On this podcast, we have covered book banning and education censorship a few times before, but the way we see it, bans and revisionist histories thrive in our silence.

Despite the recent attention surrounding the onslaught of CRT bans, the suppression of certain histories isn’t new. Indigenous history and Indigenous issues have long been underreported and even erased, sidelining Indigenous folks and their experiences from the national conversation. This is one of the most active mechanisms of oppression of Indigenous Americans — erasure — erasure of history, culture, and language. Make no mistake, CRT bans are just the latest euphemisms — and violent tools — for cultural genocide.

This story is playing out across the country, especially in South Dakota where the governor and state legislature of South Dakota have introduced multiple bills over the last two years aiming to dramatically dilute Indigenous history and culture in the school curriculum. Today, we will be hearing from Wyatt Hunter, a recent high school graduate from South Dakota and Sarah White, Founder & Executive Director of the South Dakota Education Equity Coalition (SDEEC), about the fight for Indigenous education in South Dakota.