I am so excited that today is Elizabeth Peratrovich day. She is a hero of mine...I am a huge fan of this amazing woman.
Elizabeth Peratrovich was born July 4th, 1911 in PETERSBURG, ALASKA. It's funny that she was born on July 4th because of her tremendous efforts towards creating equal rights. Elizabeth Peratrovich was born into a world that taught her, because of her ethnicity, she was not worthy of the same things that "white" Americans were. Outside of restaurants and barber shops were signs that read "no dogs, no natives". She grew up strong and became vice president of the Alaska Native Sisterhood. Her husband, Roy Peratrovich, became grand president of the Alaska Native Brotherhood. ANB and ANS are civil rights organizations. Something I found extremely cool is that a member of my family Henrietta Newton spoke something at a meeting, in which Elizabeth Peratrovich was in attendance, that moved Peratrovich to speak on Civil Rights. Henrietta spoke of a horrible experience. She had made a hair appointment at a local beauty salon and that same day her husband, a Tlingit man and my relative, escorted her down the same street the salon was located on. The shop employees saw this couple strolling through town. The next day they refused her service saying "we do not cater to indian trade". Henrietta responded with the fact that she was 100% Swiss and would not take their perm if they gave it to her for free. This happened in Juneau, Alaska...Alaska's capital.
Because of the injustice to her people, Elizabeth felt the need to take action. There had been much movement in civil rights for Alaska. Finally the territorial senate had decided to meet and discuss a bill that would give Alaska civil rights to Native people. Sure enough, Elizabeth and Roy were in attendance. Sadly there were members of the senate who could not grasp the idea of Natives being equal members of the community. Senator Tobler Scott spoke "'Mixed breeds are the source of trouble, it is they only who wish to associate with the whites. It would have been better had the Eskimos put up signs 'No whites allowed.' This issue is simply an effort to create political capital for some legislators. Certainly white women have done their part in keeping the races distinct, if white men had done as well there would be no racial feeling in Alaska."....let me tell you....WHITE WOMEN LOVE NATIVE MEN!....have you seen Twilight, those boys are fine. Don't kid yourself. But this isn't my argument, Elizabeth Peratrovich won this battle. Senator Frank Whaley spoke out against the bill "Far from being brought closer together, which will result from this bill," he said, " the races should be kept further apart. Who are these people, barely out of savagery, who want to associate with us whites with 5,000 years of recorded civilization behind us?" Today, my blood boils over that statement. Imagine Mrs. Peratrovich managing to sit calmly until she got her turn on to speak on behalf of ANS. Whaley also stated he did not want to sit next to an Eskimo in the theater...because they smelled.
Roy Peratrovich was allowed to speak first for the ANB. He spoke eloquently about discrimination and how Fairbanks had managed to win the fight against discrimination. He made them understand that their decision was clear. They could not pretend to pity the Natives of Alaska and still vote to discriminate against them. "Only Indians can know how it feels to be discriminated against," Peratrovich said. "Either you are for discrimination or you are against it accordingly as you vote on this bill," he added. He stepped down.
Elizabeth rose from the gallery and asked to be heard. This where my mouth would get me in trouble. But Elizabeth, being the lady she was, spoke in a more motivating way.
"I would not have expected," Elizabeth said in a quiet steady voice, "that I, who am
barely out of savagery, would have to remind gentlemen with five thousand years of recorded civilization behind them of our Bill or Rights. When my husband and I came to Juneau and sought a home in a nice neighborhood where our children could play happily with our neighbors' children, we found such a house and had arranged to lease it. When the owners learned that we were Indians, they said 'no.' Would we be compelled to live in the slums?" Her intelligence was obvious, her composure faultless. After giving a potent, neatly worded picture of discrimination against the Indians and other Native people, Mrs. Peratrovich said, "There are three kinds of persons who practice discrimination. First, the politician who wants to maintain an inferior minority group so that he can always promise them something. Second, the Mr. and Mrs. Jones who aren't quite sure of their social position and who are nice to you on one occasion and can't see you on others, depending on who they are with. Third, the great superman who believes in the superiority of the white race." Discrimination suffered by herself and her friends, President Peratrovich told the assembled body, "has forced the finest of our race to associate with white trash." There was an awesome silence in the packed hall, you could hear a pin drop.
Asked by Senator Shattuck if she thought the proposed bill would eliminate discrimination, Elizabeth Peratrovich queried in rebuttal, "Do your laws against larceny and even murder prevent those crimes? No law will eliminate crimes 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."
When she finished, there was a wild burst of applause from the gallery and senate floor alike. There was tears, crying. Her plea could not have been more effective. Opposition that had appeared to speak with a strong voice was forced to a defensive whisper at the close of that senate hearing by a five foot five inch Tlingit woman. The Senate passed the bill 11 to 5 on February 8, 1945. A new era in Alaska's racial relations had begun.
Bold Text from http://www.alaskool.org/projects/native_gov/recollections/peratrovich/Elizabeth_1.htm
Every time I hear this story I get choked up. How incredible was this woman? so strong, intelligent, passionate. She did the work so we wouldn't have to. Elizabeth Peratrovich has made it possible for me to feel equal to any person based on race. I am a proud, educated, employed Tlingit woman. I could not guarantee that I would be the person I am today, if it weren't for her standing in front of those senators and telling them what was right. I will strive to be the kind of woman she would be proud of.
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