On Saturday, April 27th, both Tanana Chiefs Conference and Fairbanks Native Association released statements condemning Fairbanks Mayor David Pruhs comments about Alaska Native people, and since then Native Movement has released a similar announcement.
Mayor Pruhs is not young or naive, and along with previous remarks he’s made against marginalized groups (“militant lesbians” comes to mind), it’s obvious that there needs to be a change, either in the form of an apology and an announcement of actionable plans to help our unhoused family, or resign and let someone else undertake that essential work. He has released a milquetoast at best statement, only apologizing for how others felt about his words, a classic deflection that denies ownership over his harmful actions.
This has all occurred on social media, and Mayor Pruhs comments are both a cause and a symptom. Bigotry coming from the mayor’s office emboldens hate speech by others, in a time when our leaders across the state and nation stoke the flames.
It is also that these social media groups, specifically the Facebook groups Fairbanks, Alaska, of which an admin, Seth Church, is on the University of Alaska Board of Regents, and Breaking News – Fairbanks, of which an admin is current Alaska state Representative Frank Tomaszewski, will allow post after post demeaning, dehumanizing and laughing at Alaska Natives, meanwhile blocking and banning posts that address the racism and harm.
These far-right echo chambers are silencing Native voices, while also insulating themselves from any negative viewpoints, which leads to real-life harm to Alaska Native people and families. It also raises concerns that these men, as either an elected official or appointee by Gov. Dunleavy, do not take seriously their oaths to represent all Alaskans that serve or live in their districts, namely Alaska Natives.
What happens on social media matters and has consequences for our most marginalized. But it can also be how we make our community heard and hold those with power to account, starting with Mayor Pruhs, and moving on to our University of Alaska Board of Regents, current state legislators, and even our governor.
For Gov. Dunleavy to be silent about his appointees or legislators who allow such bigotry to go unabated shows his unseriousness in finding solutions for our people, which includes Dunleavy’s wife and children, who are Alaska Native. Just like them, my family is from Kotzebue- it is our families who are harmed and suffering from this bigotry Pruhs, Church and Tomaszewski refuse to meaningfully address.
It is time for these groups, their admins, and politicians address the rampant racism, stereotypes and hatred they allow day after day, and for us as Alaskans to demand our leaders be held accountable for allowing it to have gone on this long, before any more Alaska Natives are harmed or die.
David Leslie is a queer Iñupiaq in Fairbanks, Alaska.
This post is a submission to The Alaska Current. Please send submissions to news@thealaskacurrent.com.
