South Dakota Women’s History - stories of Mabel Rewman and the SD German Language Newspapers Coverage
Today’s event features authors Kelly Kirk and Kelly O’Dea speaking on topics they wrote about in "Equality at the Ballot Box: Votes for Women on the Northern Great Plains." This book, published by SD Historical Society Press in 2019, builds upon classic woman suffrage scholarship and develops new ideas that capture the spirit of suffrage on the northern Great Plains, revealing the impact this region had on women’s rights nationwide. Kirk will talk about the efforts of Mabel Rewman, a suffragist from the Black Hills, and O’Dea will discuss South Dakota German-language newspapers’ coverage of the woman suffrage movement.

Award-winning illustrator S.D. Nelson will share insights into his latest work, "Wings of an Eagle: The Gold Medal Dreams of Billy Mills," written by Donna Janell Bowman and published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. He will discuss his artistic process and reflect on his childhood connections to the Dakotas and the Standing Rock Reservation.

Selected as the South Dakota Humanities Council’s Children’s One Book of the Year, "Wings of an Eagle" tells the inspiring true story of Billy Mills, a Native American gold medalist whose resilience and determination led him to Olympic victory. Born an orphan on the Oglala Lakota Pine Ridge Reservation, Mills struggled with hardship and self-doubt. Before his father passed, he left Billy with a powerful message:

"You have broken wings, son. You have to dig deeper—beneath the anger, the hurt, the self-pity. The pursuit of a dream will heal you."

Nelson’s vivid illustrations bring this moving story to life, capturing the spirit and perseverance of a champion. In addition to this work, he is the author and illustrator of "Greet the Dawn: The Lakota Way" and the illustrator of "Dance in a Buffalo Skull," both published by the South Dakota Historical Society Press.