was the impassioned plea from Keith Moore, Director of the Bureau of Indian Education, at the 7th annual Indian Education Summit. He asked the hundreds in attendance to “heal from that history; it doesn’t get us anywhere.” Keith, a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, initiated the Indian Summit when he served as South Dakota’s Director of Indian Education. He began serving as the Director of BIE in June following his appointment by President Obama.
I had the great pleasure of working with Keith during my years in the legislature. His singular focus was always on the kids and their educational success. He was willing to challenge both Natives and non-Natives if it improved opportunities for kids. South Dakota and the nation are truly fortunate to have him in this position. He commented that his work will be guided on the 3 principles of: “learning, quality leadership and service to our people,” and as one of his elders advised, “wrapped in spirituality with prayer and thought.”
I’ve always had great conversations with the voters of District 13 and have learned a great deal about many topics. But this year, their level of engagement on policies has a new intensity. People are talking, asking questions, and looking for answers. They have definite opinions. One woman, who was very informative, had great insight and real concerns about the 2000+ pages of Obamacare. She will be a great resource. One gentleman asked--where is the oversight? Who determines if each agency, state and federal, is getting the return on their resources? Who determines their performance criteria? One woman, who expressed great concerns about the exploding federal deficit wondered, “When did the sense of entitlement replace the sense of pride?” Door to door is so valuable as it is an opportunity for individual citizens to "lobby” and for me to learn.