The South Dakota Democratic Party Affirms Black History Month
By Bree Oatman
Sioux Falls, SD (Feb 4, 2021) – The South Dakota Democratic Party invites South Dakotans to observe Black History Month in February and affirms that Black lives matter.
We call on Governor Noem to guarantee that the proposed citizen representatives on the South Dakota Police Standards Commission be individuals who represent the interests of Black and Indigenous peoples in South Dakota as they disproportionately face incarceration and negative police interaction.
We support Senate Bill 89 calling for a state holiday in honor of Juneteenth, which commemorates the emancipation of slaves.
We also support the legalization of marijuana in South Dakota and advocate for legislative reform that should expunge criminal records for possession or ingestion of pot and its derivatives.
We find House Concurrent Resolution 6005 by Representatives Gosh and Jensen to be a blatantly racist statement, whitewashing the history of slavery and racism in the US and an example of gross political pandering to raise up the Republican Party as the supposed champion of racial justice. The resolution pretends that the Democratic and Republican parties of the 1860s or even the 1960s are the same parties as today. In all honesty, both parties are guilty of promoting policies and platforms that inflict violence on Black people and have contributed to institutional racism that continues to impact the health, socio-economic status, cultural affirmation, education and safety of Black people.
Representatives Jensen and Gosch, and the South Dakota GOP offer up a resolution that pretends that the current Republican party is not the party synonymous with hate groups, and alt-right extremists. They claim to affirm Black citizens while simultaneously denying the legitimacy of Black Lives Matter.
Finally, The South Dakota Democratic Party calls on its members and citizens of South Dakota to:
- Learn more about Black people in South Dakota since the Lewis and Clark expedition and how racism on the National stage impacted the lives of people in the state. https://historysouthdakota.wordpress.com/for-further-reading/black-history/
- Purchase a copy of children’s book “The Journey of York” by Hasan Davis. This book tells the story of York, who was the only slave in the Corps of Discovery, led by Captains Lewis and Clark. https://bookshop.org/books/the-journey-of-york-the-unsung-hero-of-the-lewis-and-clark-expedition/9781543512823
- Support Black owned businesses in Sioux Falls http://wanderernicole.com/sioux-falls-south-dakota-black-owned-businesses/?fbclid=IwAR3xlANOSEwszPg96x1S-tAwO3egzwhemO5x0k2ibfOQOgsdBRFzNhM8gS4
- Donate to and visit the SD African American History Museum https://www.facebook.com/SDAAHM/
- Donate to and get involved with the South Dakota Voices for Peace https://www.sdvfpeace.org/advocacy.html
- Find more resources at Center for Racial Justice in Education https://centerracialjustice.org/resources/black-history-month-resource-guide-for-educators-and-families/
- Learn more and donate to Black Lives Matter https://blacklivesmatter.com/
- Donate to the SDDP: https://sddp.org/donate/
Please direct questions to SDDP Executive Director Pam Cole via email pam@sddp.org
or phone (605) 271-5405.
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