Brandon Ecoffey
A note from the editor’s desk
By Brandon Ecoffey
Lakota Country Times Editor In this week’s paper we cover a report commissioned by Oglala Lakota College that demonstrates the impact that this very powerful and influent institution of learning has on the region and people it serves. All the details of the report are covered in our story but the simple conclusion is that OLC continues to provide a very capable workforce to the surrounding area and a significant economic contribution that reaches far beyond the reservation borders. Throughout the course of my work in the media there have always been causes that have received significant coverage as they have either pulled at the heartstrings of the general public or they received some flashy endorsement from one of our emerging Native celebrities. Some have been more important than others and some campaigns to raise money or awareness have been more effective than others. What has been largely absent from these instances however has been any semblance of public advocacy for the systems that sustain and advance our way of life. The report just issued by OLC shines an important light on just how effective institutions are at improving the quality of life of Native people. Each year hundreds of OLC graduates enter the workforce and take on employment opportunities that will generate more revenue for their families and thus hopefully stimulate their local economies. The work of OLC like many other institutions are monumentally important to the stability of our reservation society but they must be supported by the community too function effectively.
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Although OLC is but one of many service providers on reservation there are many others that continue to be effective on a day to day basis but they do not have the resources to promote their achievements and the work that they do. At LCT we always include the email addresses of our writers in case one of our readers feel the need to comment or share an idea for a story with us. In reality it makes our job so much easier when readers let us know that they have a grandchild who won an award or when a tribal program director calls and lets us know about an event. These are the types of stories that we want to focus on. We know that there is plenty of bad news going around but, like life, we also know that there is just as much positive out there. Brandon Ecoffey is the current editor of LCT and an enrolled citizen of the Oglala Lakota Nation. He can be reached at editor@lakotacountrytimes.com Find the award-winning Lakota Country Times on the Internet, Facebook and Twitter.
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