Friday Focus: Celebrating the life and legacy of Elizabeth Peratrovich
A mural commemorating Elizabeth Ḵaax̱gal.aat Peratrovich, a Tlingit civil rights activist, was created by Crystal Kaakeeyáa Rose Demientieff Worl, a Tlingit and Athabascan creator.
Feb. 13, 2026
— By Jessica Black, associate vice chancellor for rural, community and Native education
The sun is starting to return in Alaska, and with the return of light comes a sense of excitement and renewal. All month, I am excited to celebrate the life and legacy of Ḵaax̲gal.aat, or, as most know her, Elizabeth Peratrovich, a Tlingit civil rights activist and icon among Alaska Native peoples.
She utilized her voice to advance Alaska’s Anti-Discrimination Bill in 1943, finally passing in 1945, the first in the country, at a time when Alaska Natives were fighting for the right to be treated equitably in their traditional homelands. She advocated alongside others as the President of the Alaska Native Sisterhood (ANS) Grand Camp, and they, along with the Alaska Native Brotherhood (ANB), were at the forefront of leading anti-discrimination efforts. In her famous speech at the Alaska Territorial Senate on Feb. 8, 1945, she stated, dripping in irony as she repeated some of the discriminatory language a senator had used before she spoke, “I would not have expected that I, who am barely out of savagery, would have to remind gentlemen with 5,000 years of recorded civilization behind them of our Bill of Rights.” Her words and the collective efforts of the members of the ANB and ANS inspired others to use their voices and garnered the momentum that was needed to finally pass the Anti-Discrimination bill.
Here at the College of Indigenous Studies, we reflect on Elizabeth and others who were instrumental in these efforts with a profound sense of gratitude. Elizabeth can best be described as a person who fought through adversity and many challenges, utilizing her cultural values, her intelligence and grit to challenge inequitable systems and ensure her Alaska Native peoples were treated with dignity and respect, and to work to end the all-too-common practice of discrimination in Alaska.
I reflect on her life and legacy often, not just on Elizabeth Peratrovich Day, because of her efforts and those of many leaders who came before me; I have had opportunities that she and others of her time were not afforded, but deserved. I have had the privilege to seek an education, to serve in various leadership roles here at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, including as an associate vice chancellor in the College of Indigenous Studies. That representation matters because I, too, bring my values, intelligence and grit to work every day to advance the highest good for our students and greater UAF community. Without Elizabeth Peratrovich’s advocacy, I might not find myself in this position, and for that I will always be grateful. She taught us all important lessons: to use our voices, to think of the collective whole and to advance fairness and equity.
Learn more about the mural commemorating Elizabeth Ḵaax̱gal.aat Peratrovich and its creator on .
Friday Focus is a column written by a different member of UAF's leadership team every week. On occasion, a guest writer is invited to contribute a column.