Anchorage is better when we work together

We are all safer, we are all better off, when all our neighbors are safe and healthy. What will it look like when we are all able to pursue the American dream, when the opportunity to pursue life, liberty and happiness is available to everyone?

This is what we imagine it will look like. First, we will all have a place to live, eat, store our belongings, take care of personal hygiene, connect and find companionship with others. Second, every household will have enough resources to maintain themselves, to access healthcare and behavioral health, to find and maintain sustainable employment, to cover childcare during working hours, and enough non-working hours to care for children and Elders. Third, we will enjoy an equitable and just community where opportunities and protections are available to everyone. All of us need these basic things to be safe and healthy.

We are better when we work together. We saw this during the aftermath of the 2018 earthquake. We came together quickly and effectively to care for each other without regard for color, creed, income level, religious beliefs, political affiliation or ability. We did this because we are Alaskans. We care about each other and this beautiful place we call home.

Recent national and local discussions are making us forget this community spirit. The worldwide pandemic has made this even more stark. As we each struggle to secure our families’ physical and financial health, we are losing the wisdom that we can get through this better, together. Many feel they are alone facing huge challenges, or that only like-minded or like-looking people support them. But that is not the Alaska way. This is a time to find a better path, together. This is not a time to hurt one another and further divide. We all need to do better, and we all can.

By many measures in Anchorage, residents who are Black, Indigenous and people of color are not as safe and well-off as white residents. This is not the result of individual choices and behaviors. Historically, policies that dictated where we lived, went to school, worked, how much we were paid, and the opportunities available to children and grandchildren, have favored white people over others. We see the accumulated impact of this history today in many issues of community-wide concern: homelessness, sexual assault, child maltreatment, incarceration and others.

We care about our neighbors. We grieve for those who are sick and the more than 180,000 Americans who have died this year of COVID-19. We understand the uncertainty and distress of unemployment and closed businesses. We see the suffering of those living on the street with no housing or supports to meet their needs. We want a community that is safe and healthy for all of us.

Thank you, Anchorage voters, for passing a tax on alcoholic beverages that will support community efforts to improve health and safety. Thank you, Anchorage Assembly members, who have listened to countless residents to inform how the tax revenue is spent and who approved the formation of the Office of Equity and Justice. Thank you, Mayor Ethan Berkowitz and the team of professionals in his office, who have provided leadership during this time. Thank you, neighbors, employers, caregivers, families, faith communities, funders and so many others, for sharing a hopeful, caring vision for the future of our community. We are better together and together we can create the beloved community. Join us!

This commentary was jointly authored by the members of the Anchorage Together partnership. They are: Alaska Black Caucus: Celeste Hodge Growden, President and CEO; Alaska Children’s Trust: Trevor Storrs, President and CEO; Alaska Community Integrity: Roger Branson, President; Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault; Alaska Poor People’s Campaign: Bessie Odom, Director of Policy; Alaska Public Interest Research Group; Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness: Jasmine Boyle, Executive Director; Anchorage Houseless Resources Advocacy Council: Ptery Lieght, on behalf of HRAC;Christians for Equality; Native Movement; Recover Alaska: Tiffany Hall, Executive Director; RurAL CAP; Shiloh Community Housing, Inc, Delmonicia Williams (Sheneé), Executive Director; The Alaska Center, Jenny-Marie Stryker; The Alaska Center Education Fund, Evan Anderson; YWCA Alaska; Local small business owners Thea Agnew Bemben, Tanya Iden and Shelly Wade; Michael P. Carson; Diane DiSanto; Dave Kuiper; Nikole Nelson; Rev. Matthew Schultz; Dawn Shewmaker; and Sean Sullivan.

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