Anchorage Assembly chambers. Photo courtesy of the Anchorage Public Library.
The Anchorage Assembly had a busy general meeting on June 6, recognizing Juneteenth, Pride, and passing a resolution to support creating homeless camps in Anchorage.
Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, is now recognized as a municipal holiday in Anchorage. This comes after President Joe Biden made Juneteenth a federally recognized holiday in 2021. The Assembly voted unanimously to make Juneteenth a municipal holiday in February, and it was recognized at the meeting.
“[Junteenth] of course has great significance of course to the African-American community, but at the end of the day it’s American history, and it has a place for everyone to learn and understand,” said Jasmin Smith, a “serial entrepreneur” and community activist who spoke after the holiday was recognized.
“Oftentimes we are told, ‘why do you still celebrate this?’ Such an uncomfortable topic, right? Such a hard thing to discuss when you think about slavery and the idea of someone not knowing that they were free for almost two years after the day that they were actually free, still working,” said Smith, “And the answer is simple: we celebrate for our ancestors. We celebrate for our next generation, so they know not only where they come from, one small piece of a big story, but they also know that the story isn’t finished.”
The Assembly also recognized June 2023 as Pride Month. The resolution read by the Assembly not only recognized the history of Pride, which commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, but also recognized the history of Pride in Anchorage.
“Thank you to the Anchorage Assembly for using government to uplift our community instead of restrict our rights,” said one community member.
The Assembly also passed a resolution supporting the construction of one “allowed” homeless camp. This resolution comes after the Assembly closed Sullivan Arena as a homeless shelter, according to an article in Alaska Public Media. The municipality abated homeless individuals from Cuddy Park before the Sundown Solstice Festival.
The resolution was a scaled back version of an original recommendation made by the Sanctioned Camps Community Task Force, and recommends that the municipality use the former National Archives site to create a camp for 30 - 60 homeless individuals.
The resolution passed with a vote of 9-2, with Christopher Constant and Scott Meyers voting in opposition.
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