Community Perspective

I consider myself a simple Alaska Native person. I worked hard to attain a master’s degree in educational leadership. I have served on local and state Native and non-Native boards and recently retired from teaching after many satisfying years serving our community. I am content with my personal life and raising three productive members of society. I have chosen to be alcohol-free and drug-free all of my life. I have been happily married to my life-long mate for 40 years.

I admire the leadership in the Native community, but I am not afraid to address issues that do not support my value system. If our Native leaders endorse a political candidate, I respect this, but I feel it should not diminish my right to study for myself the issues regarding all candidates.

I believe our society as a whole is made of strong individual people who work together to accomplish a better life. In this process, we respect each other, though we might not always agree. It was my understanding that the senatorial debate of candidates was taken off the agenda at the recent Alaska Federation of Natives convention due to time restraints, but AI Kookesh stated in the Oct. 22 Fairbanks Daily News-Miner that it was because AFN endorsed Lisa Murkowski and the board chose not to give other candidates “air time.”

I would like to see the AFN-endorsed candidate in an open forum with her opponents to see why the board felt strongly that she is the best one to represent our people in Washington, D.C. Our democracy gives us the right to hear all views. I feel our Native people need to hear from all candidates. When a Native man asked how Joe Miller and Lisa Murkowski stood on subsistence issues during the open microphone time, the moderator felt it was not his role to answer this question but stated that AFN supported Lisa Murkowski. The senatorial debate could have addressed this question.

Many delegates come from rural Alaska where it is hard to meet the candidates face-to-face. Many of our rural people are Democrats, and this decision by the AFN board denied them the privilege of hearing the Democratic candidate. Delegates missed the opportunity to hear both sides of the fence. An endorsement is not a mandate.

When a candidate states concerns that our Native corporations are over the line using our corporate money illegally in campaigning, it is not my idea to “shoot the messenger.” I would like to hear his views on this matter.

I am aware that Doyon, my local Native corporation, is a major contributor to the Alaskans Standing Together. In light of the fact that many of our shareholders’ yearly dividends hardly cover a two-month heating bill, I question spending thousands of dollars endorsing a candidate. Regarding “air time,” if we can donate approximately $1 million for Alaskans Standing Together, why not spend money for “air time” so our Alaska Natives in rural villages who can’t afford the cost of a trip to AFN can see with their own eyes why AFN endorsed Lisa Murkowski as well as learn the views of the other candidates?

I am appalled that Alaskans Standing Together is touted as a Alaska Native corporation-funded political tool when it supports disgraceful ads such as the one in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner’s Oct. 24 edition. An example shows a picture of handcuffs stating that a candidate used this measure for silencing a journalist who wanted to ask “pesky questions.” As I understand it, the handcuffs were used for unruly behavior from an overzealous individual who stepped over the line of proper behavior. The security people would not be doing their job if they didn’t restrain this person.

On a closing note, in my opinion, one of our recognized Alaska Native leaders stepped across the line in the News-Miner when he said, “I will have nothing to do with him,” referring to one of the candidates. As a Native person, I would expect our Native leaders to work with the candidate chosen by the majority as our senator in the best interest to Native people even if that candidate is not our endorsed candidate. AFN’s endorsement does not rubber-stamp who the next senator will be.

This is not an endorsement for any candidate. It is simply a usually quiet voice expressing a desire for open debate among the Native community for educational awareness of all candidates, especially since this is our first endorsement of a senatorial candidate.

Jeannie Nelson of Fairbanks is an Inupiaq and a retired school teacher originally from Lake Minchumina.