Yes, this is also the Montana of my childhood (in Livingston, just over the pass from Bozeman). Both extremes : a childhood memory of overhearing a pejorative comment about black people and using bathrooms in a local ice cream parlor (where sarsparilla was on tap), and wondering what the person meant; and many years later, hearing about the time in Billings when, faced with extreme right youths violent anti-Semitism, the local paper printed a full-page menorah on its back cover and the whole town pasted it in their window, shaming one of the group members into confessing, and revealing identities of the others. See : http://www.religioustolerance.org/menorah.htm So ... yes; olive branches grow amidst the sagebrush!
35
You are describing what my rural Texas grandmother called Ranch Values and they came from people connected to land. Being human came first - you needed other people and you knew it simply from living where Mother Nature has the last say for everyone.
33
@Kay Johnson: But country living was far from pristine and passive. There were many feuds going on in family systems and in small communities (think Hatfields versus McCoys). Any person of darker skin come into your rural regions were either hung, thrown rocks at, or ridden out of town as fast the whites could take them (think lynchings and burning crosses). That is the legacy of America - filled with dysfunctional families, communities, and hatred of "the other" (think trail of tears). Your grandma was lucky enough to own land, many today, still aren't able to do that. Imagine what that must be like for the less advantaged through the past few centuries.
2
I was born in MT, though my parents and I moved to China when I was 6 months old. We spent half of our China time in a Japanese internment camp before returning to my father's home town of Havre. In our Montana family we had my grandparents, 8 uncles and aunts and 11 cousins and I have never heard a single word from any of them denigrating anyone on the basis of race or nationality. My father was an OB/GYN who donated two days every month to hold a clinic at the local Indian reservation. I have been a teacher throughout my career and the best students I ever had were my Ethiopian students in my 2 years in Ethiopia. There are racists in MT, some of them violent, but I have some hope that they will remain in the minority.
34
@John Lawson Your father delivered me he was a well respected member of our community for years! Small world thanks for sharing!
18
@Arleen Rice this connection made me tear up!! A definite 6 degrees of separation!!
12
You highlight the importance of reaching out and appealing to all different kinds of people to counter the fear and divisiveness Trump and most Republicans have been peddling. This is something Democrats and all Americans who believe in the pluralistic democracy the founding fathers and mothers of this country advocated, however imperfectly, for.
We, as Americans, must be much more proactive in our support for these principles. We cannot just disparage the illiberal members of our society, but actively protect the rights of all citizens and promote the tolerance that permits people to live in peace as they see fit.
34
I am not a native Montanan but I married one and have lived in Bozeman for 10 years (and even work in one of the buildings pictured in this piece). There is no doubt that Montana is a red state and that the majority is conservative. Trump won the state by 20 points or so and yes, as everywhere in this country, there are people who hate those who are different. But on par, Montanans are a good-hearted people. Here, people will stop to help you if you have a flat tire. They say “good morning” when passing on the sidewalk even if they don’t know you. Many would give you the shirt off their back if you are in need. This story reaffirms my experience in my adopted state.
Like in other states in the mountain west, the conservatism here in Montana tends to be more about individualism than tribalism (although that is gradually changing - sadly). Tester has survived election after election because he is a true Montana farmer, and people respect who he is, what he has done, and how he says what he thinks. Montanans also don’t easily trust outsiders, so Rosendale was very susceptible to the Maryland Matt moniker (and he was a real estate developer - double strike). The fact that Tester (and Democratic Governor Steve Bullock) can still win here despite the significant red lean shows that the character of the person still matters to voters here (at least most of the time — I cannot explain Body-Slam Greg Gianforte).
95
I moved to Montana 11 years ago, after growing up and raising a family in Brooklyn, NY. There are a lot of good, centrist, caring people out here, even in the more rural, conservative areas of the state. There are also some yahoos lurking around like everywhere else in America, but there is a quiet decency and old-school neighbor-helping-neighbor attitude that transends all politics.
17
I really enjoyed this article especially how it brings to light the dichotomy that is Montana. There are good people throughout the state. Even here in Kalispell with its conservative bent the newest elementary school, which opened this fall, is named after Jeannette Rankin. This area and the state at large is not as isolated as it was 45 years ago when I moved here.
Tester won because he has made a lifetime of friends in Montana. I know several republicans who resented Donald Trump Jr coming to the state and referring to Jon Tester as “garbage “. That didn’t go down too well. And though Trump took the state handily in 2016, Democrat Steve Bullock was re-elected governor in that same election.
21
More of us need to reach out to the “we” around us. Thank you Tiya Miles for the inspiration to do so.
30
Thanks for writing this. Born and raised in Butte,MT. Come visit us! I recommend the Montana Folk Festival. While Butte may not be the prettiest place in MT (scarred from years of mining) the people here make up for it!! Be happy to host you and your family!
4
My wife and I, both of Asian Indian origin, moved from our home near Philadelphia to Montana to be close to Yellowstone. We've lived just north of the Park in a rural, Trump-leaning, area for a bit more than two years. As far as we know, we're the only Asian Indians in our county (Park) and knew no one in the area before we decided to move.
We have encountered good-natured curiosity but never a hint of mistrust or dislike. People have gone out of their way to be warm and helpful. Oddly, we've met a great many people here who've spent more time in India over the last 20 years than we have!
So our home is in tourist country, at least for 6 months of the year, you might say. However, I'm a photographer and my wife, our dog and I have toured many out-of-the-way parts of this lovely state in search of ghost towns and dilapidated rural churches. We've never encountered unfriendliness, nor has anyone shrieked when they saw us in bathrooms. (Actually, seeing any human being is an event in some places!). People strike up a conversation with us more often than not.
Finding vegetarian food outside the tourist towns can be challenging, though, not that we'd expected otherwise.
11
Please write more about Montana, your husband's familia, famlies like the one that befriended you and your daughter, its cascading vallies, its blue sky. Grateful for courage and that of your daughter.
2
Thank you for this beautiful piece. Especially the last, perfect sentence.
3
Thanks for the article! Here in the East there are many misunderstandings about the Midwest and Rocky Mountain west, or “fly-over” country as many think of it.
My wife is from Montana, we got married in Missoula County, and the most “liberal” in the family are there. I am from Missouri and I am old enough to remember when John Danforth was elected to be state attorney general, the first Republican to win state-wide office in Missouri for two decades, in part, because he was more liberal than the Democrats of the day. My father was from Iowa. My wife and I met in college in Minnesota back when it was as close as one could come to Scandinavian mentality as one could find in the United States. Minnesota nice is not just a slogan. From college we campaigned for Eugene McCarthy, Max Baucus, and Walter Mondale. In Missouri and Minnesota I found more support for my international interests in the Cold war than in the East in a more peaceful era.
Conservative personal habits and liberal social ideals are what I would like to think characterize many people there (and I hope throughout the world). I was disappointed when McCaskill and Heitkamp lost but heartened when Tester won. Some of the best of America’s politicians have come from this progressive mold.
6
Thank you. Welcome home.
3
This is an odd article. The author says she loves Montana then recounts numerous fears about it. So which is it? Or is it just a pointy headed east coast intellectual regaling us with stories about those people out west: charming, maybe, but inscrutable....
2
I, too, appreciate the open-minded approach the author took. I’m a fellow journalist, and I was born in the city she mentioned, Glendive, Montana. Some, but not all, of the folks where I now live, in the Bozeman, area display a provincialism every bit as bad as in the major out-of-state urban areas. That is, in Montana, tolerance and sophisticated attitudes end somewhere just beyond the eastern slopes of the Rockies. Beyond that, in the Missouri Breaks country, the Big Open, the Badlands, the Great Falls, there reside rednecks and troglodytes the equal of anywhere in the country. And people make that generalization without ever visiting the still-genuine communities and the down-to-earth folks in Eastern Montana. Which makes me grit my teeth in fury.
6
@Dennis Gaub: I was fortunate to land in Helena, MT for several years. It was good to see some diversity in the state capitol every time the legislators would meet annually. We worked on passing the Martin Luther King Jr holiday, I worked on the Human Rights League supporting and educating myself on the Native Americans. I am originally a Caucasian from New England. Proud to be a progressive forever.
2
Don't pre-judge. Stereotypes are just that:
Wilmot Collins, a refugee from Liberia, was elected mayor of Helena:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/nov/09/montana-first-black-mayor-wilmot-collins
6
@misha: I didn't know that and am very pleased to hear about this new mayor. Yay!
2
I moved here 21 (Hamilton, Montana) years ago from Chicago. I do not miss urban America. There are knuckle draggers everywhere but here there is space enough to see them a mile away.
7
But on the other hand, the people of Montana re-elected billionaire bodyslammer Gianforte. I guess they couldn't help themselves.
2
@Peter from MT and am disgusted that people in my state voted for him! I guess we weren’t ready for another Jeanette Rankin.
4
Good story.
Turn off the TV (and Fox News).
Switch off the phone (with the Russian Mafia social media).
Go down the block and shake hands with your neighbors.
If Montanans can do it, so can the rest of us.
9
I'm a native Tennessean who has made Bozeman my home late in life because I love to fly fish.
However, it didn't take me long to figure out a racist Western red neck was no different than the racist bible thumpers I had grown up with. It's the same uneducated backwoods moron that every state deals with.
With that said, I'll never forget an occasion that will forever make me an adopted Montanan. Once when coming back from a fishing trip with no cash and about to run out of gas and starting to panic, I barely made it to the only a gas station for miles. I tried to see if my credit card would work and after it was declined, I stepped out of the line to sort out what to do next. My last gambit was to ask the cashier if I could write a check to get enough gas to drive home. While I had stepped out of the line, I noticed two workers who had been doing hard physical labor somewhere buying snacks and beer.
When I stepped up to ask the cashier if could write a check, she said "go fill it up, those two guys ahead of you already paid for it."
I ran outside to try to thank them but they had already left. Two hard working "red neck" Montanans who saw a stranger in a bind and helped me out with their hard earned money out of sheer kindness to another human being.
Montanans are good people and nobody reflects that authenticity and decency more than Jon Tester. We are lucky he's our senator.
18
@Douglas: Thanks for sharing that experience you had!
2
Kindness and inclusiveness is a thousand times more prevalent in the US than racism. Of course, the anti-fa movement (especially Smash Racism DC), continues hate and racism. They are the fascists and I find it stunning the NYTimes remains utterly silent on the violence perpetrated by the left in the name of 'racism' when THEY are the racists, the violent anti-democratic ones. Any comment NYTimes, or did you think they were justified to attack American homes and people in public spaces?
