The White House is visible behind a young woman who holds her fist up as she poses for a photograph with a large banner that reads Black Lives Matter hanging on a security fence at 16th and H Street, Monday, June 8, 2020, in Washington, after days of protests over the death of George Floyd, a black man who was in police custody in Minneapolis. Floyd died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

The White House is visible behind a young woman who holds her fist up as she poses for a photograph with a large banner that reads Black Lives Matter hanging on a security fence at 16th and H Street, Monday, June 8, 2020, in Washington, after days of protests over the death of George Floyd, a black man who was in police custody in Minneapolis. Floyd died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Alaska Voices: Taking concrete steps to address racism

We know there is no easy solution when talking about racism and inequity.

  • By Ed Rasmuson, chairman of Rasmuson Foundation, on behalf of the Rasmuson Foundation Board of Directors.
  • Monday, June 8, 2020 11:27pm
  • Opinion

My grandparents immigrated from Sweden to Yakutat in the early 1900s. My grandmother, Jenny was a Christian missionary and my grandfather, E.A., an educator and missionary. Faith was their guiding light, and they believed strongly that all people were to be treated with dignity, compassion and respect. These values were instilled into their two children, Maud Evangeline and my father, Elmer Rasmuson, and my dad passed them on to me and to my two sisters, Lile and Judy. In many ways, these values serve as the pillars upon which Rasmuson Foundation was built.

I and my fellow Rasmuson Foundation board members have been reflecting a lot recently on the state of our country. We’ve been thinking about the death of George Floyd, watching the raw emotions and agony being processed before our eyes on live television. In the last week, we’ve seen the good in people — including right here in Anchorage where community members came together in solidarity to peacefully demonstrate, mourn the loss of a life and support each other. And we’ve seen the bad: the violence and division.

Under that backdrop, members of our board met this week to talk about our values and how to respond in this moment. We are living in a time where both action and inaction are statements about who you are and what you value. Going back to the days of Jenny and E.A., our family has always stood up against injustice. My grandmother fought to keep bootleggers out of Yakutat (quite successfully I am told). My stepmother, Mary Louise Rasmuson, was a member of the first Women’s Army Corps and was recognized for her work integrating Black Women into the WACs and fighting for equality. In addition to growing National Bank of Alaska into the largest bank in the state before selling it to Wells Fargo in 2000 to focus on philanthropy, my father was mayor of Anchorage. In his book, “Banking on Alaska,” he spoke about what he was most proud of from his tenure as Anchorage’s chief executive. One thing he identified was “peaceful progress on civil rights and equality for all, at a time when racial strife was tearing the nation apart.” Under his tenure, the Human Rights Committee was created and the first fair housing ordinance outlawing discrimination in the city passed. He was an outspoken supporter of equal rights for African Americans, and became a lifetime member of the NAACP.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

We know there is no easy solution when talking about racism and inequity. But this is an issue we will continue to address. Our board meets later this month, and we intend to emerge with concrete steps to address racism, just as we have in areas of homelessness, alcoholism and other societal challenges.

I will close with an anecdote about my father. On one occasion in 1965, he received an angry letter from a Homer man who believed that an Anchorage demonstration in support of voting rights was communist inspired. “I hope you appreciate,” Elmer wrote back, “that people have the right to march and parade as you also have the right to write letters.”

Elmer truly did see the dignity, compassion and respect in all people, even when he disagreed with what they were saying. When my grandparents moved to a Tlingit village in the early 1900s they were greeted with love. Today, that love is reflected back to Alaska through the Rasmuson Foundation.

Ed Rasmuson is chairman of Rasmuson Foundation


• By Ed Rasmuson, chairman of Rasmuson Foundation, on behalf of the Rasmuson Foundation Board of Directors


More in Opinion

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Life is harder when you outlive your support group

Long-time friends are more important than ever to help us cope, to remind us we are not alone and that others feel the same way.

A silver salmon is weighed at Three Bears in Kenai, Alaska. Evelyn McCoy, customer service PIC at Three Bears, looks on. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Opinion: Will coho salmon be the next to disappear in the Kenai River?

Did we not learn anything from the disappearance of the kings from the Kenai River?

Jonathan Flora is a lifelong commercial fisherman and dockworker from Homer, Alaska.
Point of View: Not fishing for favors — Alaskans need basic health care access

We ask our elected officials to oppose this bill that puts our health and livelihoods in danger.

Alex Koplin. (courtesy photo)
Opinion: Public schools do much more than just teach the three Rs

Isn’t it worth spending the money to provide a quality education for each student that enters our schools?

Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks to reporters at the Alaska State Capitol on Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Letter to the Editor: Law enforcement officers helped ensure smooth, secure energy conference

Their visible commitment to public safety allowed attendees to focus fully on collaboration, learning, and the important conversations shaping our path forward.

Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo
The present-day KTOO public broadcasting building, built in 1959 for the U.S. Army’s Alaska Communications System Signal Corps, is located on filled tidelands near Juneau’s subport. Today vehicles on Egan Drive pass by the concrete structure with satellite dishes on the roof that receive signals from NPR, PBS and other sources.
My Turn: Stand for the community radio, not culture war optics

Alaskans are different and we pride ourselves on that. If my vehicle… Continue reading

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) delivers his annual speech to the Alaska Legislature on Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Sullivan, Trump and the rule of lawlessness

In September 2023, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan established his own Alaska Federal… Continue reading

UAA Provost Denise Runge photographed outside the Administration and Humanities Building at the University of Alaskas Anchorage. (courtesy photo)
Opinion: UAA’s College of Health — Empowering Alaska’s future, one nurse at a time

At the University of Alaska Anchorage, we understand the health of our… Continue reading

U.S. Rep. Nick Begich III, R-Alaska, address a joint session of the Alaska Legislature on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: A noncongressman for Alaska?

It’s right to ask whether Nick Begich is a noncongressman for Alaska.… Continue reading

Boats return to the Homer Harbor at the end of the fishing period for the 30th annual Winter King Salmon Tournament on Saturday, March 23, 2024 in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Opinion: Funding sustainable fisheries

Spring is always a busy season for Alaska’s fishermen and fishing communities.… Continue reading

Gov. Mike Dunleavy holds a press conference on Monday, May 19, 2025, to discuss his decision to veto an education bill. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: On fiscal policy, Dunleavy is a governor in name only

His fiscal credibility is so close to zero that lawmakers have no reason to take him seriously.

You're browsing in private mode.
Please sign in or subscribe to continue reading articles in this mode.

Peninsula Clarion relies on subscription revenue to provide local content for our readers.

Subscribe

Already a subscriber? Please sign in