Civil rights activist remembered at WHS

When one thinks of the civil rights movement, there are several names that come to mind. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks are two well known people who were influential civil rights activists. The fight for civil rights has not just been limited to the lower 48, though.

Alaska has its share of important civil rights figures, as well. One such figure, Elizabeth Peratrovich, was recently remembered in an assembly at Wrangell High School last Tuesday.

The assembly was put together by the Alaska Native Brotherhood and Alaska Native Sisterhood, two organizations that were important to the Peratrovich family. The ANB was founded in 1912, in Sitka, to help Alaska Natives fight against discrimination. The ANS was founded in 1915 to support the ANB. Peratrovich and her husband, Roy, would both become Grand Camp presidents of these groups in their fight for native civil rights.

Students attending the assembly listened to songs performed by the Evergreen Elementary third grade class, as well as learned about the story of Elizabeth Peratrovich. High school student Jade Balansag presented a slideshow about her to the school.

"One thing I would like to say about Elizabeth Peratrovich is, when I learned about her in the third grade, she has always been one of my heroes. So being up here talking about her is kind of an honor," she said.

Peratrovich was born in Petersburg in 1911, of the Tlingit nation. She was adopted by Andrew and Mary Wanamaker. Her adoptive father was a preacher, and she learned her public speaking skills from him. She met her husband, Roy Peratrovich, in college at the Western Washington School of Education. When she and her husband returned to Alaska in the 1940s, they found "Jim Crow law in place of the Bill of Rights," the slideshow read. Alaska natives, in those days, were barred from buying a home, entering certain establishments, and lacked several basic civil rights. Elizabeth and Roy began advocating for civil rights for all Alaska natives, joining and later leading both the ANS and ANB.

On Feb. 8, 1945, Peratrovich gave a speech to the Alaska Territorial Legislature in support of passage of the Anti-Discrimination Act. This civil rights bill, one of the first of its kind in the United States, was championed by Peratrovich and also had the support of Territorial Governor Ernest Gruening

"No law will eliminate crimes," she said in her speech to the Alaska Senate, "but at least you as legislators can assert to the world that you recognize the evil of the present situation and speak your intent to help us overcome discrimination."

The bill was passed on Feb. 16, 1945. In 1988, in honor of her work, the Alaska legislature named Feb. 16 "Elizabeth Peratrovich Day."

"... Her inspiring words helped gain the legislative support needed for the passage of the bill, which was approved by the Territorial Legislature on February 6, 1945, nearly two decades before the Civil Rights Act of 1964," wrote Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy in a proclamation on Feb. 12, 2019. "The passage of HB 14 marked the end of an era, and the beginning of a bright new chapter for all Alaskans, one resulting largely from the faithful and unrelenting advocacy of Elizabeth and her husband, Roy."

Lu Knapp, with ANS, added during the assembly that Peratrovich will soon be remembered across the country in another way. In 2020, she said, Peratrovich's face will be minted on the $1 coin, alongside Sacagawea, another famous Native American. The design of the coin changes each year to honor important Native Americans and their contributions.