3
I think I need to visit Montana!!!
3
@Virginia Baker: It's an amazing beautiful state with amazing people. There are more wildlife there than humans which makes it safer than many other places in America.
1
@Virginia Bakeries I recommend Butte the weekend after the 4th of July for the Montana Folk Festival. You will not be disappointed!! Reach out to me! I would be happy to be your tour guide!
2
I read this piece and hear you. But I'm aghast that you're shocked that a white family was kind. Really, you had to brace yourself for a racial slight when the stereotypical, rural white approached you? Maybe you need to check your bias because the overwhelming majority of whites are kind decent people.
Just because fringe alt-right whites exist, and a handful of white woman called the police doesn't mean the majority of whites are significantly biased, bigoted or racist. (Everyone is biased, including yourself) I know that many whites don’t know how to call out racism when it isn’t overt but that doesn’t mean that they're going to approach you and verbally assault you.
We need to work together to make things right but it's never going to happen as long as white people are guilty until proven innocent. If I we're to write this piece about bringing my daughter to North Philly and change all your references of white to black, you'd accuse me of racism. That sword has two sides.
5
It’s not to be forgotten, Montana, in the midst of its cowboy redneck provincialism, from its prodigious western vitality, produced, among many other notables, Senator Mike Mansfield and the feminist, Jeannette Rankin, and the remarkable Crow Indian Chief, Plenty Coup (see Jonathan Lear’s “Radical Hope” for Plenty Coup’s chickadee dream of survival, a recipe for a hopeful future we anti-Trumpers could ourselves use.) It’s no surprise to me that Montanans voted for Jon Tester.
7
I live Montana too, but the author is a blatant left wing hater of conservatives. Just because someone is a political conservative doesn't mean they're a racist. I'm not supporting racism one bit but the vile hate and bigotry the left is spewing against those they don't agree with is not helping matters at all. Just look at the violence and hate Antifa and the like is commiting against innocent people and property. They use fascist tactics while denouncing facism; such as stopping innocent motorists in Portland and destroying stores and cars. They are the biggest bigots and hypocrites of all.
Nice piece, but let me point out that any black person living in Boston, one of the most racist cities in America, hardly needs to worry about bigotry elsewhere.
1
Some folks live for 100 years, so 242 years is not long ago when Blacks were brought from Africa and made slaves in the land of freedom. Black American slaves were not considered sanctioned beings, rather they were considered property. American Blacks have been the target of White racist groups such as the KKK and the American Nazis. Racism and discrimination continues to be practiced by select American White citizens who do not belong to any hate group yet remain racists.
On February 19, 1942, soon after the beginning of World War II, Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. The evacuation order commenced the round-up of 120,000 Americans of Japanese heritage to one of 10 internment camps—officially called "relocation centers"—in California, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, Colorado, and Arkansas. Since the perpetrators were Japanese the American-Japanese were racially profiled and sent to internment camps.
In WWII Germans murdered 6 million Jews and were responsible for the deaths of 60 million people (civilians and soldiers) all sides who died during WWII in all countries. However, German Americans were left alone after WWII and were not sent to internment camps.
Consider the Native American Indians who were exterminated (approximately 100,000), the rest were driven up to Canada, and those who remained in America were made to live in Indian reservations.
1
@manoflamancha Your point? Montanans are very aware of the history of American Indians. We are also aware of the thousands of Indigenous women who go missing from MT and ND. If you want to give a history lesson maybe talk about that.
3
@manoflamancha: Those are the facts, fellow Americans. Turn and change from your hateful ways and leave this so-called president in the dustpan of history.
The author seems shocked that a white couple in Montana could possibly be friendly to her. With the author's standoffish attitude, I'm surprised that couple bothered to introduce themselves in the first place. She seems to assume that Montana is some sort of racist white bastion where racial minorities are gunned down in city streets by armed citizens. Her attitude explains much about why Democrats continue to lose appeal in rural areas.
3
Who needs and deserves an olive branch in Montana?
Color is not race. There is only one biological DNA genetic evolutionary fit human race species that began in Africa 300, 000 years ago.
What we call race aka color is an evolutionary fit pigmented response to varying levels of solar radiation at altitudes and latitudes primarily related to the production of Vitamin D and protecting genes from damaging mutations.
What we call race aka color is a malign socioeconomic political educational demographic historical white supremacist American myth meant to legally and morally justify black African enslavement in America and separate and unequal black African American Jim Crow.
The Black Hills were stolen from the Lakota after the Battle of the Little Big Horn on June 25, 1876. And the Crow aka Absaroka occupy the land around the battlefield.
In Sioux Nation v. USA the majority found that the Lakota were entitled to compensation for the theft of the Black Hills. But the Lakota have refused the money. They claim that it is too little and that they would prefer the land back with its gold, silver and uranium.
In the spirit of Crazy Horse and Gall and Sitting Bull the Lakota need more money and their land back. The heck with an olive branch. Hoka hey it is a good day to die!
1
@Blackmamba uh...Black Hills aren’t in MT but I get your point.
Thank you.
Its getting very frustrating having strangers assume you are racist because you are a white person from a certain part of the country. Or that you voted for someone they don't like.
1
@Jack: You can only imagine how "frustrating" it must be for people of darker colored skin than yours about the racism and ostracism they have faced every day in America: the supposed "land of the free and home of the brave". There is no bravery connected to racism and there is no freedom connected to racism. As whites, we must learn to be kind and compassionate toward those who suffer every day due to the color of their skin. We have no idea what it is like not to be white in America.
1
The title of this piece (olive branch) led me to think it would be about Greeks in Montana. This is better. In the four years that we have lived here our area (Flathead Valley) has become more diverse. We have a long way to go. Great article.
3
Thank you, Professor Miles. I am also heartened by Senator Tester's victory. While making get out the vote calls for our local Democratic organization, one fellow I contacted said he was "a Red man", chuckled and said "you probably don't want me to vote!" To which I replied "that's what democracy is all about my friend." A civil exchange between two people on opposite sides of the political divide, though increasingly rare these days, is still possible.
2
We love Jon Tester too, and have supported his races since he first won office. This fall we met 3rd-generation wheat farmers near his ranch, north of Great Falls, and although we know they are republican, they were quietly supportive of him. You are so right, there can be compromise and crossover, some people do find a way to reject division and work together. We are not easily categorized as American "factions," and I would like to think that (over the long run) we are indivisible.
3
I lived on the Crow Reservation, or near it, for 40 years. My son's first words were in the Crow language, not English! I was loved and accepted on the reservation. It is no surprise to me that the native population of the state carried Jon to victory on election day. Family values, and integrity are integral parts of the culture, and Jon has those qualities. I am so proud of the Indian communities who helped re-elect Jon Tester to represent all of us who call Montana "home".
6
Yes, Montana is a red state currently, and has its share or racist reactionary supermacists.
But it also rather large, more diverse from one spot to the other than one might think--being in Missoula is like being in Boulder--and it has both a long union history and a long contrarian streak in its politics; think of some of its former Democratic politicians and its investigations into election dark money.
There may come a time, in the not too distant future, with diverse people from the West Coast moving in and continued expansion of its younger collegiate population in urban areas, when it is reliably purple. (It seems to be following the Colorado example, but about thirty years later.)
3
It is fitting (in a good way) that the feature photo in the piece shows the visit to Montana by the singer Tommy Sands. Sands has sung about “Troubled Northern lands”, which for him were Northern Ireland. But please, just have a listen to “There Were Roses” by Tommy Sands”. It is completely germane to the message of Ms. Miles, and I will bet that if you listen to it, you will never forget it.
1
Tester big election problem was that he followed Schumer's lead with Kavanaugh - a man accused with collaborating evidence.
@Pat: Very convoluted message from you. Tester thought for himself, like Montanans do and voted against Kavanaugh which is what I would have done in his position. Kavanaugh was accused but there was NO collaborating witnesses to his horrid assault. The attorneys in the Senate forgot that there is no need for collaborating evidence/witnesses if a rape survivor reports the crimes of rape. When you are vying for the highest court of the land, you shouldn't be faced with 3 separate cases of sexual assault. He doesn't belong where he is and his horrid attitude in Congress toward the Dem's indicated his demogoguery (sp?) against one major party of the US. An alleged sexual offender accused by a credible witness and his 2-year old temper tantrums while examined by the Senate should have eliminated him from the high court. If he had placed country before himself, he would have stepped down out of grace. Just like Trump, he is no good in a position of power in our Democracy.
4
Montana is an island of enlightenment to have reelected Senator Tester. Its something about the mountains and the water and the sky that keep people in Montana from devolving into the abysmal ignorance of the southern states. The beauty and the reality of the harsh conditions that Montanans face commands respect for all the others who experience the same because it is a wonderful place to be.
While there is open prejudice and racist hostility towards non-White people in the southeast, most Montanans would more than likely turn away from those who judge others by their skin color or religion or national origin. Its too beautiful for that, or it is too cold and windy, just get along people.
1
@tony: White people, or lighter-skinned people, are racist no matter where you go including in the Northwest. I am hyper-sensitive about that fact since I am white and have no idea what it is like to be a person of color so I have made myself listen to them. We have to listen to know what it is really like for "the other" as Trump likes to put it.
Thank you. Faith restoring.
Montana's who were born here, some going back 3-4 generations, take great pride in being "natives", and frequently make "newcomers" such as myself (44 years here) know that I'm not as invested in Montana as they are - sometime subtly, sometimes not.
And it is with GREAT IRONY that this segment of Montanans are the ones who are voting for carpetbaggers like Rosendale, from Maryland, and Gianforte, from New Jersey, because they are Republicans. These hypocrites have lost their bragging rights with me.
11
Since Bozeman is my hometown, I am gratified to hear that you were welcomed at the dance practice. There are good people in Montana, albeit some of the newbies are not so good. Richard Spencer is not a Montanan, nor is the thug Congressman Greg Gianforte. They are both newbies who brought their thuggish behavior to my beloved state. Senator Jon Tester is a wonderful human being and we are proud that he won against the racist thug Trump and that faux Christian Pence. Thank Professor Miles for your article and may you continue to find peace and hospitality in Big Sky Country.
7
@Cindelyn Eberts Concur!!
