2020 was a heavy year full of political tensions, the global pandemic and the rise of racial tensions in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd. The former opened up discussions globally about the continued discrimination against people of color and use of white privilege.
Like many white people, the events of last year reminded me of how much more I needed to learn. I’d grown desensitized to the racism around me because of my own privilege. I devoured every book I could get my hands on while alone in quarantine, including The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, Stamped: Racism, Anti-racism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi, as well as How to Be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi.
And I wasn’t the only one. Books by Black authors soared to the top of the New York Times Best-Seller list.
A year later, I’m still reading, with new and old authors joining my book shelves monthly. One book that has recently joined my shelf is Black Pearl: Living Black in Idaho. The autobiographical novel shares a first-hand account of Patterson’s experience with racism in the Idaho Falls community and while working at INL. While there are varying perspectives on the account he shares, it was educational to explore the remaining work to be done in our community to rid it of racism.
Reading Black Pearl, leads the reader directly into Patterson’s head as he re-lives some of the worst and best moments of his life. It is an incredibly vulnerable piece of work, going into intense details of the circumstance Patterson states led to misuse of power by upper-level management and Patterson’s whistleblower case.
However, there are also bright spots amid the stormy conflict, including the love Patterson demonstrates for his family and community.
In the final lines of his novel Patterson writes, “I will never stop fighting for fairness, justice, and equality. Neither should you.” That call for action inspires us all to avoid complicity in actions that are harmful to others. It can be easy to deny the fact that we have hurt others with our words and by other means, but by doing the difficult work of accepting the past and improving our behaviors we can build a more humane society for us all.
Behind the Scenes
Q&A with author Dennis Patterson
IFM: What inspired you to write Black Pearl?
DP: I started writing Black Pearl in March 2020 and then we had the George Floyd killing. That just gave me a greater passion to complete the book, get it out there for people to read and to talk about. The objective is to help our community become a more open and inclusive community.
It’s rare that you hear the African-American perspective in places like Idaho, right? It’s hard to find a book written by an African American who lives in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming or Montana. So I think this is kind of a unique opportunity for our area to learn more and become better.
Obviously not everybody agrees with the perspectives in my book, but for me it felt like the right thing to do. My heroes growing up were Dr. King and John Lewis, people who were willing to stand up and speak out. So, I like to think I’m following in that tradition.
IFM: What has the response to Black Pearl been like?
DP: It’s been a positive response. I’ve had people thank me for sharing my story. I’ve had people tell me that I’ve inspired them to keep up the fight against racism and discrimination.
IFM: What types of things would you like to see change specifically in our community?
DP: I would like to see more minorities present in the education system. I’ve been a substitute teacher for 5 years now. It’s not often that you see a teacher of color. And obviously even more rare to see an African American teacher. Kids need to see teachers and principals that look like themselves.
I also hope to see Idaho change the name of the MLK holiday, In 1990 Idaho became one of the last states to recognize the holiday. At the time there were Idaho legislators who were reluctant to name a holiday after Dr. King, so they compromised by adding "Idaho Human Rights Day." It is time to give Dr. King the honor he deserves—we should just call it Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
I would like us as a state to come to a point where we can recognize Dr. Martin Luther King for who he was and for what he represented. And I think it would send a message to the nation, not just Idaho. It’s a simple thing. I would like to see that, and more than likely, I will probably take some personal efforts to try to make that happen.
Dennis, early on, your moral compass placed your life on a path of directness and forthrightness. This is a gift. Today, yours is a passionate and trusted voice in our community. I believe every community needs honest and unafraid voices in order to progress.
— IDAHO FALLS MAYOR, REBECCA CASPER
To purchase a copy of Dennis Patterson’s book visit www.amazon.com.