The SD Inclusion Coalition embraces the growing diversity of our state and proudly advocates for all people living in SD, amidst increasingly inequitable and unjust social conditions.
We are outraged by Dakota State University’s President, Dr. Jose-Marie Griffith’s decision to award Kristi Noem, former Governor and now Department of Homeland Security an honorary doctorate degree and invitation to speak at this year’s commencement on May 10, 2025.
We stand by the Dakota State University Student Association Senate and Faculty who voted to not recommend Secretary Noem for an honorary degree.
We stand with the nearly 3,000 signatories on the change.org petition.
Secretary Noem has a longstanding record of causing irreparable harm to South Dakotans and now people across the country. She dehumanizes immigrants, tribal nations, people of color and the LGBTQIA2S+ community equating us all to terrorists and criminals as the reason why fundamental due process principals do not apply.
We are speaking up and speaking out against DSU’s decision to endorse Noem’s human and civil rights violations and contempt for democratic principles.
“Secretary Kristi Noem is notorious for being the first sitting Governor to be banished by all nine Tribal nations in the state of South Dakota for her reprehensible racist statements and stereotypes. We know what second class citizenship is in this state, especially during the COVID pandemic which caused the loss of many Native lives. The DSU president and its faculty, staff and students are bound to uphold the US Constitution. The COUP Council demands democracy and due process in our homelands for all people, because we know what it means to be without it. We stand against the tyrannical corruption and cruelty that Secretary Kristi Noem lays bare before the world today. We join this coalition to urge the Dakota State University to stop appeasing Secretary Noem, when her conduct as Secretary is under scrutiny by the United States judiciary, the current Governor’s office in South Dakota, and now, international tribunals due to her reprehensible conduct in El Salvador. DSU is a public university and needs to be accountable for this atrocious decision.”
-Natalie Stites Means, Executive Director of Coup Council.
“Equality South Dakota opposes Secretary of Homeland Security and former Governor of South Dakota Kristi Noem being awarded an honorary doctorate degree. While serving as Governor, Gov. Noem did not support her LGBTQ+ citizens. She supported and signed into law HB 1080 in 2023 that banned providing healthcare to trans youth. In 2022, she introduced and signed into law SB 46 which bans trans females from participating in girls and women’s sports. As Homeland Security Secretary, she supported the deportation of Andry Hernandez Romero, a gay Venezuelan makeup artist who came to the United States last year seeking asylum.”
-Lawrence Novotny, Board Secretary Equality SD.
“Kristi Noem rips families and communities apart, imprisons hardworking people with no due process, and embraces and praises a chaotic and corrupt authoritarian. These are not the actions of a principled and compassionate leader. We at LEAD are stunned that the administration of Dakota State University is rewarding this behavior. There are literally hundreds of better choices who exemplify the integrity, empathy, and vision we here in South Dakota would want our graduates to aspire to.”
-Michelle Randall, Board Chair LEAD SD.
“Kristi Noem demonized immigrant children and families while Governor and continues to perpetuation dehumanization as Secretary of Homeland Security. Every single day since she has taken office, Secretary Noem has been ripping families apart and paralyzing all of us from using our First Amendment rights. She is ripping children away from their mothers and fathers, illegally kidnapping international students from U.S. streets and detaining them without charge. She is forcing people to register so that DHS knows exactly where they are for deportation and has made it a crime if they don’t, which could be additional grounds for deportation. Families are not going grocery shopping or sending their children to school because they fear that ICE will grab their children from school. This isn’t democracy. This is authoritarianism. We aren’t headed towards a constitutional crisis. We are in a constitutional crisis. We cannot stay silent.”
-Taneeza Islam, CEO of SD Voices for Peace.
“At the Transformation Project, we believe every individual deserves dignity, respect, and equal opportunity. Decisions that exclude or marginalize any part of our community undermine the values South Dakota stands for. We urge leaders to uphold inclusion and rescind actions that harm our most vulnerable neighbors.”
-Susan Williams, Transformation Project