I fail to understand why pieces like this get picked up or, frankly, why someone as worldly as a Harvard prof would spend the time to write it to begin with. Yes, Trump may be a bigot. Yes, Trump may have awakened the inner-racist in so many people that we, apparently naively, had assumed transitioned into a post-racial America. Yes, black Americans suffer racist indignities daily. Yes, black people lose their lives each year as an apparent result of racism in law enforcement and elsewhere.
But, can we also get a little real here? Millions of black and white people co-exist happily together throughout this country every day. Should I be writing opinion pieces because I get along when my black and white neighbors bbq together? Is it news worthy that I held the door open for a black person today?
No, I don't think all the "bad" news needs to be counterbalanced with a smattering of uplifting stories like this. I think most of the bad news isn't newsworthy either. We live in a country of 300 million people - why should anyone care about BBQ Becky? She's one insignificant person! Perhaps the news ought to stop dramatizing and blowing out of proportion these reprehensible but anomolous incidents that make it seem - seem - like we are at war.
Race has come a long, long way in America, legally segregated only 60 years ago. I can even envision a day when we elect a black person to be President with nearly half of Montana voting for him. Oh yeah, that happened - twice!
2
@Ed Fontleroy: Very short-sighted "privilege white" comment on your part. BBQ Becky ruined it for people on that day who looked different than she did. She ruined their day and you don't know what that feels like. Black sons, fathers, uncles, brothers killed for no reason by white cops or incarcerated for MISD or FEL that white men would not be jailed for. Institutional racism is a pandemic in this country erected by a history of our economic "greatness" being built on the backs of slaves. And here comes Trump the Dump to encourage all of the haters out of the closets across America. Try to put yourselves in other's shoes, you have no idea!
1
Great article!!! Thanks!
John Tester showed integrity in the period leading up to the election. I thought the people of Montana would appreciate that in him. It's double good for me since the Grudge in the White House had it out for him from the Surgeon General debacle.
The idea that Red America is dominated by race hatred is wrong. Most of them just don't know better. Thank you and thank you Mr Tester.
1
There's nothing "even in a place like Montana" about Montanans who reach across a racial, a gender, an LGBT, a whatever divide, to make common cause with a neighbor. Stick around awhile. Montana is a hard, cold, dry, forbidding place where nature rules and your nearest neighbor might be 20 miles away. You don't have the luxury to hate them because they have the wrong history -- you need them in the here and now. I grew up there and I can tell you: the racial bigotry and the divides that grow from history in the South like cotton grows from the clay just don't have any relevance in the West. In fact, they seem silly. Like a tutu on a cow. So Trump's race baiting and immigrant bashing just turned more votes to Tester, a true Montanan. And it made our Orange Leader seem a little more foreign, and pathetic, every time he opened his mouth. Not surprised at all that the Big Sky state stuck buy its guy.
4
@David Fisher Tutu on a cow! Ha! Your message is absolutely the truth! We need our neighbors and they need us so no time to hate! We are always getting ready for winter!
1
That's a wonderful and moving story. It's important for us all to remember that not all Caucasian-Christians are hate-filled bigots, it only seems that way when you read about American evangelicals such as Franklin Graham and Jerry Falwell Jr.
Christianity has many positive points and we should not let the haters such as Graham, Falwell and Robertson to redefine it as a faith of hate and intolerance.
“I think every good Christian ought to kick [Jerry] Falwell right in the a-s.” – US Senator Barry Goldwater (Time Magazine, July 20 1981)
1
@BP: Christianity's only positive point is the grace and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That is its only strength, not how Christians behave in these days. I am no longer Christian, I am a Christ-follower with a servant's heart to make other people's lives more bearable like Jesus did. The Christian Evangelical clones following Trump and other racists/reverse Robin Hooders are not Christ-like in any shape, way, or form. Just read the Gospels.
Hate, bigotry, and outright racism wears an uniquely common face in America, our own.
1
She may not be Naive about race hatred in America, but she is naive about the people of Montana. There is a misconception that the people of the American west are backward, republican gun toting "hicks", unenlightened and uneducated in the ways of the world. I grew up in a major metropolitan area and moved to Montana 30 years ago to escape the suburbs with all of its monotony and small-mindedness. What I found in Bozeman was a small town full of kind people and a tolerance for eccentricity. We have always been Republicans and Democrats. There was the man with the button hat- all from democratic campaigns, the democratic city councilman who rode his bike even in the winter and the woman who called herself "the dirty old lady", a staunch republican who was often downtown arguing politics at the bar with her pit bull that drank white russians. Check our record- all through the last 30 divisive years Montana has consistently had both democrat and republican leaders. Democrat Steve Bullock is currently our governor, and John Tester just won another term as Senator despite the barrage of demonizing ad's and Trump visiting our state 4 times during the campaign . We are the state of Max Baucus, Pat Williams and Jeanette Rankin- the first women elected to congress. Check out the election results of Gallatin County, a resounding win for Democrats, which includes a mandate supporting medicare expansion and an anti-mining initiative.
Call it the New West- but don't call it red.
3
@EAP: I'll call it red. It hasn't voted blue for president since 1992, and it voted for Trump last time around. I love Montana as I have excellent memories of the wilderness and people there. But ever since Pat Williams in the early 90's, Montana has never voted in a Dem representative and having lived in Helena, it is a painful thing to live with. Especially with Rick Hill and now Greg the thug as the representative of MT, it is excruciating having lived there for several years.
1
@EAP Well said neighbor! Check out voting results from Butte! Lol!
1
As we like to say about Jon Tester, "If he's good enough for Pearl Jam he's good enough for me."
5
I lived in Bozeman for nine years (1987 to 1996), where I worked as a scientist with the USDA's Agricultural Research Service in labs housed at Montana State University. At first I thought it was a mistake to take that job but I quickly fell in love with Montana. It is so beautiful and so far away from the madding crowds. I had to leave nine years later only because the then Republican senator Conrad Burns conspired with a pal from North Dakota to close our labs in Bozeman (western Montana) and use the funds for labs in eastern Montana instead. I hated having to leave Montana and was very happy when John Tester defeated Conrad Burns 12 years ago. By the way, I am Jewish and never felt better about participation in the Jewish community then when I was a member of Bozeman's small Jewish community. There were some antisemitic events at that time but Montana's non-Jewish congregations stood by us big time. A blowhard like Trump isn't going to get far in a place like Montana. You can talk big but those mountains and the people living in them aren't going to have to listen!
6
Thanks for the lovely start to the day. I, too, rejoice that Jon Tester won reelection.
I have been a resident of the capital city, Helena, for almost 30 years, married to a local man whose family homesteaded outside of Bozeman. I came for "three years," and stayed. Montana is many things to many people--impossible to capture in this small space. Montanans are as diverse as the landscape they occupy. To be sure, there is racism and intolerance, most of which I am shielded from as a white woman. There is also kindness, grace, understanding, and the ability to grow.
As an example, Helena last year elected a new mayor, Wilmot Collins, who is black and a refugee from Liberia. In a state that swung for a president with strong thoughts on immigration, where the black population is well under one percent, this speaks volumes.
It's been over seven decades since Montana sent a woman to Washington, and we have a long way to go before racism directed towards Native Americans and people of color is extinguished. However, we are moving in the right direction and trying to be good to one another as we grow.
13
I've lived in Montana since 1977. As election night wore on and Tester struggled, I began to believe that too many Montanans were gullible. Trump held four rallies. TV advertisements alternated between candidates during single commercial breaks. It was numbing. But saner heads and hearts prevailed and I'm proud (and so relieved!) that Jon Tester is returning to the Senate representing me and my neighbors. We need all the good men and women we can get to work in government.
9
What a beautiful article. It gives me hope. I visited Montana only once, and I was awestruck by its beauty. I think often of going back. As a white woman, I wouldn't have to endure any of the trials the author does. But there is something in the air there, and I hold out hope that that "something" is what's the best of us, not the worst of us.
10
As native Californians, we moved to Bozeman in '04. The Montanans we met were all very lovely - and accepting - people.
I miss Montana. (Yet, I was one of "those people" who couldn't stomach 10 months of winter. After our youngest graduated from Bozeman HS, we left for a warmer climate. That, and the job prospects weren't the most inspiring.)
This story is extremely heart-warming and not at all surprising based on the fine Montanans that we've grown to know and love!
4
Your story is encouraging to me. Montana has been home to several generations of my family, and I think for the most part the state has always been pretty accepting to diversity, but unfortunately never very diverse. There are very few black people in Bozeman, and not many Native Americans either. And all it takes is one bad, rare, and random experience to poison an attitude against a place. On the other hand, your good experience seems to have done just the opposite. I crave the diversity of color and culture, not just for me but for my children. I think it’s up to Montanans to be welcoming and friendly. The danger is that we attract the wrong people — the ones who see the lack of diversity as a draw. Historically, I think Montana’s people treat others as individuals. There just aren’t enough people to see them as groups.
5
@Dan: Montanans are great but you have to absorb how they vote. You have to look at Greg the thug and Richard Spencer in the Flathead Valley and wonder if Montana is any different than ID or the Dakotas. Good people but resoundingly behind White Supremacist Trumpster Dumpster.
I would expect nothing less from Montanans. This a beautiful example of who we are. Our winter weather gets rid of the people who just don't get it. They move here after buying a house in warm, dry July and when the first snow comes in September and continues until May they miss California, Georgia or Texas. I, too, woke up early on Wednesday morning to check on our beloved Jon Tester's numbers. By 4:00 my time he was back ahead by 1000 and they called the race a few hours later. And about that time I received an email from my Republican mother saying -- "Congratulations on Tester, he was the only Democrat I was rooting for." Now there's an olive branch.
17
@Anne R.: I am one of those buffoons who moved to MT in the early 90's and suffered through the winter of 96 in the Helena Valley with temps lingering in the 60 belows to the 50 above in which the valley flooded. I had had enough although I probably left a chunk of my heart there when I left for grad school in June of 96 to Washington state. I'm in Colorado now and experience fairly mild winters and very hot summers. CO has some nice real estate here too but the people are not quite the same as good ole Montana. We have racists out this way too unfortunately. But we went very blue less than a week ago and hopefully we will get rid of Gardner as CO US senator in 2020 who is a Trump troll. Always will be attached to MT in my own personal way.
This piece illustrates how the country, Democrats and Republicans alike, can find our way out of our current wilderness:
find the common ground, acknowledge it together, then build out--together--from there.
