Former mayoral candidate continues to make change

RAPID CITY — The former candidate for mayor, Natalie Stites Means, continues in work to improve conditions for Native American citizens in Rapid City, despite losing the election to Steve Allender.

Since the election and placing herself before the city as a qualified leader, Stites Means says she has been “swamped but in a good way.” Even before the election, she had been keeping herself busy working on social issues. “Now, just responding to the issues that have emerged has kept me busy. Specifically, I have worked on securing a grant awarded to Rapid City to engage with voters and promote the Census 2020 among Natives here,” she said.

Stites Means said this grant opportunity just happened to land in her lap due to the organizing efforts surrounding the election that she was involved in. She is excited about the prospects and outcome. Later this month, she will officially be appointed to the South Dakota Advisory Committee of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. She sees this as an honor and privilege.

“I also plan to work on public policy issues with I. Am. Legacy. This is the organization founded by longtime Rapid City citizen and former gang leader, Erik Bringswhite. She will be working with Bringswhite on justice reform in the state, county, and city. “Especially for our youth, I am very excited and privileged for all of these opportunities. There’s also a great coalition emerging to address the Two Spirit or LGTBQ issues,” said Stites Means. “And lastly but most importantly, I do hope to secure full-time employment with some good benefits here at some point. At this point, these projects are unpaid but meaningful and worthy of investment; personally and professionally.”

As far as the lessons learned during the election, she feels not enough people are civically engaged and know how city decisions affect their daily lives. According to Stites Means, not enough Native Americans vote or know they are allowed to vote in Rapid City. “I also think a large part of the organized political community welcomed the civic engagement from myself and other Lakota women who ran for local office this year. In that sense, I learned a lesson of hope for Rapid City and its future,” she said.

The election changed Rapid City in many ways, according to the former candidate. She feels those changes can be seen and felt as more and more Native Americans speak out and set the tone for inclusive governance in Rapid City. “Governance in the public interest, not only economic interests of a minority of people,” she said. “Change is the only constant thing we can rely on and that includes the inertia and resistance to change by bureaucratic institutions. To me, we still need more changes that benefit everybody instead of the few.”

“One measure is looking exactly at how change can be sought and accomplished that will effect everybody in a good way; like less potholes. Or compassionate police. Or more Natives on boards, councils, commissions, committees and serving as elected officials. Or living wages,” she said.

In regards to future elections in Rapid City, she advises Native Americans to, “Just run. Don’t wait. Go for it and learn your own lessons.” Over the years, Stites Means has volunteered for and supported many candidates. She feels there is no reason for any more indigenous women of experience, education and training to hold themselves back from public office any longer. “And frankly, many non-indigenous people are ready and willing to accept our leadership in unprecedented ways. Run, now!”

On August 14, 2019, Stites Means will officially be appointed as an advisor to the South Dakota Advisory Committee of the United States Civil Rights Commission. She was notified of her nomination in June. She applied and is now looking forward to being of service to the state of South Dakota and Civil Rights over the next four years.

This committee appointment will give her a platform to continue her advocacy for civil rights, which will include the LGBTQ community, as well as the disabled and racial minorities. She is grateful for the opportunity.

“The people need action to protect their civil rights. It does not happen through inaction and rhetoric. I know from personal experience that when the armed and ready task force of law enforcement shows up at your door in their tactical gear, it is pretty scary and civil rights can be the last thing on someone’s mind,” she said. “Yet, civil rights lays the structural foundation for that encounter at its most basic level.”

According to Stites Means, Tribal members in Rapid City are commonly dealing with the violation of their civil rights by the major institutions in the city and throughout the state. She feels this includes public accommodations. “Remedies exist to address this and we can see this is a positive thing to address, not a negative. Elevating Rapid City is a much more sophisticated project than simply creating more jobs and more investment opportunities,” she said. “It is about the civil rights of the indigenous peoples and all of the vulnerable groups that are part of the City.”

In moving forward, Natalie Stites Means would like to continue to support qualified candidates and all voices that are raised to move Rapid City forward. She would like to thank the board of One Rapid City for taking on the voter engagement project. She is excited to be a part of the right people coming together to put a strategy in place to get Native Americans to the polls.

“I also have applied for a city appointment by Mayor Allender and hope to be able to serve the city in that way in the future as well. In other areas, I want to make sure we work to defeat the current President,” stated Stites Means. “I also want to help Rapid City avoid the tragic violence other cities are facing along racial and class lines.”

Stites Means says it is fulfilling to serve others and with that service, she is able to strengthen her own sense of safety and gratitude for life itself. Political struggle is important to engage in, which she thinks is bigger than community service or city involvement, because it’s about creating a better and stronger society for everyone based on shared values and resources, according to the former mayoral candidate.

Rapid City will be seeing a lot more of Natalie Stites Means for many years to come.

(Contact Native Sun News Today Correspondent Richie Richards at richie4175@gmail.com)

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