We Are South Dakota Humanities

Each year, SDHC selects the Young Readers One Book to share with children across the state. The Young Readers program provides books to students at over 100 schools throughout South Dakota, which is made possible by generous donors, including United Way of the Black Hills, First Bank and Trust, and Northern Hills Federal Credit Union.

Since 2003, SDHC’s One Book South Dakota (OBSD) program has encouraged people across the state to read and discuss the same book throughout the year. Groups receive the current OBSD on loan from the SDHC lending library and host a SDHC scholar for their event.

The South Dakota Humanities Council offers a packaged reading program for book clubs organized by individuals, libraries, bookstores, museums, and other organizations. Any organization is eligible to apply for a Book Club To-Go program.

SDHC’s Speakers Bureau offers a depth of topics that groups across South Dakota can bring to their communities. The council supports nearly 150 Speakers Bureau events annually, across a range of humanities-related subjects.

In cooperation with The Smithsonian Institution and the South Dakota Agricultural Heritage Museum, SDHC is pleased to announce that we are sponsoring the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street traveling exhibition “Crossroads: Change in Rural America,” on tour now through June 2023.

SDHC, in cooperation with longtime SDHC scholar and educator, Lawrence Diggs, has developed a program to unite people during divisive times through genuine conversation. Brainstorming: The Human Connection is a weekly discussion series led by Diggs with a focus on forging human relationships.

The South Dakota Humanities Council sponsors an annual storytelling contest for veterans that culminates with an awards ceremony at the South Dakota Festival of Books. First-place winners receive a $500 prize.