7
@Albans: How do you reach middle ground with an ALT-right Repub party? They take from the poor to further enrich the wealthy. They hate women and reproductive health freedoms. They hate immigrants when we are a nation of immigrants. They despise people of color with blatant racism. They are trying to wipe out the Fourth Estate (freedom of the press). They don't care about environmental risks for future children as coasts are swamped with super cell storms and rising seas. They follow like SS soldiers following Trump (Hitler) with emotionalistic hatred versus intellectual rationalism. They denigrate science which ensures that America falls behind everyone else in the world for educational advancement. Religionism which rejects love which invites more hatred toward "the other". Where is there a middle ground in light of so much derision and irrationalism?! Widespread murder by fully loaded automatic weapons on schools, theaters, concerts, and other social gatherings. Sex offenders elected and nominated to the most powerful positions in our land. Take your rose-colored glasses off as we have some real huge problems that I don't believe anyone is listening to one another that could drive toward solutions. These are not "alternative facts", even though I sound like a bummer.
Respect.
Dignity.
Compassion.
Integrity.
Compatriots.
Thank you Montana, for sharing your Senator Tester with us.
20
This is a beautifully written piece from the heart & affirming at a time when we live in such a divisive & polarized society.
I am a rancher living in southern Alberta, a few hours from the border. My wife & I have spent much time in various parts. of Montana over the decades..... love the people & the wide open spaces. Obviously, as a white male who wears boots, Wrangler`s, the infrequent plaid shirt & a good hat, I can`t speak to the experience of someone who may be racially or culturally different but I will say that 99.9% of Montanan`s we`ve encountered in our travels have been warm & welcoming.
President Trump & his ilk have tried their best to import their corrosive brand of politics to Montana but I firmly believe they are doomed to failure.
Congrats to Jon Tester!
14
This is what I now consider the American Cold War. It has been brewing for a long time. Rural vs City and Trump has no intention of trying to quell: rather, he intensifies the division for his own petty ego and power. The only hope lies in good people on all political sides to quietly be kind to one another to protect our delicate democracy.
8
Ms. Miles,
Thank you for an uplifting story. Being 100% Irish like, I imagine a number of those you may see in Montana I understand your plight and wish I could have been there to extend a hand.
Sincerely,
David Marren
P.S. I have been to Wyoming, but never Montana ...
3
@David come to Butte in St. Paddy’s Day! I will host you!!
If only it were a more common event. Sigh. Go see or get Dark Money on netflix/amazon. All about Montana politics with John Tester heavily profiled. It puts a very good light on the state, despite the sickening historical backdrop of racism that currently exists. How places like Montana have fallen so far, so fast (formerly the a hotbed of union activity and political reform) is easy to understand with one word, MONEY. Nice piece, too bad it is an outlier.
4
As absurd as I know it sounds, this article brought tears to my eyes.
As an interested observer from across the Atlantic, I am fervently hoping America will soon get over its current divisions, and those interested in widening them. The world needs you as the strong united and engaged force for good I have always believed you to be.
10
@James
me too--lovely little weep early this morning on the wet coast of Canada.
2
Thank you, Prof. Miles. I needed that!
5
I spent all Tuesday night pressing the refresh button on the Montana Secretary of State's election results.
Jon Tester incurred Trump's wrath by revealing the gross unfitness for office of the president's pick for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, his personal physician Ronny Jackson.
Trump's animus towards Tester inspired four trips to our state. His son and various cabinet members were enlisted in the fight.
Tester's opponent Matt Rosendale could not have been closer to Trump if they had been born Siamese twins.
Yet in our rural, conservative, mostly white state Trump and Trumpism lost. Let the pundits ponder.
I have never been prouder to be a Montanan.
23
@Jim P: who won the SOS in Montana after all?
I feel the same way.
If you're a minority, and you see white people older than 65 that you don't know advancing towards you to say something, you reflexively assume its going to be something unpleasant or racist.
Not that it's always that way - but it often is.
Even when they say something neutral, you get the feeling that you're bothering them just by being there.
2
Thank you, Professor Miles for your beautiful story/essay. From the unanimous reactions: you have truly and deeply touched so many hearts and souls with your magnificent tale of the common good in ordinary kindness of fellow beings. I know Montana some, the incredible experience of clearest water when fly fishing. Know some about Custer, the devastating Indian wars, the hard life on the reservations. Tester represents the honest and authentic of Montana and her good, neighborly people; (outsider) Gianforte and Zinke are the uglier kind. Your piece, Ms Miles, reminds us of the longing for the great character of the incorruptible Americans. In gratitude.
8
The unstated conclusion which can be drawn from this moving column is that perhaps people of color should not presume all white people are racist.
People whose body language suggests apprehension when a person approaches them, whether a young black male in a hoodie or a white person, often make the person approaching them either turn away or enter the encounter with apprehension of their own.
A simple smile when someone approaches you, or when you are approaching someone, can make a huge difference.
2
@DSM14 Except that a black man, just by approaching a police officer, had a dozen bullets enter his body. You know why he approached the officer? He was in a car accident and was happy to finally, see someone who could help him. That move killed him.
1
@DA Mann: Excellent point that most Caucasians have never experienced and never try to imagine what it is like to be a person of color. The cops are there to "protect and serve" but not for "the others" in this country.
Ms. Miles, what a wonderful piece! I moved here 20 some years ago from the Pittsburgh area, and I can't say enough good things about Montana people and places. I can imagine you would feel quite wary out and about jogging around town, it is pretty lily white in Montana. Until quite recently, I have seen little overt racism regarding African Americans (it arrived with a couple Confederate flags). But I cannot say that about Native Americans here. The racism toward them is constant.
I heaved a great sigh of relief when Jon Tester won re-election.
6
Thank you for your faith in people during a time when “otherness” seems to be constantly segmenting us. Your affirmation, and ability to feel your humanity, gives me hope.
1
As someone who was born, raised, and educated in Montana, I was deeply touched by your words. I feel Montanan to my very core. I also have a multiracial family and have never thought twice about bringing my wife and kids back to my home state. However, I have watched in horror as Trump has repeatedly attempted to set my beloved Big Sky Country ablaze with his racially incendiary politics. I will forever be thankful for Tester’s fortitude and the good people of Montana who stood up to the conman from “back East.”
12
Thank you for writing and sharing this piece. I’ve lived here for 25 years and was shocked by some of the racism you experienced. Being white, I don’t experience it here hardly at all. I grew up in the south and experienced it a few times for being white as well as in France in college for being American. It’s a terrible feeling and I’m sorry anyone experiences it.
Cheers to Tester!
4
Thank you for this article. I have also been struggling with the fact that naked racism (Steve King in Iowa as an egregious example, but plenty of others); criminal behavior (Duncan Hunter in California, Chris Collins in New Jersey); and violent attacks (Greg Gianforte in Montana) were rewarded with re-election Tuesday night. The hypocrisy of Republican voters, supposedly all in favor of law and order, who vote for nakedly criminal candidates is astonishing. I am glad that you found outreach and connection in your trip to Montana; and I also take a great deal of pleasure in Senator Tester's victory. By the way, I also empathize with your tales of East coast reactions to Montana - my daughter lives in Boston, and when I visit and take out my Oregon driver’s license, the first reaction is invariably “Oregon! That’s so far away!” as if we lived on the dark side of the moon. When I point out that actually Oregon is closer to Massachusetts than California, I get a skeptical look, then a question like “So do you have sidewalks in Oregon?” The irony is that, in my semi-rural neighborhood, we don’t have sidewalks! So these encounters end on a chuckle.
3
@aem
Chris Collins is in New York. You might have confused him with New Jersey's disastrous ex-governor and current Trump bootlicker Chris Christie. Just as despicable but they are from different states.
I think the sidewalk jokes that you hear are meant as just that--jokes. Everybody in the East knows that parts at least of Oregon have sidewalks; we saw them in the photos of the far-right demonstrations in Portland.
And compared with eastern distances, where states are small and distances between them also small, Oregon is indeed far away, and so is California, even if further.
Beautiful story!
1
This is a hartening story. I hope the generosity shown to the author and her daughter will spread. Trump has amplified the comments by some racists, rather than trying to tone them down. My hope is that the House will put enough pressure on Trump and his cabinet that the GOP begins to make the attempt to leave their presnent position behind them, and try to regain their integrity.
2
Native votes have put a number of Montana Democrats into office. Brian Schweitzer is an example. As governor he appointed a number of Native people to positins It wasn't just to head the "Office of Native Affairs" type of thing. Schweitzer put NDNs into a lot of line positions.
I think this is going to be a permanent thing in Montana and that the Indians are going to rescue the Settlers from, if not the Cavalry, then the "Conservatives."
9
The non stop Identity Politics is corrosive. In a country of 300 million are there racists? Yes. But we need to maintain perspective and realize it’s a small number, not the systemic issue the author would have you believe.
Years ago, Obama said race relations had never been better. He would be booed off the stage were he to utter anything like that today. Because as progressives, we’ve embraced victimhood and Identity Politics. It’s a horrible platform that doesn’t work. It doesn’t mean there aren’t issues that need to be addressed.
We need to do so in a more productive way.
As a part-time Montana resident, I am so incredibly proud we have passed the humanity test proctored by Ms. Miles. It was touch and go there for awhile, but Senator Tester’s resounding one-point victory proves that even semi-evolved Deplorables like us are capable of rudimentary human values. I’ve decided to reprint this column and hang it on the wall of my cabin next to the kerosene stove, using the frame that formerly displayed my grade school diploma.
4
In fact, Tester received 30% of the vote in Dawson County, of which Glendive is the county seat. A little over 1,200 votes.
Good reminder not to judge a book by its cover.
1
Montana is a very big state geographically and I am a lifelong Montanan. I do know that people on one side of the state tend to be conservative and on the other side tend toward liberal. BUT, to have a woman scream when she saw a black woman in the bathroom is downright embarrassing! To have a couple from Glendive show friendliness to you is nothing short of shocking. Your article is eye-opening to say the least. And I cannot forget to say thank goodness for Jon Tester!!
7
Whether Montanans voter Red or Blue, Montana would be the same place it is already. The fact that the author doesn't know this tells you she is not really a Montanan.
Montana is not about politics. It is a wonderful pace and a state of mind that far exceeds the bounds of politics.
How humiliating to believe that Montana is better or worse for something as meaningless as politics.
I guess they’re weren’t enough gullible retirees (as in Florida) to believe that the Caravan would expose them to small pox by the week’s end and vote GOP.
