Black Lives in Alaska: Joy

Black individuals who settled in Alaska built durable cultural institutions, churches, and businesses. Beyond recognizable modes of activism and resistance to discrimination, the presence of joy shared among friends, colleagues, and families is a testament to the love within Alaska’s Black communities.

These images capture subtle and routine moments of joy, from an evening date night to purchasing a new car or a first home. They showcase outdoor recreation and organized sports, weekends at the Alaska State Fair and Sunday morning worship. In sum, they present a history defined as much by intimate connections, familial bonds, and celebratory gatherings as struggles for justice.

This photo was published in an April 1955 issue of Alaska Spotlight. It shows two hunters getting out of small plane. The Alaska Spotlight was the first and largest statewide newspaper dedicated to Black issues in Alaska. It was published by George Anderson from 1952 to 1969.

The Black Church embodies the intersection of joy, activism, and community. Arguably, no other single institution has played such a leading role in the struggle for Black freedom as the Church. Black individuals worship in thousands of churches throughout the nation; there they articulate the struggles of daily life, organize in the face of discrimination, celebrate the joy of community, and share a sense of belonging. Anchorage’s Black churches have long been pillars of strength and vibrancy. 

Notable Anchorage places of worship include Shiloh Baptist Church, Greater Friendship Baptist Church, the New Hope Baptist Church, and the First Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, among others. Faith remains central to the lives of many Black Alaskans. 

When jazz legend Billie Holiday visited Alaska in 1954, she was among many iconic Black performers who made their way north to perform in the territory and then state during the postwar decades. In fact, Anchorage’s Eastchester Flats neighborhood was the nation’s northernmost Black community with a cluster of Black owned businesses and clubs. Performers like Holiday, T-Bone Walker, Jimmy Rushing, and others were known to play deep into the night before a diverse audience. 

Holiday’s trip to Alaska came towards the end of her career after she had gained considerable fame and was generally recognized as among the most talented vocalists in the history of American music.

To see more historic photographs of the Black performing artists who have visited Alaska, visit Roscoe's Restaurant at 120 E. 6th Avenue, next door to the Anchorage Museum.

Each year, Alaskans join millions around the country on June 19, or Juneteenth, to recognize Black freedom. The roots of the holiday reach back to the Civil War’s conclusion in 1865. Over two years after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, Union soldiers marched on Galveston, Texas, to spread word of liberation and an end to the war to those still enslaved. 

In the 156 years since, Juneteenth has emerged as an occasion to celebrate freedom, gather with friends for a BBQ, or convene at Anchorage’s downtown Park Strip or other locations to enjoy a day of festivities.