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A troubling question populated the quiet corners of conversation this past week.
Technically, grammatically, its a question. Truthfully, the thought crossing the minds of reasonable people across South Dakota is more a statement of shock bordering on outrage.
What is wrong in Chamberlain?
Because the actions of the communitys school board last week certainly were not right,
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That is beyond question.
The board voted 6-1 Monday to deny a request by a group of students to perform a tribal honoring song at graduation ceremonies, which will be held today.
The stated reason for the denial was that Native American students already are recognized at a separate feathering ceremony. Other schools with similar demographics the student population is about one-third Indian have either one or the other, some board members said.
Also, there was talk that white students were being bullied into signing a petition with threats of being labeled as prejudice.
Neither of which might be exactly true in a broad sense.
This is not to rehash the arguments for or against holding the honoring ceremony, a drum song that takes a few minutes.
Theres no point in that.
The position against allowing the song, where the Native population is so deeply engrained in the culture of your school and community, is simply indefensible.
Chamberlain is holding itself up for ridicule in the same way schools in Georgia recently were shamed for encouraging private, segregated proms.
Its difficult to understand how overt, public racial bias of this sort still exists.
Which is not to say that reasonable people believe that prejudice doesnt live in the hearts of men and women, or that we all arent engrained in some way with the dogma of our gender, our skin color, our culture and our upbringing.
Its how we deal with misunderstanding,
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This decision is a big deal that needs to be bigger.
Gov. Dennis Daugaard should show up in Chamberlain this week and walk the streets.
Ask the merchants and the mayor, the grandparents in the coffee shop and the kids on the playground.
What is wrong in Chamberlain?
Daugaard didnt cause it.
Yet perhaps he alone has the power to bring change.
I believe our governor to be a humble man, an earnest man, a thoughtful man.
If he wanders around Chamberlain with good intention and pure heart, he could bring change.
The reasonable people of South Dakota will walk with him.
Tribal people will walk with him.
I will walk with him.
For too many years, our state has lived with the festering shame of racial inequality, of outright criminal action and institutional bigotry.
We live with the scars of Wounded Knee and decades of unsolved murders and riots, the plague of substance abuse and a contagion of suicide.
We cant turn back the clock and fix all the mistakes.
We can recognize them, accept them and even apologize for them.
Perhaps most importantly, though, for you and me and the rest of the reasonable people of South Dakota, is to not pretend we dont have a past.
Let us recognize our differences, celebrate the good things we all bring to our towns and schools.
Lets walk together and turn this question What is wrong in Chamberlain? into a statement of purpose.
Pound the drum.
Sing the song.
Honor the day.
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Patrick Lalley is managing editor of Argus Leader Media. Reach him at plalley@argusleader,
Oakley Polarized.com or 605-331-2291.
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