The American Civil Liberties Union chapter of the Dakotas and Wyoming has named a new executive director. As of this week, the role is held by Libby Skarin.
Skarin is a graduate of the University of Iowa school of law and has spent the last decade working with this region’s ACLU chapter.
She explained her new role and responsibilities.
“Part of that is of course programming, so oversight of our legal department, our advocacy department and our communications department, but also making sure the organization itself is undertaking its work in ways that are strategic and impactful and can really improve the civil rights and civil liberties of South Dakotans no matter where they live or what their views are,” Skarin said.
Skarin said with South Dakota’s current situation, it’s hard to pinpoint any one challenge to prioritize.
“Given the fact we’re in October of 2024 and we have a huge election coming up in November, I would say our biggest priority in this moment is voting rights," Skarin said. "LGBTQ and Two Spirit issues have been a big thing we’ve seen a lot of work on in South Dakota over the last 10 years. A lot of the free speech issues we’ve been tending to see over the past few years have really arisen at the intersection of free speech and racial justice, indigenous justice.”
As she accepts her new role, Skarin said she is ready to act.
“We really want to hear from people in the community about what they’re seeing and what they’re experiencing, and we also want to work with as many people as possible moving forward," Skarin said. "I want folks to know that we’re here, we’re not going anywhere, and we’re excited to make things better for everyone in the state.”
Before working with the ACLU, Skarin previously served as the assistant Attorney General of Iowa and worked with the Sioux City Human Rights Commission.