Daily Sitka Sentinel

July 08, 2020, Letters to the Editor

Tip of the Iceberg

Dear Editor: If our friends, family and neighbors say that a statue on permanent, public display is a reminder of past, collective trauma and therefore causes regular harm to this day, isn’t it our responsibility to do something to change that? Answer: Yes. 

It is that simple. The Baranov statue should be removed. 

I want to be a part of an equitable and just future for Sitka. I want to be proud of my community for being on the right side of history. If we can’t rise to the simple occasion of removing a statue of a man who perpetrated great violence against the indigenous communities in Sitka and beyond, how can we trust that we have it in us to do anything to continue working towards the liberation of those who have, for generation after generation, been oppressed and marginalized by our systems, language, narratives, and so much more?

This should be an obvious decision.

Lee House, Sitka

Thanks, Mary Wegner

Dear Editor: Sitkans Against Family Violence would like to thank Dr. Mary Wegner for her exemplary leadership at the Sitka School District where she served for the last 10 years, first as assistant superintendent and then, for the past six years, as superintendent.

Under Dr. Wegner’s leadership, the district made tremendous progress towards transforming school environments to be trauma informed, culturally responsive, and welcoming for all youths and their families. When SAFV’s prevention coalition, Pathways to a Safer Sitka, approached the district with the idea and resources to further incorporate social and emotional learning practices into the school environment, Mary didn’t hesitate. She saw this as an opportunity to build upon the work the school district was already doing and further advance education equity within the district. Her vision led the district to be eligible for not only statewide but national funding opportunities to advance systems level change and foster an equitable, trauma-informed, strengths-based scholastic environment.

Mary and her administrative team worked tirelessly to establish improved school infrastructures and though there is still work to do, much has been accomplished with her at the helm. SAFV and Pathways to a Safer Sitka looks forward to continuing this important work with the board and leadership team going forward. 

We thank Mary for her continuous efforts to build a positive school climate where all students feel safe and supported and have the opportunity to reach their full potential. SAFV is grateful for her leadership and is honored to have had the opportunity to work collaboratively these last few years. We wish her well and know she will continue creating pathways for equity in education and in communities across Alaska.  

Mary Wegner was recently featured in SAFV’s Everyday Women of Sitka Campaign. Go to www.safv.org to read the full interview.

Julia Smith, Prevention Director,

Sitkans Against Family Violence

Baranof Statue

Dear Editor: I’m writing to add my voice to the growing call to remove the statue of Alexander Baranof from in front of Centennial Hall. The statue has been controversial since its creation, and it is not ever going to become less controversial.

I hear a lot of moaning and groaning about erasing history and Sitka’s legacy from some parts of the community that I want to address head on. Moving statues has nothing to do with history. The plaque on the statue has no educational value whatsoever, and neither does the bronze image of the slave trader and genocidal fur peddler. History is passed down through oral tradition and through written records. No one is advocating for a book ban and quite the opposite of erasing Baranof from history, the recent conversation around moving his statue has only renewed interest in understanding Baranof and his actions. The Russian Bishop’s House, the Cathedral, Totem park and the Sitka Historical Museum speak volumes to the brief period when Russia maintained a trading post here. The statue is just a symbol.

That brings us to Sitka’s legacy. What is the statue a symbol of? What does Baranof represent? To me, Baranof represents a failed model of business and colonialism. His symbol is a slap in the face to Native people who have had to stand up for their rights and their sovereignty ever since Russia peddled the lie that they owned Alaska. His legacy of warfare, slavery and colonization does not align with the community that Sitka is trying to be today.

If advocates of the statue care so deeply about history, I invite them to join us in our call to have the statue moved to an actual history museum, where it can be discussed in the context of his actual history. It’s time as a symbol of Sitka has come to an end.

Matthew Jackson, Sitka