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OPINION: To fight discrimination, keep conversations going

June 27th 11:55 am | Stacy Deacon Print this article   Email this article   Create a Shortlink for this article

Back in April our family went out searching for housing. We found a two-bedroom apartment and met with the landlord, filled out an application on the spot and were approved and even turned on the electricity in our names. After learning we are Native and have village ties, his questions at the lease signing became very blunt: "What happens when you have to go back to the village?" "Where is he (my significant other) from?" Then he said, "Well, I have rented to Native families before and they have always left me high and dry."

When the series of inappropriate questions finally ended, he said he would talk it over with this wife and call me back. He called back later on the same evening and denied us the apartment for no apparent reason and did not even have the courtesy of a denial letter.

Apparently this story really hit home with many Native families looking for housing in Anchorage. I've received plenty of great feedback since I wrote about the housing discrimination that I faced. There were quite a few who said they too went through similar questioning; do you have a boyfriend, do you drink, where are you from?

As you can see, these questions are quite personal and these are exactly the kinds of questions that prospective landlords need not ask. Under the Alaska Fair Housing Law, it is illegal to discriminate against race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, family status, marital status, changes in martial status, pregnancy and parenthood, which are all protected classes.

Through this I have been reminded of Elizabeth Peratrovich and her fight to eradicate racism against Alaska Natives. In an article written by her granddaughter, Betsy Peratrovich, Elizabeth recalls how she and her husband faced housing discrimination when they moved to Juneau from Klawock in 1941.

"When the owners learned that we were Indians, they said 'No.' Would we be compelled to live in the slums?" So they went through the same situation decades ago that I experienced a few months ago.

However, they did not take this lightly - "In a volatile atmosphere of the legislative gallery, Elizabeth stood her ground. Asked if an anti-discrimination law would eliminate discrimination, she quipped, 'Do your laws against larceny, rape, and 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 of your intent to help us overcome discrimination.'"

In 1941, she began petitioning for a ban on a very explicit sign "No Natives Allowed," which was posted commonly in public places throughout Alaska. Peratrovich fought back and worked hard to get the Anti-Discrimination Act passed. This very important Anti-Discrimination Act was signed on Feb. 16, 1945, by Gov. Ernest Gruening. Moreover, Mr. and Mrs. Roy Peratrovich were the grand presidents of the Alaska Native Brotherhood and the Alaska Native Sisterhood.

In response to the housing discrimination, I too have been working with the Alaska Native Brotherhood. The ANB was founded in 1912 at its first meeting in Sitka. They contacted me after reading my article. Together, we have been working on various projects to help prevent this from happening to someone else. As of late we were also on a local Native radio station KNBA 90.3 FM on June 10. I shared my story again and talked about discrimination. It was bittersweet. As I discussed my feelings it brought me back to this uncomfortable and sad place, but I still continued and was happy that I got the word out anyway.

An interesting question came about at this discussion concerning the landlord's "look of disapproval" that I mentioned in the article and I was asked to give a description about this look. It was said that if you have never experienced discrimination, you would never know this look. At the time, I explained it as "when someone looks down at someone or something, as if they were better." When I think back on this "look of disapproval" it makes me think of what our ancestors must have went through and their fight for livelihood. I am sure they have experienced that look far more than we will ever know. I never want our future generations to have to recognize that look.

Another interesting point during this discussion was that we no longer live in a hunter-gatherer society but rather a working, landlord-dependant society. This point is exactly at the heart of the matter. In Anchorage, we no longer gather logs for a house, but instead we fill out an application for housing.

Unlike the Lower 48, Alaska has a very unique degree of separation due to the vast landscape, and all areas are not accessible on the highway system. There is a big division between rural Alaska and city Alaska. In rural Alaska you'd find a family who has a house, goes out to get wood or oil for the stove and gathers food by fishing, picking berries and hunting. The transportation system is also very different. Rural Alaska gets around by boat, snowmachine, four-wheelers and some even by their own planes, if they're the lucky ones. And just like the city, there are many with busy jobs who work very hard to keep the household going.

Like my story pointed out - it is stereotypical to think that all of us Natives are going to run back to the village. This simply isn't so. In fact, it's actually quite the opposite due to the rising costs to run a household in the village. I bet that those who live in the Lower 48 didn't know that a gallon of gas is actually $5.50 and a quart of milk is $4 in Grayling, a small Native village on the Yukon River. It is quite expensive. However, it is also very expensive to live in the city. The last I checked, a gallon of gas here in Anchorage is $4. Not only is it expensive here in the city, but if you are not in a position to purchase a home then you are dependant upon landlords approving applications.

My roots are along the Yukon River, but I live in Anchorage because of opportunity and ironically, more housing. To assume that we are all going to go back to the village is just wrong.

They say that history repeats itself. As you can see with Elizabeth Peratrovich, we too need a happy ending to this unfortunate situation. Our laws need to speak to the current times and something must be done to eliminate these unlawful acts of discrimination.

Ultimately, my motivation for this housing discrimination matter is that more awareness is brought about across the board and that we discuss these situations more and more openly. In my case it was housing. Maybe in your case it's not being served at a particular restaurant. Whatever the case, discrimination is wrong and must be stopped. I am open to discussion with bringing about awareness. I want to hear from you, feel free to write in to: sdeacon@alaskanewspapers.com. This discussion will be open to all that would like to participate. I'm sure there is plenty to talk about and I plan on discussing these very intense issues openly. It is my hope that as a nation, a state, a city and a village that we can all come together and resolve this problem.

Stacy Deacon is an administrative assistant for Alaska Newspapers Inc.

 


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