1
Montana is one of the few places where LTEs often begin, "I'm a 3rd generation Montanan." As if it gives them some extra credibility for what comes next. They also routinely denigrate out-of-staters who move there, especially Californians (get your vehicle plates changed quickly if you're from there!). So I was utterly gobsmacked when I saw that almost half of Montanans (and yes, mostly those rural old generation proud Montanans) were choosing to vote for an out-of-stater -- a man "All Hat, No Cattle" -- from Mary Land, no less.
Tester should have been a shoe-in. That he wasn't smacks of blatant Trump riled up, small town racism.
I was in Missoula a while back with a black buddy from Oakland. The constant nervous stares, even in that liberal town, in the 21st century just signify how insular and insecure some of these people still are.
My Native American buddies weren't so surprised, however. They've long known the white man speaks with a forked tongue, so nothing much we do surprises them anymore.
9
Good for Montana- it would have been nice if ND had similarly rewarded Heitkamp’s courage.
14
Born and raised near Lewistown. It would be my honor to shake your hand!
3
This piece made me feel happy!
2
Thank you Tiya.
I am a 35 year resident of Montana, 25 of them in Whitefish. Your opinion piece made me cry. You get it.
5
As an old white guy in NJ, who happens to spend a bit of time in MT, what I find most fascinating is how relatable the essay was for. Honestly most places west of the Delaware River view anyone from this part of the world askance, but they still say Good Morning and mean it when you see them.
I have a few friends that live in MT, they hunt, fish, work awful hard and are raising kids under the Big Sky they like guns, they hate taxes but they are educated and smart. They all supported Testor because he is reasonable and has roots in MT. I trust their judgement, even if they are foolish enough to have me as a friend. I'm glad Testor won. I just wish the other carpetbagger from NJ who gets to go back in the house had lost, but you can't have em all.
5
And here's some more reason for hope:
A federal judge in Montana on Thursday blocked construction of the Keystone XL pipeline to allow the State Department to provide a fuller explanation of how the 1,184-mile project would affect the environment.
The judge, Brian M. Morris of the District of Montana, criticized the Trump administration for its failure to provide a “reasoned explanation” for its position about the pipeline’s impact on the climate. Construction could have begun as early as next year.
“The Department instead simply discarded prior factual findings related to climate change to support its course reversal,” Judge Morris wrote in his decision. (NYT)
10
@common sense advocate: Yay! Judge Morris!
So strange that skin color still makes such a big difference in this country. As if somehow skin color is the equivalent of human decency.
And when it's not skin color, it's foreign accents. There's always a boogie man, unfortunately.
2
It is good to see conservative red states reject the radical right and constant lies Trump tells the American people. Maybe the people in Montana are true christians with compassion for the poor and needy unlike evangelicals who are all about power.
1
The entire basis of this piece is a preposterous assumption on the part of a Harvard egg-head. OF COURSE there are good people like this couple in every corner of our country, and you may have to live in (the tony parts of) Cambridge, Mass., or on the Upper West Side of Manhattan for that to be a surprise. The problem is just that there are many other people who have succumbed to the siren song of race hatred and fascism. I am afraid that this professor’s column does nothing to alleviate my fears about what those people and their chosen hero will do to our country. God bless the voters of Montana, however!
1
This column may have given us the theme for the 2020 presidential race: "Don't make strangers of us all."
2
I am happy to see Tester win and I think he has learned a hard lesson here. Don’t listen to City Folk. There is no way a Montana Farmer could have individually voted his conscience on the Kavanaugh hearing. Every farmer I know is far too practical. The facts just were not there and solid and as each day goes by we can see more of the hype that was baked into the Kavanaugh equation. The Kavanaugh hearings were highly inflated and no factual evidence was proven. As a Democrat lets be smarter and get away from this MOB stigma and back to civility that exists down on the Farm. You city slickers need to listen more to the smart rural farmers and stop hijacking the Party Platform on “how you see things”. Trump feeds on this philosophy and you have a small window here to pivot. If there is one small downturn in the Economy, you will hear his voice for 4 more years.
@CitizenofPA
Please "CtizenofPA," do not embarrass our state by making these ill-considered generalizations that come straight from the Republican playbook. The Kavanagh hearings were only a spectacle because he cunningly ranted about allegations that were never properly investigated and, in pure Trump style, portrayed himself, the victimizer, as the victim.
And is Harrisburg no longer a city?
1
"He smiled all the way to his eyes." What a great line. Thanks Tiya for a great piece.
2
I've never been to Montana, but continue to be impressed with their propensity to send good Democrats to the Senate - Mansfield, Baucus and once again Jon Tester. Tester's common sense appeal speaks well of Montanans, and Governor Bulloch is also impressive. If the Dems decide their best strategy is to reach out to the more rural parts of the U.S. in 2020, these leaders are some excellent options, otherwise it's good to know they are standing strong in the mountain west.
6
As a native Montanan, I also sweated out the Tester election, but his victory was in the state's tradition. Never in the last 100 years has Montana had two Republican senators; in fact until 1989 (except for 6 years in the late '40s), it always had two Democratic senators. Many people are proud of splitting their ballots. My eastern Montana family were "Mansfield Republicans" and traditional small government conservatives, but at that time, this had nothing to do with race relations - they were appalled by the existence of segregation in the south and any form of discrimination. I was also shocked when I left to go to Maryland for college, and first learned of the prejudices against blacks and Jewish people even in a university community there. While the West has tiny Aryan groups as well as deeply prejudiced individuals like the person this author encountered in Havre, it has a different social history from the east coast, both north and south, and from my experience, the Glendive couple is the norm, not a surprise. However, it is also a state with relatively little racial diversity, and with the smallest proportion of black population of any US state and very few Jews, and this in part explains the historical absence of much discrimination against these groups.
8
Thank you, Ms. Miles. I want to come over, also, shake your hand, sit, and share our common humanity. It would be an honor.
4
This was a great article and I too am was closely watching Montana as I admire Tester.
I was disappointed that Kathleen Williamson lost to Gianforte as I thought she was an excellent candidate and also would have served Montana well as opposed to Gianforte. Gianforte seems more about himself than about his constituents and Williamson seemed to have the experience and values to be a good legislator. I hope she runs again.
8
Human kindness and decency exists, everywhere. When it finds us, especially when we are alone, or the stranger, it is blessed. It is very easy, when times are tumultuous, to lose sight of the goodness within us.
Having lived in Montana for some 37 years, I have come to see that, while there certainly are moments that make me wonder if we are ever going to turn our country around, each and every day affords me opportunities to begin to be part of the force that will make that turn occur. And it is often in the smallest of kindnesses that we begin that process, again and again, day after day.
I hearken back to Harvey Milk: "You've got to give them hope." I believe that to my core.
And if you have not visited this very special place called Montana, consider yourself welcomed.
11
Very well said, thank you. Montana is sometimes a cipher. My grandparents were born in Montana Territory, my mom in Missoula. They were middle of the line republicans, but cherished and supported Sen. Mike Mansfield for decades, and they reached out, from the thirties through the sixties, to their Native American neighbors. When I read the hard right stories about Montana, I remember my own family and think that, at least there, some hope for civility and even love remains.
6
Wonderful to read this. Thank you for reminding us that good people exist everywhere, sometimes we just have to stumble upon them. Good also to know that Senator Tester, though tested, came out on top. That means he ran a good campaign.
7
A lot of the comments here focus on the positive in this story - the unexpected empathy and kindness of strangers; what would otherwise be an everyday interaction if it wasn’t for the setting and the races of the people involved.
While that is nice, what struck me about the piece is how exhausting it must be to navigate this world with that fear constantly weighing you down. What have we done that so many people have to walk this planet with such a burden? How many experiences must you live through or hear about before you become so afraid? I wish it weren’t so. I wish we all behaved towards strangers like that couple in the story to take some of the air out of this fear. Wouldn’t it be nice if people felt that they could go for a run when they want.
39
What we have done is upheld white supremacist law and culture for centuries. Even those of us who try and reach out are still upholding it. We need to start really listening to - and BELIEVING - the people of color in our country. Nothing real will change until we do.
3
Beautifully written. I needed some sunshine, some optimism now. Never been to Montana - it sounds wild and alien to me (native of NYC, now in Kansas). I love that dance class was part of the story. Dance can be universal language that brings us together in joy. I really need some shared joy and happy stories.
9
What a really lovely, thoughtful piece. Thanks for your kind, gracious words.
If we are to flourish in the long run, more of us on both sides of the political divide must be willing to bridge our differences with kindness and grace.
16
First off, thank you for this beautiful piece of writing. As a resident on Montana, if in the bluest part of the state, I appreciate you telling this story. It is easy to get lost in our experiences with the ignorant and uninformed among us. We raise our children to be kind, caring, and open minded in their interactions with others. This task is made all the more difficult when the “leaders” of this country act directly contradictory to what we try to instill. Jon Tester is the exception to what we often see in DC. He is a good man who cares about all people, in Montana and otherwise. He has fought for veterans, Native Americans, children, et cetera. He also listens to his constituents, again a rare trait it DC. Thanks for sharing this with people who likely never think about this place.
29
Thank you for this beautifully written ode to hope, understanding, and certainly a bit of love. It reminds me why I take pride in the many Montanans, and their state, that have welcomed me into their sacred country over the past years. Here's to figuring this world out all together, one kind interaction at a time.
15
Thank you. It is stories like yours that give me hope and give me peace.
When you think about it, an outstretched hand is a fairly affordable and doable answer to the problems we are all in. You know, it may be the ultimate answer.
17
@Steven Lord It if fitting in a very positive way that the photo accompanying the article shows an appearance of Tommy Sands. His song "There were Roses" is a song about tolerance and reaching out that applies to divides everywhere.
1
Thank you for your beautifully written piece.
We watch from afar in Australia and wonder what it means for us here as Americans struggle with challenges to human rights.
When America sneezes, we catch cold!
15
Wonderful article. And my hope is that more states continue to vote down hard right conservatives, another example this time around being the governor's race in Kansas. Perhaps there may also be an Arizona Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate (final vote count pending). And so on.
12
Such thoughtful piece, that embodies exactly what were about in my homestate. I live in a much older retirement town of Great Falls. Alot of Trump support, we have had many protests and trying to get our grassroots movements essentially. It has been tough, as Montana herself. We are so overjoyed to keep Tester. Truly grateful to send someone with some worth, to represent us.
25
Thank you for this gentle yet moving piece. The quote attributed to John Steinbeck says it all: “I’m in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition and even some affection. But with Montana it is Love. And it is difficult to analyze love when you are in it”
We Montanans fiercely love our country but recognize our country is it’s citizens-that is missed by politicians corrupted by greed and self preservation. John Tester returns home to remind himself what is important.
