Last year the Chamberlain school board rejected a request to include an American Indian honor song in its high school graduation ceremony, citing tradition and concern about respecting the separation of church and state. Yes, because South Dakotans are passionate about keeping religious expressions out of government affairs... when it's someone else's religion.
James Cadwell, who advocated for the honor song last year on behalf of the large number of Crow Creek and Lower Brule Indian students who go to school in Chamberlain, informs me that the Chamberlain school district is again refusing to add an honor song to the high school graduation ceremony. Cadwell says that one board member has told him that folks just have to get over racism and stop living in the past.
I suppose that's like how our Lakota brothers and sisters are supposed to just forget the crimes committed against them by the Catholic Church. Quit your whooping and hollering, you darned Indians. Straighten up and act like us decent White folks, right?
But who cares about graduation anyway? Outgoing principal Sharon Knowlton understands that graduation is just an obsolete, empty ritual... which is why, as her farewell gift to the Madison High School Class of 2013, she'll be handing out empty diploma folders at graduation.