Pall letter: Marilyn Shuler

Friday, Feb. 3, all of Idaho lost a light for hope, human rights and true American values. The death of Marilyn Shuler brought tears and thanks for her courage, skill and quiet, effective leadership.

I knew Marilyn, director of the Idaho Human Rights Commission, as an Idaho lawyer representing victims of discrimination. She stood tall for credible complaints, pointed out where causes lacked the required basis, and sympathetic for those victims of discrimination not protected under Idaho law. Many of us in North Idaho observed and supported her efforts in Boise to establish the Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial.

We were all amazed and inspired by her efforts with every human rights issue. Right now, Idaho and the nation need her moral compass to stand up for human rights when refugee DACA students are turned away after years of examination and review.

If the Emma Lazarus poem on the Statue of Liberty, asking “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breath free...,” is to mean anything, Idahoans will be inspired by her memory to stand against hate and work for social and economic justice in this world. Godspeed, Marilyn Shuler.

This story was originally published February 10, 2017 at 7:04 PM with the headline "Pall letter: Marilyn Shuler."