26
If there were more Democrats as pragmatic and centrist as Tester there wouldn't be an elected Republican in Washington gton. This nation WANTS TO HEAL but the ferociously angry 5% on each side see no profit in that. If our grandchildren weren't here in California we would already be in Bozeman.
15
Don’t forget—there are fine people on both sides...
Yeah, right.
@J R,
So is your actual point that Trump is repulsive? That's not much of a point. And it demonstrates an extraordinarily narrow vision of what America is and what we want.
1
my wife and I have lived in Whitefish, MT for 20 years. She is a 4th generation Montanan her Dad worked in the Butte Copper Mines. He married a 1st generation Mexican immigrant, and was a life long Dem. Richard Spencer is NOT welcome in most businesses, and only visits our town. His Mother and Father are full time residents. His Alt Right organization was moved to VA after the 2016 election. His mother was forced to shutter her business after her son became a National figure. There are many many kind, progressive, welcoming people in our town. Just don’t try to follow any of us on a Powder Day. Thank you for this piece. God Bless John Tester and the great State of MT!
27
It was apparent that Trump had a vendetta for Jon Tester. Each time he or his surrogates landed in Montana to spread fear and hate I hoped hard that the good people in this State would not succumb. It was tough to watch the numbers for Tester's challenger add up as it was more a testament to people being taken for a ride by a con man. There is next to nothing about Trump that most Montanans (and U.S residents anywhere really) can relate to. There is a lot of emotions of distrust for one another that is being used to manipulate masses. In truth, John Tester is one of the most straight forward, trustworthy and intelligent people which any State in the Union would be well served to have as their Senator. Many of the initial Representatives and Senators in this country were farmers and today there is only one working farmer in DC and that is Jon Tester. I am thrilled to have him as my Senator.
57
Loved this article. My claim to fame (and about the only one) is that many years ago I was Chairman of the Chouteau County Democratic Central Committee and was the first person to ask Jon to run for the state legislature. At the time, he had just finished a stint on the Big Sandy School Board; as a result, he told me he was interested but that he might wait a year or two to let the dust settle from his time on the Board. Having served for nine years on my own local School Board (Big Sandy and my school are both very small town schools), I can attest that it is inevitable that not all of the locals are going to be your biggest fans when your term is completed.
Nevertheless, Jon did run for the state Senate shortly thereafter and the rest is history. During Jon's first run, two sizable Native American reservations were in his District and their votes were determinative in his winning his first election. He has been a champion of Native American interests ever since.
So Montana is a puzzling state sometimes from a political perspective but, thankfully, a majority of Montanans recognize Jon for who he is: a man of strong character, integrity and honesty and one who never took on the trappings valued by many politicians when they go "Washington". He does return to Montana nearly every weekend spring through fall because he truly loves to farm - it keeps him in touch with Montana and the needs of us Montanans. And Montanans, even many who voted for Trump, appreciate that.
42
Back in 2006, newcomer Jon Tester was in a tight race with sitting US Senator Conrad Burns. That one went into the early hours of the next day too. I remember one county, Meagher, was yet to report its returns and though small (~1600 people) seemed to be positioned to turn the result in either direction. Burns was as bad in my view as Matt Rosendale this time around, and I so hoped that Montana could send a senator to Washington whose politics more closely resembled that which this mighty place had rooted in me growing up way out in the eastern part of the state in the 60's and 70's. Senator Tester was still trailing by 2699 votes at 9:00AM on the 7th when I went into a veterinarian's office in Belgrade, MT for a long talk about one of our old bird dogs. I was NOT prepared for the worst, and wondered if the state really could so brazenly and tragically double down on Trump - Gianforte - Burns divisiveness and bigotry. Senator Tester's victory and upcoming third term bolster the possibility of more people out here (and everywhere in this great land) reaching across false boundaries to welcome, support and stand with one another.
16
To us on the coasts, Montana may appear as red as any other rural Western state. But that’s not quite accurate. When I lived there in the ‘70s, Montana sent to the US Senate Mike Mansfield and Max Baucus, two notably sensible Democrats. My point is that Jon Tester is following in an honorable tradition, one to which, perhaps, Big Sky voters were responding, rather than the Orange Crush.
20
There is hope.
In Montana. In Jon Tester. In you, and the people who greeted you.
And everywhere else people walk toward each other to offer a smile and say hello. Such a simple thing should not be an unusual experience.
Thank you for sharing, Tiya Miles. So many of us needed to read this today.
18
I really appreciated this article, and the comments were equally as enjoyable. I was so relieved that Tester won...it was a nail biter for a while there. I live in California now, but spent most of my life in Montana and although I get discouraged at how "red" the state is, I still love going home.
11
This senate election was going to be a referendum on the honor and integrity of veterans. Tester stood with them to torpedo Trump's hack doctor for head of the VA.
Bill Clinton won Montana in 1992. In the mid 2000s the state had two Democratic senators, a Democratic governor and, for a brief time, a Democratic controlled legislature. It was one of the "bluest" states in the union.
There IS hope for Democrats in the inter mountain west.
26
My parents moved to Montana when I was 5, and it became home to me. I left at 25, ever feeling a timeless attraction, but am often dismayed by the news there. I followed the Tester race with interest, and wanted him to win all the more when DT used all his blustering braggadocio to blast him.
When I last checked on post-voting day, the race was still too close too call, and it seemed unlikely to go Tester's way. I'm delighted to learn from a writer like Tiya Miles that Tester did indeed survive the bombast. Hooray for good-sense voters! Thank you, Tiya, for being the graceful messenger!
12
My partner and I are very fond of Montana and the same goes for everyone we know. We visit every year and have a special affection for Harlowton and Two Dot and environs. Actually the list of good places is longer than the space available here. There is something authentic about the state and that goes for Sen. Jon Tester too. We don't know him but have followed and admired his Senate career and were very depressed when he fell behind Tuesday night. What a wonderful relief to read Wednesday morning he had pulled ahead on the way to victory.
16
I couldn't pick which of these two lines was more powerful:
This was something to reach for, to take solace in, the notion that there could be a “we.”
Ms. Morrison emphasizes the existential challenge and moral call to sympathize with the stranger.
Thanks for this thoughtful piece today - it's been a hard week in our country.
40
@common sense advocate
Or perhaps John Tester himself should just run.
After reading three quarters of the responses here I was shocked that nobody has stated the obvious - whichever Democrat is serious about beating Trump in 2020 should have John Tester as a policy adviser and listen closely to him. Obviously Mr. Tester knows the Trump voter very well. He took the best punch Agent Orange could deliver and lived another day. If the next Democratic nominee for president can garner 45% of the vote in Montana Trump does not stand a chance.
48
@Groovygeek
I wholeheartedly agree. Jon Tester is a gem.
15
Having lived in Missoula for the last 45 years, I share much of Ms Miles' thoughts about our state. I have traveled the length and breadth of this vast place, particularly in doing research work a number of years ago for my "Roadside History of Montana." Everywhere I went from Whitefish to Ekalaka, to Dillon to Two Dot I found nothing but warm, friendly, helpful folks. True, in much of the rural part of our state people definitely are conservative in their politics. But most are old fashioned Dwight Eisenhower type conservatives, and not of the hateful Trump variety. I'm convinced that Trump's win here two years ago had more to do with widespread aversion and dislike of Hillary and Bill rather than any love of the orange one. His negative numbers have always been quite high in our state in every poll I have seen. So Tester's win came as no big surprise.
23
Thank you, Dr. Miles, for your essay. One of the many concerning aspects of this era of division is how suspicious and fearful we have become of people who (we assume) don’t see the world as we do. If we allow ourselves to look for common ground, we can usually find it.
15
Yes, it was happy news today that Jon Tester held his Senate seat. Too bad the same can't be said about Heidi Heitkamp in neighboring North Dakota, where I was raised. Many were the times we drove the full breadth of Montana on our way to visit my mother's sister and her family in the state of Washington. I well remember the long drive on US route 2 from the ND border to the point somewhere beyond Havre where the mountains of Glacier Park could first be seen, and there were real glaciers then. As a child, all that land of prairie and mountains seemed familiar and real, much more so than big cities like Seattle. Now, it's all distant and a bit scary. After Heitcamp's brave vote against the Kavanaugh nomination, I thought of traveling back there for the first time in 20 years to campaign for her, maybe even in the Fort Totten reservation I grew up next door to, but I settled on sending her money. It wasn't enough, and the ND Republican Party succeeded in disenfranchising enough native Americans to defeat Heitcamp rather easily. Our beautiful country feels frighteningly disunited, and I know it isn't just coming from "out there" but from here at home in the Bronx, too, inside me. I fear what that may lead to.
25
Hopeful. Sensible. Friendly. I liked reading about these folks in Montana. If all who lived in Montana were Trump rally folks, I'd never want to visit. Its good to see another side.
13
This article is so graceful and insightful. I enjoyed every word, and the crosshatching of Black Woman, husband’s home reservation, and a tall man in a cowboy hat.
Yesterday I had a totally unexpected conversation in a 24 hour breakfast place. Our common ground was love of travel. A huge, tall African American,he had been far afield —to places like Dubai, where I will not blend in no many how many scarves I wear. As I left, we hugged.
I wonder if we could expect common ground and simply seek it.
November 2018
20
A beautiful story. Thank You Ms. Miles.
11
I was born and raised in Billings, MT. After graduating from college, I lived in Missoula and Kalispell, Seattle, Moses Lake, WA, and now Coeur d'Alene, ID. Thank you to all for your kind comments about Montana. One may be out for her/his morning run, walk, or bike ride or shopping on Main Street or standing in a checkout line or in line for a cultural or sporting event. Then a stranger smiles or nods or says good morning in passing. Or you and a stranger strike up a conversation while waiting in line. And your paths may never cross again. But maybe that one small gesture from a complete stranger made your day, and that warm feeling stayed with you the rest of the day.
25
The essay would seem to be in keeping with the view of David Brooks and others in the NYT and elsewhere that the basic building blocks of US society are at the very local level.
At this level it is possible to build and change and even transcend the limits of modern-day identity politics, although there are exceptions, as is shown here also.
The question though is whether this is enough to bring about significant change beyond the local level.
17
When I saw a photo of Jon Tester with his family and friends celebrating after the win, I noticed he was wearing a plaid shirt. While I doubt it was an intentional homage, I keep wondering how many votes are owed to the young man in the plaid shirt who went to the Trump rally in Billings with an open mind, and opened so many eyes with his reactions to what he was witnessing?
