Mana Alaska exhibit vandalized at Anchorage Museum

According to the Mana Alaska website, ‘mana’ means “to inherit, receive as an inheritance or to take after.” “Mana: The History We Inherit” is “A pop-up exhibition uplifting the stories of our Filipino elders, connecting the many generations of Filipinos in Alaska.” The exhibition had its grand opening Oct. 28, where community members gathered to watch performances of traditional music and dance, visit vendors and explore the exhibit. 

The exhibit lines the walls of a hall on the first floor of the Anchorage Museum. Attendees can take in the history of loved community members who dedicated their lives to creating a home and making a difference in Alaska. 

On Jan. 18, a community member entered the Anchorage Museum to view the Mana exhibit with her family. Upon entering the hall where the exhibit hangs, she found the display showcasing her grandfather had been vandalized with an inappropriate sticker. When she alerted museum staff, she was “met with no sense of urgency,” said Shayne Nuesca, UAA graduate and Mana Alaska storyteller. She “wasn’t getting that sense that the museum staff felt that it was important.”

Mana Alaska creators felt disappointed with what they said was a lack of empathy and urgency from the museum in response to the incident. “If they say this is hurtful, no one else gets to invalidate that.” said Joshua Albeza, a photographer and storyteller for Mana Alaska, in reference to the family’s feelings on the matter. 

The Mana display was the only exhibit in the museum that was defaced. “They told us … this wasn't the only space in the museum that had a sticker on it, but this was the only exhibited wall. They told us ‘we found a sticker on a blank wall, and a piece of furniture and a map.’” said Nuesca. When sharing about the museum’s response to the incident, Nuesca said: 

“The significance of this family's grandfather's photo is much deeper than a map, much deeper than a piece of furniture. … Statements like that, that minimize the situation and the impact of that incident to this family, have spoken volumes of what the museum prioritizes and what they value. … It feels like they don't value this genuine relationship with our community, with historically marginalized people.”

When asked his opinion on the defacement, UAA student and Kabayan Community member Abram Lazo wrote “… any form [of defacement] is unacceptable,” and expressed how unfortunate he felt the event was. 

According to a report from PBS, 1 in 3 Asians and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. said they faced racial abuse in 2023. With an uptick in racial abuse and discrimination in recent years, there has also been a rise in efforts to advocate for legislation preventing it.  Many of these efforts include projects like Mana Alaska and attempts to uplift the voices of marginalized communities. “[Events like this are] a great opportunity to facilitate community, community healing,” said Albeza. 

The Northern Light asked students to share how the exhibit made them feel. One UAA student, Charlene Pugay, wrote in a Google form, “... going to the exhibit’s grand opening really opened my eyes to how big the Filipino community is in Alaska and it kind of made me feel really welcomed. I think events/exhibits like Mana are important because it makes the newer generations, like me, learn about our history. It genuinely made me feel proud to be Filipino which I can’t say I have felt before.” 

This exhibit is not the only project that Mana Alaska hopes to create. The exhibit closes  soon, but will be available for free viewing on Feb. 2 – the first Friday of the month with free museum admission – and Feb. 3. Tickets for Feb. 3 are covered by the Alaska Black Business Directory and Umoja for the Black Business Expo event, so all of Anchorage can attend for free. 

Mana Alaska has released an official statement on the vandalism that can be viewed on their Instagram, mana.alaska.