AK HJR29

Alaska Natives faced systemic discrimination and were denied basic civil rights during the territorial period.

Elizabeth Peratrovich (Grand President of the Alaska Native Sisterhood) and Roy Peratrovich (Grand President of the Alaska Native Brotherhood) successfully petitioned the Alaska Territorial Legislature and governor to enact the Anti-Discrimination Act of 1945.

The Anti-Discrimination Act of 1945 banned discriminatory signage and made it a crime to discriminate based on race in public establishments, becoming the first anti-discrimination law in the United States.

February 16, 2020 marked the 75th anniversary of the Anti-Discrimination Act of 1945 being signed into law.

The Alaska State Legislature recognizes the historical importance of the Anti-Discrimination Act of 1945 as the vanguard of anti-discrimination legislation in the United States and commemorates its 75th anniversary.