30
@LVing very good reminder of the young man in disbelief of the Donald
3
Thank you for this. I am just back in Montana after a visit in Queens, NY, one of America's great immigrant communities. I loved walking the safe and very diverse neighborhood I was staying in and so deeply enjoyed the give and take with shopkeepers and restaurant staff, the reminder that we were all or were becoming Americans.
Here in Montana where everyone looks pretty much the same, except in tribal areas, I get the feeling everyone thinks we have to BE the same. I sometimes feel erased.
Your story reminds me that all is not lost. The couple from Glendive did as much for me as they did for you. Thank you for letting me know.
45
In addition to Jon Tester, Montana has another well liked and respected politician - Governor Steve Bullock, a Democrat, who was reelected in 2016 when Trump took the state by twenty points. Whatever their political views the people of Montana are polite and "neighborly". In rural areas it's the kind of place where folks will almost always stop if they see someone stopped by the side of the road and ask if they need help. In eleven years of frequent visits (my wife and I have a daughter and grandson who live in Livingston) we have been impressed by the open and friendly nature of
Montana's citizens from all walks of life. Reading this opinion piece gives one hope that despite all the divisions and challenges we face in a culture that seems to have frequently lost all civility and decency that perhaps we can come to our senses and realize that we are all one people and one nation. Now that would truly make America great again!
22
Thank you for this lovely piece. I grew up in Missoula, and much of my family still lives in Montana. I visit at least once a year. Yes, Montana is more homogeneous than other places, and yes there is conservatism, some of it extreme, and yes there are a lot of Trump fans there, but there is also a deep tradition of basic decency and community. When I was growing up, we never drove by a car stopped on the highway without stopping to see if someone needed help -- never. It just wasn't done. We never littered. We cleaned up other people's litter. If someone's house burned down, everyone pitched in with donations until they had a (very mismatched) set of everything they needed. When volunteers are needed, volunteers are there. My father (a UofM prof for 30+ years) was white, born in a small town in Wyoming, not well-traveled, and not very worldly, and he was vehemently, to-his-core, anti-racist. The only time I would ever hear my father use foul language was when he was referring to a bigot. He was overjoyed when Obama was elected. And he was just like so many other Montanans I knew. The good people of Montana came out for Tester and voted for values and decency.
62
@KCYou are so right about the way most people are in this great state, which is, to me at least, why it is so hard to understand that this state voted for Donald Trump. He is the exact opposite of what makes Montana's good people so wonderful. This became very apparent when my grand daughter and her husband and 3 boys lost their home and all belongings to a house fire, just a few days before Thanksgiving. The outpouring of help and support in any way one could imagine was unbelievable, right down to a temporary place to live, a complete Thanksgiving dinner, anything else one could possibly think of, including a lot of cash. I will never forget the people of this valley for their kindness.
Thank God that Jon Tester was re-elected instead of an outsider who will never understand what makes Montana great.
22
Whitman praised Americans in part for being open, friendly, and good natured. That spirit, which is reflected in this article, is still wide-spread in America. Our President and his followers try to destroy that spirit and replace it with discord and ill-will. He's had surprising success, but in the long run, he won't win. The American people are too strong to be kept down by pettiness. This article shows that we are a good-hearted people, warm and generous even in the face of adversity.
28
If we could only get back to the christian principles that this nation was supposed to be founded, we would love our neighbor as we love and take care of ourselves. Jesus stepped over the boundaries to speak and visit with the woman at the well. And, the "good" Samaritan stopped and helped the man on the roadside... (thank you, Jesus, for showing us that there ARE those who are still putting others first, even when it is not the common thing to do) May our God bless you beyond measure!
10
@Tim Russell The US was founded on Christian principles? Love "our" neighbor? Just what did all those loving Christians do to the local Americans they found there? (beyond the the Thanksgiving myths?).
What did they continue to do?
The acts of Jesus in Samaria or elsewhere or the "good" Samaritan on the Jerusalem-Jericho road, all in ancient Israel, have very little, if anything at all, to do with "Christian" behavior in the New World.
1
Lovely piece, Ms.Miles. I yelped with joy when I read that Jon Tester made it in Montana again , a gift for those of us who believe in all the good things in America. Sometimes we find them in the most unexpected places, and then it's doubly sweet. So one day I may indeed venture to Bozeman. Thanks for sharing.
33
My greatest hope is that all these good people will see through all of Trump's dissembling and vote him out of office.
25
@cl This is what I hope for everyday.
1
The red/blue/rural/urban distinctions in the inter mountain west aren’t as clear cut as pundits would have you believe.
That’s why places like Salt Lake City often have Democrats as mayors and Montana can have a democratic governor and senator.
The point is: these places have issues that don’t readily map to typical national identity politics. Nor do the people who reside there. And that’s reflected across politics and the culture in ways that people from the coasts, the Deep South, or the Midwest won’t ever understand.
8
I, too, am from Montana, a small historic town called Anaconda. I'm sure you have driven past it near Butte, Dr. Miles. I, too, am a history professor. I teach at the University of Cincinnati. I have cousins and family all over Montana and my roommate at UM in Missoula was a Blackfeet Indian who I still keep in touch with all these years later. Thanks for your good words about the Big Sky Country. I was thrilled that Tester won. Sending two Republican senators to Washington would have been a first in Montana history, although we have sometimes sent two Democrats - most recently Tester and Baucus.
47
Thank you for bringing me tears of happiness today. There are so many people in our blessed country who extend handshakes and make connections like this. And we need even more....
36
Great piece offering hope, especially after listening yesterday to our Divider-In-Chief's press conference. Being from MA and working for years in Cambridge, I am used to meeting, working and talking to folks of different ethnicities. Montana is another story...don't think I would be totally comfortable with my ethnic last name and liberal views. Thank you Ms. Miles for giving us hope that acceptance of others is still alive and well in unexpected corners of this country. By the way, bet that daughter is beautiful with her wonderful cultural mix.
13
As a NYC fly fisherman I spent lots of daydreaming on Montana...Never expect to get there but this nice essay plus the comments really inspire me to give up the rent-controlled flat and move!
29
@Weighted nymph
Do it sooner than later, you won't regret it.
Midwesterners are a lot like this as well. There are more places like Montana and more Americans like the people in this piece. They are what make America great--not "again" but always.
48
I lived in Montana, twice. At the beginning, I was convinced people were just too nice. I believed they were getting ready to sell me something. This was the expectation of a jaded city dweller. Despite their outward kindnesses there existed an element that was distrustful of outsiders particularly those that looked different. I do know that there existed a strong union presence and a history of support for the democratic party. I was pleased to see Senator Tester re-elected and that the fair minded people of Montana did the right thing.
38
Dr. Miles' thoughts made my day. Looking forward to my first long summer weekend in Livingston next year, which would've been impossible, cancelled, had Jon Tester lost. Tourist dollars-wise, I refuse to reward states that make unsound, inhumane decisions at the ballot box.
61
I hope you will keep in mind the people and business owners—often in the minority, and sometimes barely—within those states who are working hard to have their viewpoints and values understood. While I understand the sentiment, cancelling your trip to a largely-blue community over a political race with a narrow margin seems to me to foster division and intolerance.
9
@bob yates
Let me tell you a little story about Livingston. At the 4th of July parade in town this year, I was standing near a couple visiting from, I think Colorado. As the parade progressed, the local republican party float came by, accompanied by Greg Gianforte, pressing the flesh along the parade route. (I was glad he was on the other side of the street when he passed or I might have done something rude, despite my resolve to be congenial at this community event.) There was a smattering of applause from the crowd as they passed and the lady wondered aloud, "are there any Democrats in Montana?" I told her not to worry. A short while later, here comes the Democrats float and group and the crowd went wild with cheers, applause, and other vigorous shows of support. Your tourist dollars are safe in Montana, and especially in Livingston. It's a wonderful community in a wonderful state.
4
A very nice story. I was born and raised in Massachusetts, just south of Boston. Retired here in Atlanta for 23 years and know well that racism is always there, just around the corner. But more there are many more good people than bad.
Jon Tester caught my eye when he first ran for the Senate. Enough so that I made a contribution to his campaign, and feel good that I did. He's a decent man. Then after Trump got on his case about the unqualified candidate to head the VA , I kept an eye on how he was doing, and things didn't look so good. So three weeks ago I made another contribution. Seems to have paid off.
We need more Jon Tester's in Washington. And again thank you Ms. Miles for sharing this story.
101
Thanks, Dr. Miles, and thanks, NYT, for this piece. I'm in Minnesota, near I-94, and feel most everyplace from Detroit to Billings is my home town. I watched the Montana senate returns all evening and into the next morning, and found Senator Tester's win a sign that sanity does survive in a part of the world I love. I loved your story about the couple from Glendive. Once, on a Sunday morning, a friend of mine had car trouble on I-94 between Custer and Big Horn. She went to a ranch house she could see from the hi way. The family was home, and had her fuel pump replaced within an hour or so during which time she visited with the woman who lived on the ranch. My friend explained that she,too, lived within a few hundred yards of I-94 in central Minnesota. The ranch woman said, Well, I guess that makes us neighbors."
83
@Mark "My friend explained that she, too, lived within a few hundred yards of I-94 in central Minnesota. The ranch woman said, Well, I guess that makes us neighbors."
Too good. Brings tears to my eyes.
19
Growing up in Montana, I always saw it as a place where neighborliness is prized. In Missoula, we have the asset of the a university, as does Bozeman. Though none can deny the demographics that shows few minorities, even in the liberal college towns, I've seen neighborliness in small conservative towns too. In farming country, such as where Tester is from, when a neighbor has a death in the family or other hard times, the neighbors show up in force to harvest the crops, or do whatever they can to ease the burden. The pattern of voter returns was different this year. Usually Missoula reports early, diving Democrats a big 2:1 boost that narrows though out the night. This time, a faulty counting device and the unusually high turn out leaves Missoula (at this hour) as the only county that has still not reported 100 percent of its vote. So it did cause a lot of anxiety for me too until I looked at returns county by county and saw the Democratic strong holds in Missoula, Gallatin and Cascade counties were the ones who were late in reporting. But in spite of Trump's targeting of Tester, Tester winds up with his largest margin of victory so far. That we couldn't also defeat "body-slam" Gianforte, is a disappointment. But Montana remains Montana. Friendly to strangers. Loyal to neighbors. As beautiful as any eye can behold though miles of western expanse. I love the happy accident of being raised here.
