What are the names that I grew up with here in Anchorage? I lived near Lake Otis. I went to Abbott Loop Elementary. We often drove the Seward Highway south and the Glenn Highway north. For birthdays, we sometimes ate at the Captain Cook. Dimond High, Bartlett High, Begich Middle, Hanshew Middle, Russian Jack, Cook Inlet, what do these names have in common? They are all the names of white men. Who conferred these names? Mostly, the white men who had the power to do so. I have nothing against white men: I am the daughter of one and I’m married to one. But I think it is time to name some things in our community for the rest of us. David Reamer wrote an article on Sept. 28 sharing the stories of many Anchorage place names. Of the 29 he featured, seven were named for people who were not white men.
We all want to see ourselves reflected in the world around us and in the community we live and work in. Otherwise, we feel we don’t belong. Sen. Bettye Davis served in both the State House and Senate and on the Anchorage School Board. She is a community leader who served us all and who we can all look up to. I would be proud and excited to drive down Northern Lights Boulevard past Bettye Davis East High School. Please support adding her name to this important community place.
Thea Bemben
Anchorage
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