It is quite possible that more Alaskan glaciers melted this week. Clearly the winds have changed and it isn't from the heat.
President Barack Obama did something I didn't expect him to do. He melted down the icy hearts of some Alaskans -- my own included.
Don't get me wrong, I'm still upset about Gitmo, the NSA and Shell drilling the Arctic, but I melted.
I'm giving credit to him, though I don't think it is his entirely. I think while the president was falling in love with our state, we were reminded again why we live here -- it's people. Sometimes, like last week, we show the world that we are kind of awesome.
Check your pulse if your eyes didn't get wet watching the children in Kotzebue saying the Pledge of Allegiance in a language spoken before America fought the British to declare itself independent. There is something even more "American" about it said in Inupiaq than it said in English.
Dillingham showed up beautifully. They spruced up the town and hung a "No Pebble" banner everywhere possible. Even a salmon was happy to see him and spawned all sorts of "Don't Cry Over Spilled Milt" jokes. The president seemed happy yuraq-ing (Yup'ik dancing) with the children and sat with them and smiled for pictures.
He told them he was proud of them several times. "We're so happy to be here, and young people here especially I'm very proud of you. Keep up your traditions, even as you go out into the big world and learn and bring back the knowledge that's going to build this community."
That isn't something that has been said often enough to Alaska Native children, or any children for that matter.
Estelle Thomson describes herself as "a poor Native kid from the village." She was particularly touched by his visit. "For Native youth, whose graduation rates from college and even high school are abysmal, teen pregnancy and suicide rates are disproportionately high, this single statement can fuel the success of so many kids. If they can just remember that feeling. ... Some of those kids will realize they have no limits because the president of the United States said he believed in them. Some of them are our next generation of leaders who will remember the kindness of a man who came across the country to see them. Some of them will see that brown people (like them) can be very successful if they work hard."
I hope her words travel fast to God's ears. If Obama's visit saves one child from taking their life it was worth the trip. She noted, "He touched on something extremely important to Us (as Native People). Not only in celebrating who we are and retaining Our Culture ... but in the belief we should use our knowledge and experience to help Our People."
One of my favorite writers, Don Rearden said, "No president has ever shown this level of respect for Alaska's Real People."
Yeah. That's a sad fact but it was beautiful to see a culture so worthy of respect be honored.
How was it for you to see Gov. Bill Walker deplane Air Force One with the president? Wasn't it fantastic to see him hug the best-dressed lieutenant governor, Byron Mallott? Did you wonder what they talked about? Hey! Our governor rode on that plane and got the ear of the president miles above America! I'm so proud of him! I guess that whole "Alaska First" thing meant something. Oh, and it was a great week to have a judge confirm the governor had the right to accept Medicaid expansion -- also known as "Obamacare."
Even people who "are polar opposites politically" of the president were on their best behavior, with the exception of Congressman Don Young's Facebook rants and a former abstinence spokesperson who apparently didn't listen to her mother use the word "Denali" for a giant mountain. (You can't spell denial without Denali, hon.)
What made me the most proud was hearing how the staff and support folks were treated by Alaskans. The president remarked that they had been invited to caribou feeds, fishing, and berry picking. According to their own accounts, they have never been treated as warmly or welcomed the way they were in Alaska. That is beautiful, people. It doesn't surprise me at all. That's how we are -- even when they don't work for the White House.
Obama isn't going to be president for much longer. We're always going to be Alaska. Let's try to show up for each other the way we did for him last week.
Shannyn Moore is a radio broadcaster.
The views expressed here are the writer's own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary(at)alaskadispatch.com.