Racism exists in the Inland Northwest—not just as an issue of perception, a matter of a few bad apples, or simply a North Idaho thing. 

As a business community, it’s in our best interest to acknowledge that reality and take steps to confront the bigoted elements among us, while making a coordinated, long-term effort to foster diversity in both leadership and ranks. 

While the Inland Northwest and its examples of intolerance is far from unique in the U.S., it's incumbent upon us to address problems and find solutions specific to our community. 

As most know, the issue of racism was thrust into the national spotlight late last month when the University of Utah women's basketball team was visiting for its second-round NCAA tournament game against the Gonzaga University women's basketball team. Staying in Coeur d'Alene because of a lack of available hotel rooms in Spokane, the team was met by the N-word and other intimidating gestures while walking between their hotel and a downtown Coeur d'Alene restaurant.

Some in leadership positions there cast doubt on whether the hateful language actually occurred, only to have the Coeur d'Alene Police Department announce days later that they had audio proof that the accounts of the incident were accurate. 

This made national news, but for anybody who's paying attention, there are plenty of other signs of intolerance in our community. 

A group calling itself the Northwest American Republic has distributed flyers in the region calling for creating a safe haven for young white people that spans from Montana to Washington. We can tell ourselves that talking about such groups gives them the attention they crave, but clearly, ignoring them isn't making them go away. 

Lisa Gardner, president of the Spokane NAACP, wrote a piece for The Black Lens in which she refers to the national coverage of bad behavior in North Idaho as a wake-up call for the entire region. She goes on to write, "Racism is taxing on our emotions and mental health, and soon, the region will find out it will be taxing on your economy, because this type of blatant act of racism drives people away, drives opportunity away, drives economic benefits away." 

That said, some worthy efforts are underway to increase the visibility of minority-owned businesses in the Inland Northwest and to increase diversity in the private sector. This message isn't intended to minimize those initiatives. 

However, leaders in the business community have banded together to address issues that have an indirect connection to commerce in a more coordinated way in the past. They've determined that efforts like reducing homelessness and increasing the on-time graduation rate for high-school students will help the economy thrive and have long-term benefits to the region as a whole.

It's time to place a similar level of effort on confronting racism and promoting diversity. The cost of not doing so is too great.