The Alaska Legislature passed a bill Friday that would, if signed by the governor, designate March as Women’s History Month in state law.
Backers say it’s an effort to recognize the important contributions women have made to Alaska and the nation as a whole.
The main sponsor in the House, Rep. Carolyn Hall, D-Anchorage, introduced the bill by reading the names of more than 50 notable Alaska women, starting with Gail Phillips, Vera Alexander, Carol Beery, Ellen Paneok, Nellie Cashman, Elizabeth Peratrovich and Tina DeLapp.
"How many names mentioned have everyday Alaskans heard of before? How many of us know their accomplishments, their leadership, or their fortitude?" she said.
Establishing a particular month in state law to honor their contributions would help Alaskans better appreciate the female leaders who came before them, she said.
"This is why it's so important for Alaska to honor and preserve Women's History Month," she said. "The purpose is to lift up, recognize and integrate women's experiences into our state's narrative."
This year, for the first time, women outnumber men in the Alaska House of Representatives, a fact Hall noted in her speech supporting the bill.
Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson, an Anchorage Democrat, wrote the bill and carried it through the Senate.
"Alaska is a land of resilience, where survival depends on strength, adaptability and community, and for generations, women have been at the heart of it all — leaders, trailblazers and defenders of culture and justice," Gray-Jackson said during debate on the bill on March 3. "Too often, their contributions have been overlooked."
Gray-Jackson said she hoped the observance would help inspire the next generation of female leaders.
The bill passed 19-0 in the Senate and 33-2 in the House with broad, bipartisan support in both chambers.
Republican Reps. Julie Coulombe of Anchorage and Mike Prax of North Pole were the only lawmakers voting no. Prax and Coulombe said after the vote they thought women should be recognized for their accomplishments rather than their gender. Coulombe said designating a month for women’s history wouldn’t make a meaningful difference in women’s lives.
“This isn’t going to help women. I want policies that actually help women, and us just passing resolutions and days doesn’t do anything,” she said. “We keep hearing that we have a majority of women in the Legislature, and I take offense that I’m a ‘woman legislator.’ I’m just a legislator.”
Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s communications director, Jeff Turner, declined to say whether the governor would sign the bill.
