Legislature(2017 - 2018)BUTROVICH 205
02/28/2017 03:30 PM Senate STATE AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB46 | |
| SB21 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | SB 46 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 21 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 26 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
SB 46-OCT 25: AFRICAN-AMERICAN SOLDIERS AK HIGHWAY DAY
3:31:57 PM
CHAIR DUNLEAVY announced the consideration of SB 46.
3:32:27 PM
SENATOR DAVID WILSON, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska,
sponsor of SB 46, read the sponsor statement for SB 46 as
follows:
Senate Bill 46 recognizes the contributions of African
American Soldiers in building the Alaska Highway and
commemorates those extraordinary efforts by
establishing October 25thas "African American
Soldiers' Contribution to Building the Alaska Highway
Day."
Why October 25th? On this day, African American Army
troops of the 93rdand 95thregiments constructing the
Alaska-Canadian (ALCAN) Highway north from Dawson
Creek, met the white troops constructing the ALCAN
Highway heading south. The troops connected the two
segments on October 25, 1942, at Contact Creek, near
Mile Post 590 in the Yukon Territory.
Four regiments of African American Army Engineers from
the 93rd,95th, and the 97thEngineer General Services
th
Regiments and the 388Engineer Battalion were
deployed to Alaska to assist in building the 1,500
miles of road (The highway cost $138 million to build
at that time). The 10,607 men, of which a third were
African American, built the road in eight months and
12 days. This extraordinary accomplishment was
compared to the construction of the Panama Canal.
Little recognition has been given to the African
American soldiers for their contributions in building
the ALCAN Highway; for example:
· The National Archives contains only a few dozen
photos of the African American troops among the
hundreds taken of the ALCAN Highway construction;
· African Americans were edited out of a 1991
National Geographic feature on the ALCAN highway,
despite the fact that the magazine obtained
interviews of seven men who served building the
ALCAN;
· And, the official 759-page U.S. Army history of
the Corps of Engineers covers African Americans'
involvement with a one-sentence footnote.
The road was built as an overland route across Alaska
during World War II (WW II) for strategic purposes in
our country's fight against Japanese aggression. A
shortage of manpower early in WW II led to the U.S.
Army's decision to send African American troops to
Alaska to assist in the ALCAN Highway construction.
At the formal dedication of the road, Brigadier General
James A. O'Connor singled out the African American
troops for special recognition, "Someday the
accomplishments of these African American soldiers -
achievements accomplished far from their homes - will
occupy a major place in the lore of the North
country," he promised. Because of the African American
troop's performance in contributing to the
construction of the ALCAN Highway, military and
civilian leaders decided to desegregate the armed
services in 1948. The Federal Highway Administration
has called the ALCAN Highway, "the road to civil
rights."
This year, 2017, marks the 75thanniversary of the
ALCAN Highway. It's fitting we recognize these men and
celebrate their contributions in constructing the
ALCAN Highway!
3:35:09 PM
GARY ZEPP, Staff, Senator David Wilson, Alaska State
Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, read an introductory overview of SB
46 as follows:
On December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor
in Hawaii. America's next concern of World War II was
how close Alaska was to Japan and that fear became a
reality after the Japanese bombed Dutch Harbor on June
3 and June 4, and invaded Attu and Kiska in the
Aleutian Islands in 1942 as well. American's reaction
was to build an overland route across Alaska and
Canada in order to support the troops and the
supplies. This had to be accomplished quickly and the
U.S. troops met the call; they finished the original
Alaska highway in eight months and a few days. This
was an extraordinary engineering accomplishment for
its time. Most African-American soldiers at that time
were delegated to labor projects and not usually sent
into battle because the military's assessment of
African-American soldiers was thought to be
substandard when compared to white troops and skills
and literacy; that changed after the original
construction of the Alaska Highway.
3:36:29 PM
MR. ZEPP explained the reason for commemorating October 25 as
follows:
Why October 25th as Senator Wilson stated? Two crews,
one moving north and one moving south completed the
road's last link. Later the New York Times reported
what happened when they, "met head on in the spruce
forest of the Yukon Territory." This is Corporal
Refines Sims Jr., an African American from
Philadelphia, who was driving south with his bulldozer
when he started to see trees toppling over on him, on
the other side he slammed his vehicle in reverse and
backed out just as another bulldozer driven by Private
Alfred Jalufka of Kennedy, Texas, broke through the
underbrush. The wire-service photographer captured
this image, one African American, one white standing
on their respective bulldozers, this occurred 20 miles
east of the Alaska-Yukon border as the senator
referred to; an article in the Engineering News Record
described it as, "Two races working together to build
a lifeline to Alaska's defenders amidst spectacularly
rugged terrain and horrendous weather conditions."
