Elizabeth Peratrovich (1911-1958) was a legendary civil rights activist who moved lawmakers in Alaska to pass the first anti-discrimination law.
Elizabeth Peratrovich (1911-1958) was a legendary civil rights activist who moved lawmakers in Alaska to pass the first anti-discrimination law.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan. This is Womanica.
Today, we’re talking about a legendary civil rights activist who moved lawmakers in Alaska to pass the first anti-discrimination law.
Let’s meet Elizabeth Peratrovich.
Elizabeth Peratrovich was born on July 4, 1911 in Petersburg, Alaska. She was the daughter of a Tlingit woman, but was adopted by Andrew and Mary Wanamaker -- Presbyterian church missionaries -- and given the name Elizabeth.
Alaska had only recently been purchased by the U.S. from Russia. And the transition was difficult. White Americans imposed a system of segregation and discrimination against Native Alaskans. Native Alaskans were classified as non-citizens if they weren’t deemed “civilized” by white authorities -- civilized meaning, English-speaking, Christian, and generally willing to abandon any indigenous cultural practices. White people used this to deny Native Alaskans entry into schools and businesses.
By 1924, the government granted American citizenship to all Native Americans. But, the segregation and discrimination continued. Throughout Alaska, racist signs in store windows read “We cater to White Trade only” and “No Dogs, No Natives.”
Elizabeth went to college in Bellingham, Washington. That’s where she met Roy Peratrovich, another member of the Tlingit nation. The two got married and eventually moved back to Klawock, Alaska, where Roy grew up. Roy and Elizabeth got involved in local politics and became prominent leaders in the Alaska Native Sisterhood and Alaska Native Brotherhood organizations.
When Elizabeth and Roy decided to move to Alaska’s capitol, Juneau, the couple was faced with more discrimination. Neighborhoods were segregated — there were parts of town where Native Alaskans weren’t allowed to live.
In late 1941, when the Peratroviches visited Douglas, Alaska, they noticed a sign on the door of an inn, which bore that familiar phrase: “No Natives allowed.”
This was at a time when indigenous and white men alike were being asked to enlist to fight in World War II. The contradictions were too much. So, Roy and Elizabeth sent a letter to the Governor, Ernest Gruening.
“We were shocked when the Jews were discriminated against in Germany. [...] yet it is being practiced in our country,” they wrote. “We know that you have the interest of the Native people at heart and we are asking that you use your influence to eliminate this discrimination, not only in Juneau or Douglas, but in the whole territory.”
Governor Gruening was already appalled by the racism he had seen since being appointed to the territory. And apparently, had already asked the owner of the inn to remove the sign. The owner declined.
The movement for equality was gaining traction, though. The Sisterhood lobbied tirelessly for the cause, explaining all the ways in which they were excluded to the lawmakers, who were all white.
It became an even more prominent public issue in 1944 when police arrested a young Inupiaq woman named Alberta Schenck for sitting in a white only section of a movie theatre.
The first attempt at an equal rights bill failed to pass with a tie vote in 1943. But in 1945, a new anti-discrimination bill was introduced to the state house and senate.
The legislature held crowded hearings, and discussion went on for hours.
After listening to white man after white man discuss race, it was time for the public comment period. Elizabeth got up and made her now-famous statement:
"I would not have expected that I, who am barely out of savagery, would have to remind the gentlemen with 5,000 years of recorded civilization behind them of our Bill of Rights."
She explained her experience with discrimination and segregation. And when asked whether this bill would actually end discrimination, she responded:
"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."
Elizabeth’s striking testimony was instrumental. Alaska’s Anti-Discrimination Act of 1945 passed, and Elizabeth and Roy were there for the signing. It became the first anti-discrimination law in the U.S. -- nearly 20 years before the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The signs came down, though discrimination in other forms remained.
Elizabeth went on to become a member of the executive committee of the National Congress of American Indians in 1955.
Elizabeth died on December 1, 1958 from cancer. She was 47 years old.
In 1988, the Alaska legislature established February 16 as Elizabeth Peratrovich Day to celebrate her life and civil rights legacy.
All month, we’re honoring the legacies of Indigenous women.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!