The Cheyenne River Youth Project has announced that it will host “An Inconvenient Truth, Part II: The Indian Boarding School/Sioux San Lands and Segregation in Rapid City” at its Cokata Wiconi teen center (to see Part I, presented in May 2017, watch the video shared here). This special event is open free to the public and will take place at 12-1 p.m. and 6-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 17.

“The noon session is geared toward adults who might only have their lunch hour free, and our Keya Cafe will be open for food and beverage purchases,” said Jerica Widow, CRYP’s youth programs director. “We’ll make light refreshments available for the evening session, and our wellness and indigenous cooking interns will be on hand to provide assistance to presenters and guests.”

Sponsored by the Rapid City Indian Lands Project, Unified Tribal Health Board, Mniluzahan Okolackiciyapi Ambassadors and CRYP, the presentation will incorporate the history of the Rapid City Indian Boarding School/Sioux San Lands and the allocation of those lands located in West Rapid City; updates on the parcels with uncertain legal status; updates on all the names of the children sent to the Indian Boarding School (obtained from the federal archives in Kansas City) and the names of the children who passed away; and updates on community involvement and action since last year.

Presenters also will share new research on how these lands, the Osh Gosh Camp, Sioux Addition, the Flood of 1972, and governmental policies are all linked to the stark segregated housing patterns that are still present in Rapid City today. Young people who attend the full evening program will be allowed to participate in Open Gym at Cokata Wiconi. The doors be open from 7:30 to 9 p.m.

To stay up to date on the latest CRYP news and events, follow the youth project on Facebook (/LakotaYouth), Twitter (@LakotaYouth) and Instagram (@waniyetuwowapi).

The Cheyenne River Youth Project, founded in 1988, is a grassroots, not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing the youth of the Cheyenne River reservation with access to a vibrant and secure future through a wide variety of culturally sensitive and enduring programs, projects and facilities that ensure strong, self-sufficient families and communities.