A third term for Mayor Mike Levsen? Sure, says my neighbor Bethe Martian, who appreciates his vision of an Aberdeen that builds on inclusiveness:
In 2012, I returned home to Aberdeen after 13 years away. I wanted my girls to get to know their grandma. But I was concerned that we would miss the energy and diversity of the big university town we left in central Illinois, where my daughters shared classroom and day care space with children and teachers of nearly every color and nationality. The girls were excelling in that environment, and I remembered Aberdeen as a friendly, sleepy place that didn’t change much. I wanted my daughters to live in a place that would prepare them for the larger world, not shield them from it.
I had no need to worry. Aberdeen is vibrant and growing like crazy. We all know about the new buildings and events making Aberdeen bigger and better. But the most personal and human part of that change is embodied in our mayor, Mike Levsen.
Shortly after returning home in 2012, we attended a performance at Northern State University. Mayor Levsen introduced the performers and spoke briefly about his love for Aberdeen and his pride in its diversity and growth. It was reassuring to see a city leader publicly embrace people who look, cook and dress differently. He has maintained that attitude of hope and growth, and I will be voting for him again.
It’s clear to me now that Aberdeen can provide my daughters with a world-class childhood. Looking back on those days seven years ago, it’s strange that I would ever imagine our town as a place to be sheltered from the outside world. This is the Hub City, after all, with a 150-year history of people coming from far and wide, and we’ve got the train tracks to prove it [Bethe Martian, letter to the editor {paywall}, Aberdeen American News, 2019.04.30].
Aberdonians can vote early now at the Brown County Courthouse. The mayoral election is June 4.
Oh lord 93% White hardly Multicultural Eutopia. Talk about false advertising how many months of the year do you wear long johns up there??? Cold, cold, and colder. Worthington is 38% Non-white that’s diversity for a small town not seven big whoopie whew but oh the lovely winters. On a less grumpy note have you explored Abderdeen’s Then & Now Blog: http://www.aberdeenareahistory.org/blog/
Happy would like snow. It is white. Until a dog(s) pass by.
Save it, HC. You should celebrate diversity instead of grousing about it. Don’t drop a load of bs about your love for diversity.
Great to hear, Bethe. During and after Vietnam, Aberdeen was an incredible place. GI Bill brought freshly released soldiers with a perspective and appreciation for diversity to Northern that I hope still exists. We labeled it “The Chosen City”.
Just add “the mutt” Heidelberger to the leadership and watch things improve. 😁
Yes, they are “The Chosen City.” For the worst weather in the whole state.
No, way. Watertown has the worst weather in South Dakota.
I would say the sisseton tunnel to ND border on interstate is the absolute worse weather in SD, if we are really talking weather.
The diversity in Aberdeen? Ya allowed only in the world of sports, not too tolerant otherwise.
Just saying… those hate meetings are picking up steam
Agreed, T. That’s a tough piece of road. Hey, the whole state has changed from 40 years, ago. It was never this white, nationalistic and populist. My theory is when FoxNews came on the air, many in rural areas couldn’t discern it from the truth. The majority of elderly, white males in SD still can’t. It’s just show business, folks. Tell your followers what they want to hear … (Here comes the what-aboutism.)
Porter said, ” 40 years, ago. It was never this white, nationalistic and populist..”
1960s-70s
In areas near reservations, it was terribly racist. Might still be. When Crow Creek played bball in Miller, or vice versa, the feces hit the oscillator every time. Vandalized buses, locker rooms, fistfights, etc. Racist chants from the stands. Same in Highmore.
I grew up in Miller. If an Indian happened to drive through town she’d immediately be followed and harassed.
One of my college teammates was from Carter. She told tales of “rolling Indians.” Drive down Main St of Winner. Go close by an Indian and throw your door open as you go past to knock them down. She and her Winner pals thought it was great fun and very entertaining.
Still sickens me.
Didn’t mean to go off on you Porter. I hadn’t thought about that stuff in a long time and I’ve no idea if it’s better, worse or the same. I haven’t lived in that area since the mid 80s.
A fine blog catch, Hap! I just wish those Then & Now folks hadn’t stopped publishing in 2014.
Picking up steam, T? They seem to have been pretty quiet lately. Have they gone underground?
Hap does make the reasonable point that Aberdeen is still really white. After teaching in Spokane and St. Paul, I walked into an Aberdeen classroom as was stunned to be back in a predominantly white sea of faces.
But even the small amount of racial diversity in Brown County profoundly disturbs a number of the Ward and June Cleavers around here. With the hysterical fear of the Branstnerites and Novstrupians, you’d think there was a white minority afraid the 90% black population was just going to pick up guns and be done with apartheid the hard way, when in fact whites are farther from demographic collapse here than in most of America.
Thus, Martian responds as she does, praising the diversity that Mayor Levsen has embraced as a counter to the over-reaction of a handful of angry white folks who fear losing their privilege of not having to look at people who don’t look like them.
Just commenting on weather. Folks north of Sisseton always
say if you can get through the Summit area then you’ll
be alright.
Rapid City, Friday night white high school drunks, same time-frame, assaulting random Indian drivers. “Laughing, laughing” as grdz still says here, in his racism. (Yet the star Cobbler basketball players were Indian kids). Yesterday trolls posted the following.
grdz:
Wasn’t Canada “stolen” too, albeit not by Mr. Pearson or anybody else alive today.
Pearson:
I have a better idea. How about you move there instead?
Sickening then. Sickening now.