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Nearly three quarters of the children in South Dakota’s foster care system are Native American. That’s in a state with an overall Native population of 13%. And despite the requirements of federal law, a large portion of those children are placed in non-Native households, potentially severing their connections to family and culture. The lack of Native foster parents is one factor. But so is the lack of staff in tribal foster care programs. A comprehensive report by the Sioux Falls Argus Leader and South Dakota Searchlight offers an in-depth look at the causes and consequences of South Dakota’s foster system disparities.
GUESTS
State Rep. Tamara St. John (Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate)(R-SD), tribal historian for the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate
Annie Todd, state politics reporter for the Sioux Falls Argus Leader
Makenzie Huber, politics and public policy reporter for South Dakota Searchlight
Toni Handboy (Cheyenne River Sioux), case manager for Wakpa Waste Counseling Services in Eagle Butte, South Dakota
Break 1 Music: Tiny Hands (Reimagined) (song) Quantum Tangle (artist) Shelter as We Go . . . (album)
Break 2 Music: Turtle Island Reggae (song) Quese IMC & Cempoalli 20 (artist) Osahwuh (album)
