The American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota is holding an activist academy in Rapid City on Thursday, Jan. 17.
Communications Director Janna Farley says there is heightened interest right now in national politics that is trickling down to the state and local level.
"Everybody's talking about the latest Trump tweets, or what Sarah Sanders said in her most recent press briefing, or what's going on at the White House, and that's kind of trickling down to the state and local level, too," Farley says. "So people are really interested to get involved, and we've heard that from our supporters and volunteers, but sometimes they're just not sure where to start, what to do."
Farley says the ACLU training is designed to make people comfortable contacting local and state elected officials. She says participants will learn more about the legislative process and how to be year-round advocates for issues they care most about.
The training session is nonpartisan. Farley says the only way change happens is for elected officials to work across the aisle.
The Rapid City training is held from 6 to 8 p.m. MT at the Dahl Arts Center. The session is free of charge. Participants can register online with ACLU South Dakota or just show up.
