Hump Day History
Google tells me we should celebrate Elizabeth Peratrovich today.
Born July 4, 1911 in Petersburg, Alaska - she died December 1, 1958.
In 1988, the Alaska State Legislature designated February 16 as Elizabeth Peratrovich Day.
Elizabeth was a civil rights activist, instrumental in the 1945 passage of the first anti-discrimination law in Alaska, and the United States.
Elizabeth was born during a time of extreme segregation, and as a member of the Indigenous Tlingit tribe, she faced racism constantly.
It was on this day in 1941 that she encountered a sign which read, "No Natives Allowed." She and her husband then wrote a letter to the governor and gained support for their mission.
They moved to Juneau for better access to lawmakers, but they were denied over and over when looking for homes. Elizabeth was only more motivated now. The bill failed in 1941, but when it came up again in 1945, she gave a speech on the floor of the Alaskan Senate and was met with thunderous applause.
Senator Allen Shattuck: Who are these people, barely out of savagery, who want to associate with us whites, with 5,000 years of recorded civilization behind us?
Elizabeth: I would not have expected that I, who am barely out of savagery, would have to remind gentlemen with 5,000 years of recorded civilization behind them, of our Bill of Rights.
The Senate voted 11-5 for "full and equal accommodations, facilities, and privileges to all citizens."
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