Emman Bamba stands outside the Flandreau Post Office, where he will not take over as Postmaster.
Emman Bamba, who took over as the Postmaster in Flandreau on March 9th, is pictured here with his wife Hersy, daughter Sophia, and sons Kalel Bamba and Drew Bamba (back). Bamba is the first Filipino Postmaster ever in Flandreau.
As a Filipino American, it’s a big accomplishment for me, serving Flandreau…I’ll do my best to help and serve the public and if I can go beyond, I will. I will serve our community with honesty and integrity. I will treat every piece of mail as my own”
Emmanuel Bamba, Flandreau Post Master
By Carleen Wild
Moody County Enterprise
He may be a new name and face behind the Postmaster desk at the United States Postal Service office in Flandreau, but Emmanuel Bamba is no stranger to the community, or to local mail service.
Emman, as many who know him call him, or Bamba, has lived in Flandreau since 2008. He and his family of three at that time, moved here from the Town of Solano, Nueva Vizcaya Province, Philippines, to be closer to family and the opportunities that a life in the United States might offer.
Upon moving here, he went straight to work at Riverview Manor as a Laundry Aide and Bed Maker.
In 2010, he became a Kitchen Helper at Flandreau High School.
In 2012, he became a part-time substitute Mail Carrier in Flandreau, working every Saturday. He kept busy though, picking up hours each week in Dell Rapids, Madison, Pipestone, Slayton, and Brookings.
With three openings in 2014 at the Brookings office, Bamba transferred and it wasn’t long before he became a full-time USPS employee. Emman also that year became a Naturalized Citizen of the U.S. (March of 2014).
He carried mail across the city until 2019, when he was assigned his first supervisory role in Customer Service overseeing 25 employees, including the offices of Aurora and White.
He loved it.
The drive however kept him from his family more than he liked. It also kept him from a volunteer role he loved — serving the broader Flandreau and Moody County communities through volunteering with the Flandreau Fire Department.
“I’ve been driving to Brookings for 10 years now,” he said.
“I want to come back to this town and serve our own people instead of doing my job in a different town.”
Bamba just this month was officially brought on as the new local Postmaster. He couldn’t be happier to be back home.
“As a Filipino American, it’s a big accomplishment for me, serving Flandreau…I’ll do my best to help and serve the public and if I can go beyond, I will. I will serve our community with honesty and integrity. I will treat every piece of mail as my own,” said Bamba.
Emman and his wife, Hersy have been married for 20 years and since moving here with their son Drew, the couple has added two more children to the family. Drew Bamba, now 19-years-old, graduated from Flandreau Public Schools and attends South Dakota State University.
Their two younger children, 13-year-old Kalel Bamba, and 8-year-old Sophia Bamba, attend Flandreau Public Schools.
“I would like to thank my wife, Hersy, for her endless love, support and understanding, my kids who make me feel ‘alive’, along with our parents, in-laws, and relatives,” he said.
He also thanked the Janklow, Nace, and Lind family (of Riverview), for giving him and his family this opportunity for work in the U.S., the Flandreau Fire Department for entrusting him to join that brotherhood, and his mentors, colleagues, co-workers, friends and Filipino Community.
“Without all of you, ‘I am nothing’”, he said.
