Samantha Chapman has joined the ACLU of South Dakota as advocacy manager.
As advocacy manager, Chapman oversees the organization’s legislative, public education and advocacy efforts and is responsible for developing issue campaigns to advance civil liberties and civil rights in South Dakota.
“Samantha’s passion for and commitment to constitutional rights and social justice made her a natural fit for the ACLU of South Dakota,” said Heather Smith, executive director of the ACLU of South Dakota. “As we continue to intensify our efforts to defend civil liberties across the state, Samantha’s experience and leadership will be invaluable to advancing a policy agenda. With Samantha on board, our capacity to create change in South Dakota is bigger than ever.”
Throughout her career, Chapman has advocated for abortion access, pregnancy and breastfeeding workplace accommodations, and rights for immigrants and refugees. She co-founded South Dakota Voices for Peace in 2017, and served as the Sioux Falls market public information officer at Sanford Health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to joining the ACLU, Chapman worked as the communications director for South Dakota Urban Indian Health,
“Now more than ever, the ACLU’s unrelenting commitment to protecting the constitutional rights of all people is vital to the future of our democracy and the well-being of our most vulnerable communities,” Chapman said. “Justice is not an elusive dream and it is my privilege to pursue it.”
Chapman lives in Sioux Falls and serves on the All Saints Neighborhood Association board of directors.
About the ACLU of South Dakota
The American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of civil liberties and civil rights. The ACLU of South Dakota is part of a three-state chapter that also includes North Dakota and Wyoming. The team in South Dakota is supported by staff in those states.
The ACLU believes freedoms of press, speech, assembly, and religion, and the rights to due process, equal protection and privacy, are fundamental to a free people. In addition, the ACLU seeks to advance constitutional protections for groups traditionally denied their rights, including people of color, women, and the LGBTQ+ and Two Spirit communities. The ACLU of South Dakota carries out its work through selective litigation, lobbying at the state and local level, and through public education and awareness of what the Bill of Rights means for the people of South Dakota.
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