Moscow’s Hicke, Sprague earn Rosa Parks awards

A Moscow High School senior and a longtime “pillar” in the Moscow community were celebrated Saturday for their commitment to social justice causes during a virtual event celebrating the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

Student Laurel Hicke earned this year’s junior Rosa Parks Human Rights Achievement Award and Kathy Sprague earned the senior award at the 28th annual Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast, which was held by Zoom because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost 90 people attended the event.

The breakfast, hosted by the Latah County Human Rights Task Force, normally takes place at Moscow Middle School.

“Laurel is one of the kindest and most humble students I have encountered in my 30 years of teaching,” said Lee Anne Eareckson, a Moscow High School teacher who virtually presented the award to Hicke.

Eareckson said Hicke is a student representative on the task force and serves as liaison to the high school’s Human Rights Club.

Last summer, Hicke helped run the task force’s food drive, which was the group’s most successful food drive ever. Eareckson said Hicke volunteered at MLK breakfasts for several years and helped organize and spoke at Moscow women’s marches.

Hicke said she was “incredibly honored” to receive the award and that the task force has taught her about dedication, kindness and impact.

“I’m unusually lucky I think to have the chance to learn from you and to be a part of all the inspiring work you’re doing,” Hicke said.

She said she has used her time in high school to give back to the community that has been important to her.

Sprague owns Moscow comic book and game store Safari Pearl with her wife, Tabitha Simmons, and is a longtime LGBTQIA+ rights activist. She is treasurer of local nonprofit, Inland Oasis, whose mission is to conduct and support educational, social and health programming for the LGBTQIA+ communities in the region.

“She and her wife, Tabitha, have been pillars in the Moscow community for as long as I’ve been here, which is going on 14 years now,” said Moscow City Councilor Sandra Kelly, who presented the award to Sprague.

“They say that the key to human rights is activism, perseverance, dedication, and that is exactly what Kathy does,” Kelly said.

Sprague said she shared the award with Simmons and she thanked her late father.

“He taught me to do the right thing and to stay the course,” Sprague said. “Whether you’re demonized for doing the right thing, whether you’re lauded for it, he said stay the course and do it.”

Nominations for the Rosa Parks Human Rights Achievement awards are made by members of the community, said Frances Rodriguez, vice chair of the task force. She said the task force receives 12-15 nominations each year and a task force committee selects two candidates.

The virtual event was expected to include an address by keynote speaker Kurtis Robinson of the Spokane NAACP, but he was not present.

Garrett Cabeza can be reached at (208) 883-4631, or by email to gcabeza@dnews.com.