The interview posted above is from SDPB's daily public affairs show, In the Moment with Lori Walsh.
Four South Dakotans are among the new class of Bush Fellows, including an SDPB staffer and a Friends of SDPB board member.
Lori Walsh is host of SDPB’s “In the Moment.” She’ll use her fellowship to build long-form audio storytelling skills. She’ll also pursue training in nonviolent and compassionate communication, to counteract divisive rhetoric.
“I'm not leaving the show," Walsh said. "I'm staying right here, but I will be taking some opportunities to get out of the studio and to go into communities and do some deeper listening.”
Another fellow from South Dakota is Tashina Banks Rama, who is a member of the Friends of SDPB Board of Directors. She hopes to spark positive change on the Pine Ridge Reservation, where she serves as executive vice president of Red Cloud Indian School. She also wants to become conversationally fluent in the Lakota language.
“I would like to look at the world as much as possible through the Lakota worldview," Banks Rama said. "And I think learning the language and living in the language is really going to help me do that.”
The other new fellows from South Dakota are Erin Griffin of Sisseton, and Janice Richards of Porcupine. Griffin wants to strengthen and spread the Dakota language. Richards wants to create a family and child wellness center.
The fellowship is a flexible grant of up to $100,000 to strengthen and develop leadership. Fellows define their own vision and create a plan to learn skills and build relationships that make their vision a reality. The fellowships are funded by the Bush Foundation in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Fellows must live in the Dakotas, Minnesota, or one of the 23 Native nations that share the same geography.