Rep. Jim Bradford is happy that Gov. Mike Rounds included his plan to preserve land around Bear Butte in his State of the State message Tuesday.
But other than that, Native American struggles were ignored in the governor’s exhortations about state successes in economic development, employment options and educational advancements, Bradford, D-Pine Ridge, said.
“He was pretty much riding a white horse, as far as I’m concerned,” he said. “And I didn’t see any red in the real presentation.”
Bradford, a tribal member and rancher on the Pine Ridge Reservation, said the governor’s good news about educational test scores, low unemployment rates and economic growth across South Dakota avoided mention of the ongoing troubles in those areas faced by Native Americans. read more
