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The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and the commission’s South Dakota advisory committee have been hard at work probing voter access in the state.
South Dakota Public Broadcasting’s C.J. Keene has more on the report that found voter access gaps – particularly on reservations.
The bipartisan, 11-member commission has spent the last two years questioning the state’s voting access from a civil rights perspective.
Travis Letellier is an economist and chair of the state advisory committee.
He says after careful consideration, they have an answer.
“Sometimes if you live on a tribal area or a reservation, your local polling place might be a county seat that might be prohibitively far to drive to vote. Then when you try to do an early vote – what if you have a nonstandard address? Where you live on tribal land, and you don’t actually have a post office?”
Difficulty with voter ID regulations proves not every access challenge is geographic in nature.
“One of the recommendations the committee said was what if the South Dakota Secretary of State published a simple, one page infographic that could go out to county auditors’ offices and polling locations that was just ‘showing up to vote? Here’s what you need to bring.’ ‘Don’t have an ID? That’s okay, here’s what you do.’ It might cost a little money to print them off, but the gain to the average voter outweighs the cost of printing an infographic.”
These recommendations aren’t legally binding.
Federal civil rights analyst Mallory Trachtenberg says these findings will now be shared with lawmakers and federal officials.
But that doesn’t mean the end of the discussion.
“They’re emotionally charged topics, and civil rights is really challenging to continue to have conversations about these days. I will highlight that people could walk away from these conversations. Continuing to have those conversations – it can be really painful, but the fact they’re still here and there are so many active committees doing this – it’s pretty impressive.”
Every state and territory in the country has a similar advisory committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission.
Weavers Liana Wallace, left, Hannah Watts, and Lilly Hope. (Courtesy The Raven’s Tale Studio)
“Weaving Our Pride” is a year-long blanket weaving project in Juneau, Alaska to celebrate the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, led by master Lingít weaver Lily Hope.
Rhonda McBride from our flagship station KNBA and Bostin Christopher from our member station KTOO tell us more.
So, who can be a part of the project?
“Every person who wants to be part of something bigger,” said Lily Hope.
Hope says the project gives youth of all identities and supportive adults – a chance to sit side-by-side – to create a shared work celebrating pride, community, and self.
Over the next year, a team of six weavers will be spend several days a week at the Zach Gordon Youth Center, to assist in making two blankets – one in the traditional Raven’s Tail style and the other in the more modern, Chilkat style.
Single Chilkat robe. (Courtesy Sealaska Corporation)
“We’re going to do bands of rainbow color and do a follow-the-leader kind of deal. So, the mentor weaver will weave one row, and the student will come behind and weave exactly the same row.”
Next summer, dancers will wear them for the first time at Celebration, a biennial Southeast Native dance festival held in Juneau.
After Celebration, the robes will remain at the youth center, to be worn for special ceremonies that include new names and coming out parties, as well as significant Pride events.
Only young people can wear them.
“The cool thing is that three of these six mentor weavers identify as queer. One mentor weaver has queer children. And the space that’s being held by these weavers is safe, healing, affirmative, inspiring.”
Hope believes projects like “Weaving our Pride” can bring positive, lasting change to the community.
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