Racism At Core Of Native Teen Suicides In Pine Ridge

Racism At Core Of Native Teen Suicides In Pine Ridge
PINE RIDGE, SOUTH DAKOTA OCTOBER 25: Anthony Ghost-Redfeather, 18, is shown on Pine Ridge in South Dakota, on Saturday, October 25, 2014. The teenager has attempted suicide. (Photo by Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
PINE RIDGE, SOUTH DAKOTA OCTOBER 25: Anthony Ghost-Redfeather, 18, is shown on Pine Ridge in South Dakota, on Saturday, October 25, 2014. The teenager has attempted suicide. (Photo by Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

At least 11 children between the ages of 12 and 17 have committed suicide in my county since December. The heartbreaking details vary from child to child, but their families and this community—in the newly renamed Oglala Lakota County—feel the voids left by their absences just as deeply each and every time.

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