South Dakota Coalition speaks out against white supremacy in South Dakota

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - A collection of South Dakota organizations Wednesday renounced incidents of anti-Semitic literature and white supremacy stickers left around Sioux Falls and Brookings.

In a release, the coalition noted the importance of embracing the growing diversity of the state and advocating for the equity “of all historically marginalized communities in our state - equity of rights, resources, dignity, and the ability to live freely without the fear of dehumanization.”

The coalition stated literature and stickers that were anti-Semitic and white supremacist were discovered on light poles, street signs, and utility boxes near Augustana University, northwest Sioux Falls, and various places in the city of Brookings.

They noted that a rise in LGBTQ2S+ assaults has been reported out of Brookings.

We believe that the impact of state politics eviscerating our public education system and creating a culture of silence on topics of diversity and inclusion, will create a comfortable environment for white supremacy to grow in a state where white supremacy group leaders have recently been identified. With the dismantling of the K-12 social studies standards, with introducing rules to teaching on “divisive concepts”, with the eradication of higher education “Diversity Offices,” with the infusion of (radical) Christian ideology framing proposed social studies standards, with the defunding of a Community Health Worker supporting the LGBTQ+ community and dehumanizing the same population through state laws, with disenfranchisement of Native American and multilingual communities’ votes, and with the power of white students in K-12 and higher education institutes to proclaim they do not have to learn about our great nation’s true history, racism and its impact, the foundation needed to grow white supremacy in South Dakota is clear.
South Dakota Coalition

According to the release, Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) identifies four hate groups in South Dakota. — two statewide white nationalist groups, one of general hate, and one neo-Nazi group.

“The center of all of these ideologies are hate, fear-mongering of the threat of non-white, non-Christian, and LGBTQ2S+ individuals, and a warped sense of losing white superiority with the diversification of our country.”

The coalition called on public officials and community leaders to speak up and out against white supremacy in all of its forms and report crimes of hate to law enforcement and report incidents of hate to South Dakota Voices for Peace for data tracking.

The release was signed by the following organizations and individuals:

South Dakota Voices for Peace

South Dakota Faith in Public Life

Transformation Project

Ace Academy

South Dakota Urban Indian Health

The HUB

LEAD - Leaders Engaged and Determined

South Dakota African History Museum

Juneteenth Sioux Falls

South Dakotans Against Racism

Nieema Thasing, Chair of the Brookings Human Rights Commission