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a letter to the Governor of Alaska calling attention to the un-American signs on the Douglas Inn which read "No Natives Allowed." The letter reminded the Governor that Natives pay the required taxes to the territory-even the unjust school tax--to a system that excluded Native children fromthe public schools. And, the fact that World War Il was a part of everyone's lives without discrimination. Native men were called to war to protect the very freedom the Douglas Inn proprietor enjoyed without thought. It was a compelling objection complete with a resolution, simple yet respectful and a challenge to the concept that all men are created equal. Simply put, "If our people misbehave, send the parties concerned out but let those that conduct themselves respectfully be free to come and go.
     Coincidentally, Governor Gruening had begun to wage his own battle against discrimination. He too was disturbed by the offensive signs he saw throughout Alaska. As a result, Gruening and representatives of the ANB met with proprietors of businesses where the signs were displayed, while the problem seemed to only worsen. Discrimination against Native Alaskans was not confined to restaurants and movie houses and its most blatant expression came with the war as it was brought to the attention of Governor Gruening first hand during a visit to Ketchikan. A delegation of three young Native women reported to him that Native girls were being excluded from the USOs, the recreation centers provided for members of the armed services. Gruening contends, in his book [underline] Many Battles, that the absurdity, as well as the cruelty, of his practice lay in the fact that while Native young men in uniform were admitted freely to the USOs, their sisters were not. And this discriminatory practice was carried so far that if a Native GI and a white GI were walking or talking together on a street corner, and a Native girl--perhaps the sister of the Native soldier--joined them, an MP would come along and order them to 'break it up."
   Unable to change the policy of the Alaska Defense Command in Anchorage, Gruening flew to Washington, D.C. to resolve the USO matter with President Roosevelt. The President promised to have the Alaska Defense Command overruled and the practice of excluding Native girls from the USOs stopped. It soon was, on an order from the Secretary of War.
   A few weeks later, Governor Gruening received a telegram from a seventeen year old Nome girl, half-white, half-Eskimo, who went to the movie with a friend, a sergeant in the Army. She had been ultimately thrown out from the theater for sitting on the wrong side of the aisle. When she struggled, she was arrested and spent the night in jail. The Governor immediately sent a telegram to the Mayor of Nome, Swedish-born, Edward Anderson, denouncing the incident and asking for an explanation. Mayer Anderson wired back that he considered it 

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Letter to Alaska Native Brotherhood

Hon. Ernest Gruening
Governor of Alaska
Juneau, Alaska
Dear Mr. Gruening,

My attention has been called to a business establishment in
Douglas, namely, "Douglas Inn," which has a sign on the door which reads, "No Natives Allowed."

