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The Petersburg Borough proclaimed June 28 as Amy Hallingstad Day at a borough assembly meeting on May 19. It recognizes the late Petersburg resident as a civil rights leader who advocated for the end of segregation in Alaska’s schools.
Petersburg Mayor Mark Jensen read the proclamation to a packed room in the municipal building.
“Whereas Amy Hallingstad was a courageous and visionary leader whose lifelong dedication advanced civil rights, social justice, and equality for Alaska Native peoples, and whereas she fought tirelessly to desegregate schools and public facilities in Alaska, ensuring Native children could attend public schools and receive equal education. . . .”
People say that Amy Hallingstad could get pretty frustrated in the 1930s. Back then, segregation was very overt and legal. Signs posted in Petersburg and other parts of the state read, “No Indians or Dogs Allowed”. Hallingstad was known for physically tearing them down. Her own children couldn’t attend Petersburg’s public school just because they were Tlingit. Her grandson, Colyn Lyons, remembered the story.
“She went to the school board and asked them, ‘Are you taking school tax out of my paychecks?’ He says, ‘Well, yes, Amy, we are.’ So, she says, ‘Therefore, my children are going to go to your public school’,” Lyons said.
And they did. Her oldest son, Casper Hallingstad, Jr. was the first Alaska Native student in the Petersburg public school.
“She accomplished so many things you cannot count them for the people, not only the Natives, but for all of minorities at the time,” Lyons said. “Here was Japanese, Chinese, Filipinos that was treated so poorly.”
Alaska passed an Equal Rights Act in 1945 when it was still a territory. The Act was the first anti-discrimination law in the United States and preceded the nation’s Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act by about a decade.
Several people at the Petersburg borough meeting spoke about Hallingstad’s life. Even though she fought for civil rights, she was known for being friendly and having a good sense of humor. Politicians like U.S. Senator Ted Stevens and former governors visited her Petersburg home.
“She was known all over by the name ‘Amy’,” said resident Donnie Nelson. “Even from the governor down, knew who they were talking about when they said, ‘Amy’.”
Hallingstad served multiple terms as grand president of the Alaska Native Sisterhood, representing thousands of Alaska Natives. Sasha Ivan Soboleff is the current Alaska Native Brotherhood grand president. He traveled from Juneau for the proclamation and said he was eternally grateful and honored.
“We live in tumultuous times, I don’t need to tell you that,” he said. “But you, like us, we’re still here.”
Nicole Hallingstad is Amy Hallingstad’s granddaughter. She joined the meeting by video conference and got emotional with her gratitude.
“I simply want to say, Gunalchéesh,” she said, choking up. “Gunalchéesh to this assembly and to my beloved hometown of Petersburg, from the bottom of my heart for this recognition.”
June 28 will be recognized in Petersburg every year as Amy Hallingstad Day.
