  The Color of Your Skin Still Matters: We Still Have Work To Do In 2010 |
(http://www.akdemocrats.org/gara/060110_note_from_gara.htm).
Dear Neighbors,
Martin Luther King Jr. once said “the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice.” Today no one's being sprayed with a fire hose for their skin color. But - and I can't believe I'm writing this – you’re still not guaranteed a spot at the lunch counter in Anchorage. We've made great strides, in a nation where Americans have elected an African-American President. But we're not at what Dr. King would call the "Promised Land" yet. In this newsletter I'll discuss a positive meeting I had with some of the leaders of the Polynesian community, who are still stung by the refusal of a local restaurant to allow customers in for service - it unfortunately appears – because they were of Polynesian descent. We've sent a letter I'll discuss below to try to heal this divide. And, on a positive note, I'll mention a legislative citation we presented to businesses we've worked with to offer discount clothing to Alaska's foster youth. We'd like to add more stores to the volunteer FosterWear program we founded - and want to get the word out. But today we want to say “thanks,” and let you know which stores have stepped up to the plate so far to help. No Polynesians Allowed? In early April two Alaskans were about to walk into a local restaurant and bar for a birthday party. When they got there - and witnesses corroborate this story - they were told they couldn't enter. No Polynesians allowed, they were told. Seriously. Literally. Wrongly. Here are two video links of news accounts of the event. The owner of Asia Gardens denies ethnicity was the reason the customers were denied access, and while I can't know for sure which version of the story is correct, the weight of the evidence sides with those who say they were denied access based on their race. The owner said she was trying to prevent the repeat of a violent incident that occurred because of the conduct of some Polynesian-American patrons earlier. Protecting your customers from danger is understandable. But a policy based, not on identifying people who may be violent, but on the race of a person, is not acceptable. It’s no secret Anchorage has gangs of lots of races. But in America we don’t punish whole races because the conduct of others. The right policy is to do what many bars do – post pictures of those they do not want to enter because of their conduct. I can’t believe I also had to write, in 2010, that separate is not equal. It never has been. This kind of policy is not legal under the Alaska's Human Rights laws, which were first enacted in Territorial days when Alaska Natives were told they couldn't enter restaurants and movie theatres. It's not legal under the federal civil rights legislation pushed by people like Dr. King. It’s not acceptable. Two weeks ago we sat down with Reverend Sailitai Maga, Pastor Fia Fitiausi, Rose Talamaivao and Talanoa Naufahu. We settled on the following plan of action. Reps. Pete Petersen, Max Gruenberg and I, along with Sens. Bill Wielechowski and Johnny Ellis have sent the owner of Asia Garden a letter asking for a meeting with members of Anchorage’s Polynesian community. The letter appears at the end of this newsletter.
Personal contact can, I think, help heal this divide. I'd like a promise that this will never happen again. On the positive side, with some community attention, we can have an open, frank discussion about this rift in our community, and work to heal it. Alaska Businesses Honored For Making a Difference Last week I presented Legislative citations to two of the businesses that have joined the statewide effort my office, Amanda Metivier of Facing Foster Care in Alaska, and the Office of Children’s Services have launched to provide quality, discount clothing to foster youth. Amanda and I came up with the idea during a trip we took to Seattle 2 years ago. There we toured a store community activists had opened to provide name brand discount clothing to foster youth. Our approach - to ask existing stores to help - is different, but working. The point is this. Youth without stable parents have enough dislocation in their lives. They don't need to stand out for wearing used clothing. The story of a great young woman who went to school in May in snow boots, because that’s all she had, still bothers me.
REI gets kudos for being the first store to join, and show the project can work. Alaska Commercial’s AC Stores, with locations across rural Alaska, gets kudos for helping us take the effort statewide. And Homer’s Jeans, Prospector Outfitters in Fairbanks and Valdez, Juneau’s Nugget Outfitters, JCPenney and Anchorage’s Army Navy Store get kudos for saying they want to help too. The citation also recognizes Alexis Roskelley for her work in creating the graphic design for the program. If you have questions about the various discounts offered at these stores, contact us or Izabel Bowers at OCS, 465-2218. That's it for now. Hope you enjoyed your Memorial Day weekend. As always, call if you have any questions or concerns. Best,
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
May 25, 2010 Dear Ms. Harding: Thank you for working hard to run a business in our community. We are writing to express It is our hope that, out of this event, we can start a constructive dialogue that will better our community, and heal racial divisions. At the outset, we will note that, as a restaurant owner, you have every right to deny access to persons who are a danger to you, your employees or other customers, and know that can pose difficult problems. But that is different than a policy denying access to members based on their race or ethnic appearance. We hope you agree the latter is not proper. It has long been a principle in our state - dating back to the Anti-Discrimination Act promoted by civil rights activist Elizabeth Peratrovich, and signed by Territorial Governor Ernest Gruening - that a person's race can never be a basis for denying access to a business. We are writing to confirm that in the future all people, whether Samoan, of other Polynesian descent, or of any descent, will be allowed entry into your restaurant and bar. We hope that is the case. We also think it would be productive for you to meet with some of the leaders in the Polynesian community, who are copied on this letter. We would be happy to arrange a meeting so that we can move forward, as a community, together. Meeting often breeds understanding, and we anticipate a meeting will be good for all involved. We do understand your concern that people who are a safety threat should be denied access to your business. We would ask that you consult with other businesses that have policies in this regard. Some, for example, post pictures of those who have started fights, or engaged in illegal activities at their business, so those people are not allowed back in. That would be a reasonable policy. However, we think you'll agree that denying someone entry because they are a particular race is not an acceptable policy. If you will accept our invitation for a meeting, please contact Rep. Les Gara's office at 269-0106 or rep.les.gara@legis.state.ak.us, and we will arrange it. Thank you for your willingness to work with us, and to make this a stronger community. Best regards,
cc: Rose Talamaivao |
![[signed] Les Gara](http://www.akdemocrats.org/images/signatures/5.jpg)
