{"id":38168,"date":"2024-12-05T19:43:30","date_gmt":"2024-12-06T00:43:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/commission-approves-justice-sculpture-for-future-justice-center\/"},"modified":"2024-12-05T19:43:35","modified_gmt":"2024-12-06T00:43:35","slug":"commission-approves-justice-sculpture-for-future-justice-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/commission-approves-justice-sculpture-for-future-justice-center\/","title":{"rendered":"Commission approves Justice sculpture for future Justice Center"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Small scale sculpture of Justice. (Photo courtesy Lily Mendoza)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

RAPID CITY \u2013 \u201cAnd her name shall be Justice, Mitakuye Oyasin, in memory of all relatives who have gone missing or have been murdered and to the families that have endured the acts of violence committed against their loved ones.\u201d These are the words that will be on the plaque of Justice, a sculpture, who will greet people as they enter what will eventually be the new Justice Center.<\/p>\n

Red Ribbon Skirt Society founder Lily Mendoza had presented the project before the Pennington County Commission last month, but some members were uncomfortable with some of the language and felt it was exclusive.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that covers everybody a lot better,\u201d said Mendoza after she read the new wording to nods of approval from Commission members as she presented again tis week.<\/p>\n

Building and Grounds Director Davis Purcell explained the request was to place this permanent sculpture of a woman in a red jingle dress off the corner of the staircase of the Administration building. Justice, who is about 5\u2019 7\u2019\u2019, will stand on a pedestal, \u201cwith really good site from the parking lot and Kansas City Street, you will be able to see her from the side street as well,\u201d said Purcell. \u201cYou can see all directions. When I stood there, this is the best spot that we have currently.\u201d He did say this is the preliminary location.<\/p>\n

\"Lily<\/a><\/p>\n

Lily Mendoza from the Red Ribbon Skirt Society at the regular Pennington County Commission meeting on Dec. 3, 2024.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

As for the wording changes, Mendoza said, \u201cYou have to pick your battles.\u201d She told Native Sun News Today she was asked to remove the words \u201cIndigenous\u201d, \u201ctwo-spirit\u201d and \u201ctransgender.\u201d Mendoza said in the end it wasn\u2019t a hard battle to choose. She had spoken about it with other Society members who agreed. She said the project has had wide support from the state\u2019s attorney, the sheriff\u2019s department and those involved in the Justice Center from the very beginning.<\/p>\n

Mendoza made some clarifications to the Commission when she spoke on Tuesday morning. \u201cI talked about it last time and I think there was a misunderstanding, that it was too specific as far as identifying populations of individuals that have gone missing or have been murdered. And the Red Ribbon Skirt Society, we work with all families from all walks of life. It\u2019s not just Indigenous. If I get a call or an email it might not be an Indigenous person. I\u2019m not going to turn them away. That\u2019s how we operate as a group of women who act as a society of women.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mendoza said that this is how it would be explained to the public \u201cwhat we\u2019re about as far as justice.\u201d She promised they would not be identifying specific populations. \u201cWhen I had a conversation with one of the commissioners, I was agreeable to that, very agreeable. Yes, I understand that you are concerned. Because when it comes down to violence against people we need to unite. Because we want anybody that comes here to be able to come here and feel good about that and to be able to stand below her and feel that they\u2019re thinking about me too and haven\u2019t forgotten about us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Commissioner Deb Hadcock was very approving and said that Justice is about healing for all relatives, \u201call people, but for the Native culture the representation of the red dress, the jingle dress, the Native lady, for a lot of people it doesn\u2019t have to be a Native person, it means a lot, the symbols for healing and what you\u2019re putting on that plaque is pretty amazing.\u201d <\/p>\n

Hadcock said even though it symbolizes \u201cone of our cultures in our community, Native people, all of that, it doesn\u2019t go to one culture, it goes to all. I just think that\u2019s pretty cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

Commissioner Lloyd Lacroix thanked Mendoza for rewriting the language. \u201cCultural awareness in Rapid City has come a long way since I was a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mendoza, who founded the Red Ribbon Skirt Society in 2016, said members don\u2019t get paid but are committed to the crisis. \u201cEight years ago, we were wondering what we could do, how we could have an impactful presence in our community and in the state so that people can visually see what this crisis is about.\u201d She said they decided on a statue.<\/p>\n

They have commissioned South Dakota Lakota artist Rachel Berg who is a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. \u201cShe grew up in South Dakota and she lives in New York,\u201d said Mendoza. \u201cShe created a small-scale sculpture of Justice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mendoza said they won\u2019t be asking for any county or city money and intend to raise the funds for the sculpture on their own. \u201cI feel that it has to come from individuals in our community. When they talked about opening the Justice Center, we had named her Justice already, so it was just the obvious thing for us do this project and have her here in our community. We will be the only ones in the United States that have something like this that is committed to the cause.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mendoza explained the symbolism behind the jingle dress and jingle dance when asked by Hadcock. She noted that while originating from the Ojibwe people, the jingle dress and dance represent healing. She said red is the color that spirits can see.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is what our communities need and our state needs this too,\u201d said Mendoza. \u201cI think it\u2019s critical that people in our community understand that we are trying to work together as Natives and non-Natives in our community.<\/p>\n

(Contact Marnie Cook at cookm8715@gmail.com<\/a>)<\/span> <\/p>\n

The post Commission approves Justice sculpture for future Justice Center<\/a> first appeared on Native Sun News Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Small scale sculpture of Justice. (Photo courtesy Lily Mendoza) RAPID CITY \u2013 \u201cAnd her name shall be Justice, Mitakuye Oyasin, in memory of all relatives who have gone missing or have been murdered and to the families that have endured the acts of violence committed against their loved ones.\u201d These <\/p>\n

Read More<\/a>
Shared by Native Sun News Today<\/a> December 5, 2024<\/p>\n

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