Week after week, we engage in conversation with the world through the lens of our local paper.
The staff of the West River Eagle spent most of Thursday and Friday last week combing through every issue of our paper from 2021. On the surface, the purpose of the inventory was to determine what we wanted to submit to the annual South Dakota Newspaper Association contest. But what was really going on was much deeper.
As we read through all the articles, editorials and pictures, moments from 2021 came freshly into our minds. We remembered a spring rain, a death, a smiling child, a victorious rodeo champion. The inner moments of 2021 were visceral and emotional.
Outwardly, it was amazing to remember how far we’ve come since the January 6 Insurrection; and shocking to realize we survived a second year of pandemic and are embarking on a third. We remembered speeches, the Inauguration, the Fourth of July, milestone death tolls, and the graves of children lost in the boarding schools.
The same themes repeated throughout the year:
Community, family, interdependence and resilience
Local businesses, leading lights, celebrations
Intergenerational trauma, healing, and health
How understanding history brings more meaning to today
The impact of systemic racism and white supremacy
Honoring Unci Maka, pipelines, and extractive industries
Culture-bearers, Lakota language, art and recipes
Sovereignty and self-governance
Our takeaway is that there is no such thing as a global issue – they all hit close to home.
Under all of this runs a deep and profound gratitude for the trust you, our readership, place in our paper. Week after week you choose to engage in a conversation with the world through the lens of our local paper.
The perspective of Cheyenne River is unique and essential. Never doubt that the world can learn a lot from the sustainable and resilient solutions created here.
Be grateful. Be kind. Be safe.
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