WE SHOWED UP FOR EACH OTHER
On March 28, 5,000 Alaskans filled the streets of Anchorage. They came from every zip code, every background, every walk of life. Some had never been to a rally before. Some had been to every single one. But they all showed up for the same reason: because what is happening in this country right now is wrong, and staying home felt like giving up.
I want to speak directly to Alaska’s immigrant community — not as someone who is here to rescue you, but as someone who is in this fight alongside you. You are not a political issue. You are our neighbors, our coworkers, our friends, our family. The people being targeted by this administration are not abstractions. They are people I know. People you know. And what is being done to them — the raids, the deportations, the lies told to justify it all — is something every single one of us should be furious about. Not just the people it’s happening to. Here is what I know about Alaska: we take care of each other. Rural and urban. Indigenous and newcomer. Born here and arrived here. That is who we are. And no administration — no matter how loud, how cruel, or how well-dressed their ill-fitting suits are — gets to tell us that some of our neighbors matter less. No Kings 3.0 was one day. One powerful, historic, beautiful day. But the work doesn’t stop when the march ends. The resistance lives in what we do next — in showing up to school board meetings, in voting in every election, in knowing our rights and helping each other know them too. If you are looking for a place to plug in — to organize, to be heard, to stand alongside people who will stand with you — we want you with us. Not because it looks good. Because we cannot win without you. And because this is your Alaska too. The fire is burning. Come help us keep it lit. Sign up at standupalaska.org or call us at 907.227.6926. Erin Jackson-Hill is the Executive Director of Stand Up Alaska and Action Alaska, BIPOC women-led civic advocacy organizations based in Anchorage, Alaska. |