58
Thank you for the hope and light in this essay. I just felt a cosmic hug...
37
Thank you for a lovely and thoughtful opinion. Those folks running the Democratic Party should read this piece as they try to figure out how to rebuild the party and where to go from here.
27
I lived in the great state of Montana for twelve years and though there was not a lot of diversity I always saw good people treating others with love and respect. I miss that.
37
Thank-you so very much for this real life story !
I remember my mother (a holocaust survivor) telling me many times that where she lived in Poland there were many different religions and cultures for Poland had for a thousand years accepted all refugees. She loved her life there for they all lived, played, and worked together where sometimes there was misunderstandings, every time something more was learned. She said " I forgive and not forget. life was good there for there was community of trying to accept. Sure sometimes it didn't work, but we tried and tried and this made us happy. " Her only regret was that not more was done to help all the good people with the bad people....She told me to go back and help. I did and now I see we in North America need the help to work together.
23
Wonderful piece and important ideas - thank you Dr. Miles.
28
Greetings from Missoula. Thank you for sharing this poignant moment, for keeping your faith in Montana, for celebrating the victory of a fine, multi-term Senator and dirt farmer from Big Sandy. Thanks, too, for believing in a future where we're less divided and more often compatriots.
178
Amen to all this.
I watched MT contest with intense interest as well.
After seeing the recent PBS documentary, "Dark Money," which focused on Montana, learned so much about the area, it's history and felt so much kinship with the residents there, and with Mr. Tester.
Hoped they could hold out and push back this election cycle, especially against DJT's very personal vendetta, and prevail against all odds. So, so grateful they did. Kudos!
Gives all of us a bit more hope and optimism.
93
For the human and natural beauty in our state I am forever grateful. I have traveled the world, but for the past 40 years, Missoula has been my home. Montana is “The Last Best Place”.
41
Oh, Ms. Miles, bless you for sharing this watershed moment in your life. It is almost impossible, in Montana or in my native Massachusetts, to imagine the kind of selfless courtesy that strangers can, on occasion, extend to one another.
Yours is an inspirational story and one that I hope will gain a wider reading. It’s so thrilling to think that strangers can connect—even if it’s just a smile and a wave. We’ve forgotten, as Americans, how to do that.
That’s when we know that politics don’t matter—people do.
77
@Red Sox, '04, '07, '13, ‘18
Congratulations on '18.
12
What a great column. Thanks for this bit of much-needed optimism.
55
Having grown up in Montana, I'm so grateful for this article, emphasizing some of the great values that Montanans cherish.
I've been greatly saddened by the suggestion that Montanans largely identify with and support the state representative's brutish behavior, as recently praised by the president. While Montana has many conservative values, I've long regarded them as secondary to community values, of which inclusion (both racial and gender) are key.
I truly hope your portrait of Montana prevails.
115
"... that there could be a 'we'." That is such an apt and touching phrasing--just how to see people we don't know.
Thanks for a wonderful essay. In these times especially, it's downright inspiring to read.
70
The New York Times election map and coverage helped me sleep Tuesday night because I could see that results from Missoula, Galatin, and several other Democratic stronghold counties were very late in coming in. So even as Rosendale held a very small lead of 2,000 votes as I went to bed, I was not overly worried as only 31% of Missoula precincts had been recorded, and Sen.Tester was winning 66% of those votes! Missoula Rocks!
And yes, the Flathead is a very beautiful area, it is also a conservative stronghold and a prized jewel that white supremacists would love to count as theirs. But the citizens of Whitefish are having none of their hate, and show up in solidarity to protest every rally they attempt.
Please come to Montana often Ms. Miles to vacation, or even to teach at one of our many wonderful universities. Montana is very homogeneous, and I for one would welcome a more diverse population. We wont be able to pay as much as Radciffe, and some of the compensation is in a vista and outdoor recreation dividend, but I feel certain that most if not all of the people you encounter here will treat you with dignity and respect, just like that wonderful couple you met at your daughters dance recital.
Cheers to a wonderful article, it was heartening to read about the smile that reached all the way to that Glendive gentleman's eyes.
223
Bozeman had an African American principal for many years and he retired a few years ago. I grew up in a very diverse community and have found that Bozeman is a very welcoming community.
37
Ah, thank you. I needed to read this article.
We need connections more than ever now.
Trump is trying to divide us, to make us zero in on our differences and ignore our common humanity.
It works for him because he truly doesn't care about anything but winning, money, and adulation. Love? Friendship? Being a good neighbor? Welcoming new people to your school or your church or your club? Trump can't be bothered.
If only we all could let go of our self-imposed isolation.
48
I was born in Minneapolis, and have lived in Minnesota for almost 47 years. We moved to the eastern front of the Rockies when I was only 2. I grew up camping, fishing, and basically having a good childhood with a great group of people in a mostly Catholic community. I attended a university there, too. I lived in New York, and later California, and they were really ignorant about the state. I had to inform them that there were many educated people, who had already been to China when it opened up. Also, they have a high percentage of artists, writers, etc. in the state. The state gets a bad rap because it has a high rate of murder, although the number is only 36 which stays about the same year after year. It is the suicide rate of about 225 each year that does it, only because of a lot of bachelor males with guns. We spend two months a year in Montana, and three weeks in Switzerland with our son. Both of those places are the last best places on earth. Montana has more open space, fewer people, easier driving. I believe that most of the people in the state are pretty neighborly, and will help you out if you have a need. That is the type of politician, that the state has generally elected. Most of the outsiders over the last 3 or more decades or more, came to the state with millions, and have wanted to put their stamp into the arena of politics, much to the chagrin of the locals. Now, however, the people have spoken.
28
@MaryKayKlassen
Sorry to rain on this parade, but the people chose a violent non-MT native as Congressman (Gianforte) and our other Senator is a born in Montanan, raised and careered out of stater (Daines). Across the state we have plenty of carpetbaggers in office, and it appears that Montana voters are pretty happy to elect Eastern Elites who are comfortable with racist leadership. Tester did very well in counties with high Native American populations (ok, high by MT standards....), not just the college town of Missoula.
Absolutely beautiful article. I’m from Montana and loved reading this piece. So inspiring and comforting to my weary heart. Thank you.
150
@Heidi McCormick I was born and raised much of my life in Montana and went to the University of Montana when the first anti-war and civil rights protests were going on. Granted, Montana was 5 years behind the rest of the country but it's able to be its own country. They elected Tester and a Democratic governor and have had energetic firsts-from changes in insurance laws to the only Representative (Jeanette Rankin) to vote against entry into both World Wars. People used to stop to ask if you needed help if you were just changing drivers. Nothing is perfect but this reminds me of how hopeful it can be.
38
Actually, more encounters like yours would occur, if we expected them. Thanks for sharing and the reminder!
27
@Andy Ray: As a redneck/cowboy (pickup, guns, etc.) I can testify that those expectations are a 2 way street. Around here, with the presence of so many snowbirds, military/ex-military, retirees from all over and our proximity to the border, I get to see a lot of this kind of thing, and it warms my heart every time.
This is a lovely piece. It definitely describes the "better angels of our natures", except, of course, for the childish behavior of the woman walking into a restroom to see the African-American author standing there. I live in Massachusetts and have seen racism here because it's everywhere, but so is common, everyday kindness.
138
What a graceful and gracious offering of your direct experience of a place that is physically beautiful and not fully understood by those who don't live there. Long ago living in the diverse Richmond District of San Francisco, I had a wonderful roommate from WY and she was a beautiful blend of heart and soul and she was definitely also conservative, but that played no part in our friendship. Good people come from many places across the U.S.
I feel blessed that for the last 15 years I have lived in the most diverse corner of Bellevue, Washington. I quite literally live in The Crossroads area. More than 70 dialects are spoken by the residents who call this neighborhood home. My daughter has grown up in a multicultural community that she went to school with and plays with and calls friends. We are also surrounded by a white and affluent population because Bellevue sits next to Redmond--the birthplace of Microsoft and the diversity on campus bleeds out into the surrounding communities. I'd like to believe that throughout the United States of America there are Crossroads type neighborhoods somewhere in every state.
This much I know from my own direct experiences of my neighbors and the cultural events that make my neighborhood so colorful and vivid--there's so much to be learned from a diversity of cultures living side-by-side. Acceptance and understanding is possible when we are friendly and curious and stay open-hearted. Thank you for a beautiful piece.
3
A very thoughtful, well conceived and heartfelt memory from Ms. Miles. I moved to Montana, rural Montana a dozen years ago to retire...from New York City. I've gotten somewhat more used to all the whiteness around me here, but boy has it taken time to do so. I hardly ever mention I'm from New York anymore to people I may inter-act with in my daily life, as I have never (to the best of my recollections), ever had anyone sound pleased about it. Just this past summer I ran into a couple in the local market speaking Spanish and from what I overheard from their quiet conversation, were talking about the prices in the butcher's section. I joined-in, in a friendly way, because I hadn't heard Spanish being spoken by anyone here in years. They were visiting family somewhere nearby and were from out-of-state. At some point during my interactions with this nice couple, I noticed a few stares from shoppers nearby us. I'm not sure where I'm going with all of this, except to say that I think Ms. Miles may have painted a portrait of Montana that is kind, but far too rosy. Ms. Miles, I wish you could visit and be awed by the scenic Bitterroot Valley here in Montana, but I think you'd have a troubling time. I know I still do after all these years.
65
I was very moved with your writing about this hopeful experience. Thanks. We need this. I love Tester, too, and have relatives in Boseman. We went to a wedding with the bride in cowgirl boots.
36
I wish I was an eloquent writer but... thanks for this piece. It was a tiny bright spot in a sea of ugly. Unfortunately I, and the writer, are surprised by simple friendliness in areas where we expect none. Wish that weren't so.
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@zoe
I have to been to Montana, Minnesota, South Dakota, Idaho, Wyoming and New Mexico. And visited many a Native American community and reservation. States with many natives and few blacks.
Where the natives are suffering from far more dire socioeconomic educational political health and welfare than blacks. And witnessed greater white antipathy and hatred against Natives than blacks. That was at first disorienting then anger and empathy came for the 1st nations losses.
America was not founded by goodwill peaceful protest marching and singing and going to jail. The Civil War did not begin with a good luck farewell banquet. Lucifer was an angel. Judas was a disciple. Not everyone is an evil bigot. So what? See Matthew 25: 31-46
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