In view or the present emergency, when unity la being stressed
don't you think that it is very Un-American? We have always contended that we are entitled to every benefit that is accorded our so called
White brothers. We pay the required taxes, taxes in some instances that we feel are unjust, such as the school tax. Our Native people
pay the school tax each year to educate White children, yet they try to exclude our children from these schools.
In the present emergency our Native boys are beings called upon to defend our beloved country, just as the White boys. There is no distinction being made there but yet when we try to patronize [[?]] business establishments we are told in most cases that Natives are not allowed. 
  The proprietor of "Douglas Inn" does not seem to realize that our Native boys are just as willing as the White boys to lay down their lives to protect the freedom that he enjoys. Instead he shows his appreciation by having a "No Natives Allowed" on his door. 
   We were shocked when the Jews were discriminated against in Germany. Stories were told of public places having signs, "No Jews Allowed." All Freedom loving people in our country were horrified at these [[?]] yet it is being practiced in our country.
  We as Indians consider this an outrage because we are the real Natives of Alaska by reason of our ancestors who have guarded those [[?]] and woods for years past. We will still be here to guard our beloved country while hordes of uninterested whites will be fleeing South. 
   When a Norwegin, Swede or an Irishman makes a fool of himself in any of these business establishmants [[establishments]] he is asked to leave and it is not held against all of the Norwegins, Swedes or what have you. [[?]] that we be accorded the same considerations. If our people disbehave, send the parties concerned out but let those that conduct themselves respectfully be free to come and go.
    We know that you have the interest of the Native people at heart and we are asking that you use your influence to eliminate this discrimination, not only in Juneau or Douglas, but in the whole Territory.
Very truly yours,
Mrs. Elizabeth Peratrovich
Grand V100 [[?]] Prej.. [[?]] A.N.5. 
Roy Peratrovich
Grand Pres.. A.N.5.
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most regrettable and that it would not happen again.
   Meanwhile, the Alaska Native Sisterhood was doing their part in bringing anti-discrimination to the forefront. Mrs. Cecelia Kunz, a distinguished Tlingit woman of Juneau ANS went to the local selective service office and demanded to see a "No Indians Allows" sign in their window. This action demonstrates how the ANS did not miss an opportunity to make the anti-discrimination point clear.
    Elizabeth Peratrovich had gotten five young ladies to lobby a Senator from Nome who was against the anti-discrimination movement. In those days, the legislature met every other odd year and for sixty days only. According to Connie Paddock, who was one of the lobbying ladies, they used Elizabeth's strategy to get into Senator Frank Whaley's office. Evelyn Ridley, from Ketchikan, was the spokesperson for the group. Evelyn called the Senator and explained that she wanted to talk to him about the anti-discrimination bill that was coming up in the current session. He invited her to his office and was overwhelmed when he greeted five visitors instead of only one. The other three ladies were Nellie Peratrovich West (Roy's niece), Jenny Corrigal-Adams and Helen Davis, both from Bethel. The ladies proceeded to tell SenatorWhaley [[Senator Whaley]] what it felt like to be discriminated against-- not being allowed to join the USO, the signs in the businesses. In a recent interview with Connie Paddock, she related that the only place to go then was Percy's Cafe. The Senator could not believe that good-looking ladies like them would not be allowed in the USOs. Connie had been working for the Indian Affairs Office then and was not even aware of the legislature until Elizabeth had gotten them involved. Connie's husband, Tom, was Elizabeth's first cousin. Part of Elizabeth's strategy was utilizing friends and relatives as power-driven tools in the anti-discrimination movement.
   Additionally, GovernorGruening sat down with the Grand Presidents of the ANB and ANS, Roy and Elizabeth, to work out further strategy. Anthony Diamond, Alaska's Representative to the U.S. House supplied sample bills from around the country and information to the ANB to help frame anti- discrimination legislation. On their own tab, the Grand Presidents traveled around educating, convincing, taking note of the slightest example of discrimination, and starting up new ANB and ANS camps. The fact that the Grand Camp met in late fall and the legislature in mid-winter was a strategic advantage in itself.
   In the 1943 legislature, Governor Gruening's reapprtionment bill enlarged the territorial legislative body from eight to sixteen Senators and from

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In the 1943 legislature, Governor Gruening's reapportionment bill enlarged the territorial legislative body from eight to sixteen Senators and from sixteen to twenty-four representatives. This was a major turning point in making the legislature more for the people, by the people.
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sixteen to twenty-four representatives. This was a major turning point in making the legislature more for the people, by the people. The absentee ownership representation would greatly weaken as a result. 
   The draft legislation to outlaw discriminatory practices in Alaska was introduced in the sixteenth legislature, sponsored by Senator Norman R. Walker, it was entitled: "An Act to provide full and equal accommodation within the jurisdiction of the Territory, and to provide penalties forviolations [[for violations]], and declaring an emergency." This bill was defeated after a bitter floor fight. Roy Peratrovich said that an Anchorage legislature taught him his first lesson in "double cross politics" when he promised to support the bill and changed over the last minute. The bill was defeated with a tie vote.
   In the House, Speaker Jim Davis also sponsored a bill eliminating all discrimination based on race, but only 'by request." This bill not only prohibited discrimination in public places but also opened the local schools to Native children, thus going beyond what Governor Gruening felt was attainable at the time since the Office of Indian Affairs had an established system of separate schools. It was doubted that this could be changed all at once especially since it involved federal policy which the legislature was powerless to alter. During the hearing on Davis' bill before the whole House, it was opposed by R. R. Roberyson, president of the Juneau School Board, on the grounds that it would place an unwarranted burden on the Juneau School System. The bill was defeated 9 to 7.

Transcription Notes:
First page, halfway attached through the letter. Letter finished. Both sides done.