OPINION: Dunleavy has a choice to make on Judy Eledge

Gov. Mike Dunleavy annually issues a proclamation recognizing the state holiday that commemorates the efforts of my grandmother — Elizabeth Peratrovich — and the efforts of many others to pass an anti-discrimination law in Alaska.

On Tuesday, I called the governor’s office and relayed that I wish the governor would keep my grandmother’s name out of his mouth if he is not willing to remove Judy Eledge from the Education Commission of the States. The governor appointed his longtime friend and campaign donor to the commission in early March. Before that, he publicly recognized Eledge as exemplifying the “heart of Alaska.” Sadly, through countless racist and transphobic social media posts, Eledge has consistently told us who she is. And she is definitely not representative of the heart of Alaska.

Perhaps the governor justified his past support of Eledge based on their friendship and her denials of having made inflammatory posts and comments. Given that he is married to an Alaska Native woman, I’d really like to give him the benefit of the doubt here.

That said, the recent ProPublica/Anchorage Daily New exposé leaves no room for doubt:

Eledge is a bigot.

Eledge is racist.

Eledge is transphobic.

And Eledge is a bully.

To illustrate this, Eledge made numerous statements to multiple different people, some of which were recorded. Among other things, she was recorded making a number of derogatory and hurtful statements about Alaska Native people. At this point in time, there can be no more denying, and Dunleavy has a choice to make. He can continue to hide his head in the sand, or he can replace Eledge with one of the countless individuals who are better qualified to represent Alaska. (There are, in fact, many Alaska Native people who are better suited for the role.)

Failure to take corrective action will be seen and remembered for what is — complicity.

betsy Peratrovich presented on Alaska’s Anti-Discrimination Act in area schools and mailed booklets on the act to every school district in the state prior to the topic being included in curriculum. Now retired, she is a former longtime senior director for the shareholder department of an ANCSA regional corporation. She is the granddaughter of Alaska civil rights icon Elizabeth Peratrovich.

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