[themessenger]

Hey Guys, i'm just curious. Was there in history in Alaska about racial discrimination (like other states have)?

[providencechris]

I had kind of given up on this section, sorry! Anyway, we do have some similar history as you describe. In the early days children from the villages were basically taken from their families and forced to attend boarding schools to assimilate into the modern western way of life. There were villages actually shelled by US warships in a few certain instances. To this day there is still some more pervasive and more difficult to detect forms of discrimination out there in things like the now so popular phrase "bridges to nowhere" and such which in truth deny our rural residents access to modern medical facilities as the rest of the US enjoys, not to mention unfair restrictions from the opportunity to develope and engage in commerce as the rest of the US enjoys compliments of their already previously federally funded bridges and interstate systems to name a few examples. This serves to keep these residents in a subdued state of existance such that they will never lift themselves up to enjoy the comforts and safety of our western civilization, sort of "keeping them in their places" if you know what I mean. People love to talk about how much federal money is spent in Alaska "per capita" yet they don't want to talk about 90 percent of our rural communities having no access to road or rail systems. Even the larger "hub" communities like Bethel have no access to adequate and affordable transportation mechanisms, and the surrounding villages even less so. Bethel has 12 villages with 12 schools surrounding it within a 25 mile radius, and not a road to one of them. Try living up to "no child left behind" requirements under those conditons and not taking in more federal dollars per captia than the other states already connected with interstate highways and rail systems. Anyway, it's my belief that an objective, compassionate, thoughful, and wise christian attitude would cause people to encourage programs to bring these families into the 21st century along with the rest of our nation.

Another issue affecting this that is of some significance, is the issue of reverse discrimination. Often we see young children, teachers, etc who get threatened, beaten and so on for being from "outside" the villages and public sentiment within the communities often runs along the lines of "considering past wrongs" makes it acceptable. This thought process does nothing but hinder the healing process which is necesary either.

At the same time, it's also significant to realize that had the US not purchased Alaska from the Russions when they did, these same rural residents would be living under much harsher conditions as the rural folks do in areas surrounding places like Magadan and such where Urban residents don't have hot or even running water in some cases, and public restrooms have no sanitation standards what so ever (read NO tp!) so I guess in some ways, relatively speaking, we've accomplished more than would have been under the regime they were saddled with.

Anyway, thanks for asking and I apologise for taking so long to respond!