USD to host historical perspective on 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre

The University of South Dakota proudly hosts the 3 Voices Speaking from the Past performance at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 10, at the Freedom Forum Conference Room, located in the Al Neuharth Center. The evening is sponsored by a South Dakota Humanities Council Speakers' Bureau grant, TRIO and Native Student Services. The program is free and the public is invited to attend.

Attired in period costumes, Jerry Goes In Center, Lilah Pengra and Joyce Jefferson voice the hopes, fears, beliefs and values of their Lakota, Afro-American and Euro-American foremothers around common themes of land, social change, family, community, depression, drought and privation. Through story and song they portray the emotional currents culminating in the massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890.

3 Voices was created to help heal racism. Its purpose is to build a pluralistic society that requires learning to respect other people's values as well as accepting the ambiguity of mutually conflicting interpretations of historic and current events.

After the performance, the audience is invited to participate in an open discussion about the conflicting historical accounts of events surrounding the massacre and the continuing impact of cultural difference on relationships today.

For more information, contact Erin Thin Elk Contreras, TRIO Wawokiya coordinator/advisor, at Erin.Contreras@usd.edu or 605-677- 3167. A photo of the 3 Voices is available for download at www.usd.edu/urelations/images/3Voices.jpg.