Multicultural Center board receives 25th annual Butler Human Rights Award

BROOKINGS The Brookings Multicultural Center board of directors is the recipient of the 25th annual Dorothy and Eugene T. Butler Human Rights Award.

The award will be presented by Mayor Oepke Ope Niemeyer and the Brookings Human Rights Commission (BHRC) at the annual Mayors Awards and Holiday Celebration event on Dec. 4 at the Dacotah Bank Center. The event will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. with the awards program starting at 6 p.m. The public is invited to attend.

The Dorothy and Eugene T. Butler Human Rights Award is named after the Butlers in recognition of their lifelong advocacy in human rights issues on the local, regional, national, and international levels. The award recognizes significant volunteer effort on behalf of human rights.

The Brookings Multicultural Centers mission is to develop a supportive and inclusive environment that reaches across the boundaries of culture, identity and discipline. The board members are dedicated to helping newcomers settle in and share their culture. Volunteers organize events, workshops and activities to promote cultural awareness, knowledge and skills in the Brookings community.

The center operates solely on the power of its 60-plus volunteers. At last count, the Center had hosted people from more than 30 countries.

The center became an incorporated entity in June 2019 with Jungsook Kim as the center director. Kim, a South Korea native who has lived in Brookings for nearly 30 years, wanted to help international newcomers make friends and learn about the community. Kim met Marilyn Hildreth and Heidi Briseno at an international coffee group. They helped her with the paperwork and the Veritas Church provided a meeting place. The center became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in January 2022.

Ongoing activities the public is welcome to attend are:

• English Language Learning Classes. The Center offers all levels of English language learners the opportunity to improve their conversational English for free. Students are divided into groups based on their skill levels and are often able to work one-on-one or in small groups to improve their English.
• Coffee and Conversation Group. International and local folks visit to discuss upcoming Center activities and volunteer opportunities and learn about community resources. Attendees are able to discover more about each others cultural backgrounds, gain support and forge friendships.
• International Cooking Class. The Carrot Seed Kitchen Co. hosts the Centers international cooking class on the third Tuesday of every month. Participants learn how to make delicious dishes from international volunteers who share their family recipes. They cook and then share a family-style meal together.
• International Ice Cream Social. The event, which marked its third year in August, aims to welcome new international students, faculty and their families to the community before the start of the academic year at South Dakota State University. The SDSU Office of International Affairs co-hosts. This year more than 500 people attended the ice cream social at Good Roots Farm and Gardens.

Learn more about the center by calling 605-622-0128 or going here.