 Years
“Courage comes in many forms,” stated Fujiko Tamura Gardner, a Minidoka survivor.
September 2024 marks the 80th anniversary of the Boise trials of the Minidoka draft resisters. Friends of Minidoka has received an Idaho Humanities Council grant to commemorate the courage of these 40 Nisei men who wanted their full citizenship restored before serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. Photo: Jim Akutsu.
Love In The Library is a beautiful and wistful children's book by Maggie Tokuda-Hall about love blossoming between her grandparents at the library at Minidoka. Scholastic Books wanted to censor Tokuda-Hall's use of the word "racism" in the author's notes.
We are participating in another year of Idaho Gives! Over the course of four days nonprofits all across the state will be raising funds and competing for additional prize money. The more individual donors we have giving to our campaign, the more likely we are to receive additional funds through Idaho Gives!