He reviewed a map of the Alaska Highway and commented as
follows:
The Alaska Highway is considered one of the biggest
and most difficult construction projects ever
completed by the U.S. Corps of Engineers; it stretches
1,422 miles from Dawson Creek, British Columbia, to
Delta Junction Alaska, at a cost of $138 million in
1942, taking that in today's dollars equals $2.1
billion. As a side note and to put it into
perspective, on March 30, 1867, Secretary of State
William Seward reached agreement with Russia to
purchase Alaska for $7.2 million, that's $112.2
million in today's dollars.
3:38:23 PM
MR. ZEPP presented a video: Alaska Highway - "The Road to Civil
Rights."
3:42:52 PM
He thanked the National Park Service and the U.S. Department of
Interior for the video. He continued his presentation as
follows:
The African American Army regiments that built the
Alaska Highway established a reputation for
excellence, especially in the field of bridge
building; however, their accomplishments were ignored
by mainstream media and press. It took decades for
them to receive proper recognition for their
achievements. Some say they were as "legendary" as the
Tuskegee Airmen and the Buffalo Soldiers.
He addressed "Why the recognition of the African American
Soldiers?" as follows:
It's about historical context. Race relations in
America were very different in 1942 and opportunities
for African Americans were rare and expectations were
low. Racial segregation included: housing, medical
care, education, transportation, and social
segregation (restaurants, drinking fountains,
bathrooms, etc.).
The movie "Alaska at War" was a documentary on
Alaska's role in World War II, such as the opening of
oil fields, the Japanese bombing of Dutch Harbor, the
struggle to recapture the Aleutian Islands, and the
construction of the highway. "Not on African American
soldier was shown in the movie," stated Eugene Long,
who was enlisted in the 95th Engineer Regiment
deployed to Alaska to assist in building the Alaska
Highway.
3:44:17 PM
MR. ZEPP addressed "Why the recognition of the African American
Soldiers?" by considering the following timeline for the
Safeguards of Civil Rights:
· 1865: 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
abolished slavery and involuntary servitude.
· 1868: 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution granted
U.S. citizenship to former slaves.
· 1870: 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provided
African American men the right to vote.
· 1875: The Civil Rights Act of 1875 was passed and
forbid racial segregation in accommodations.
· 1896: U.S. Supreme Court sustained the
constitutionality of Louisiana's requirement that
railroad companies provide "separate but equal"
accommodations for white and black passengers.
· Over the next 25-35 years, equality in racial
relations progress was lost, particularly in the
South. By 1910, segregation was firmly established
across the South and most of the border region.
· 1954: Legal segregation in schools was banned in the
U.S. after a series of rulings in the U.S. Supreme
Court.
· 1964: All legally enforced public segregation was
abolished by the Civil Rights Act.
The U.S. War Department's tradition and policy
mandated the segregation of African Americans into
separate units, led by white officers. During the
construction of the Alaska Highway, African American
troops were ordered to not leave camp and mingle with
the locals, while the whites were allowed to mingle.
They were treated unequally and yet defied
expectations in many situations, with even fewer
resources.
He addressed "Why the recognition of the African American
Soldiers?" as follows:
Little press or mainstream media has been given to the
African American soldiers, examples of the lack of
press coverage of the African American troops include:
· National Archives contains only a few dozen
photos among the hundreds taken of the Alaska
Highway construction.
· African Americans were edited out of a 1991
National Geographic feature on the highway,
despite the fact that the magazine obtained
interviews of seven men who served building the
Alaska Highway.
· A souvenir booklet, "Alaska Highway, Army Service
Forces," published in 1944 includes 100 photos
but only one of an African American soldier.
· The official 759-page U.S. Army history of the
Corps covers African American troop involvement
with a one-sentence footnote.
3:46:40 PM
MR. ZEPP addressed "Why the recognition of the African American
Soldiers?" as follows:
This event and others that followed during World War
II influenced our American leaders and some believe
that it was a turning point in race relations in
American. By 1948, President Truman signed into law a
desegregation plan for the armed forces.
In 1992, Colin Powell, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, after seeing Ms. Lael Morgan's exhibit in
Fairbanks stated, "I had no idea black men had done
anything like this." "They are deserving of
recognition."
Douglas Brinley, Rice University Historian, "The
Alaska Highway was not only the greatest feat of World
War II; it is a triumph over racism."
General James O'Connor, during the Alaska Highway
dedication stated, "Someday the accomplishments of the
African American troops' achievements accomplished far
from their home will occupy a major place in the lore
of the North country."
This happened in Alaska.
MR. ZEPP presented a video presentation on the Alaska Highway
that featured Mr. Reginald Beverly, 95th Engineer Regiment. He
disclosed that Mr. Beverly is currently 102 years old.
3:49:06 PM
He addressed "Acknowledgment and Thanks" as follows:
The legacy of the African American Army soldiers
wouldn't be known today nor officially recognized by
the military if not for the works of many. Just to
name a few:
· The U.S. Park Service;
· U.S. Army Corp of Engineers;
· Heath Twitchell Jr. (Historian);
· James Eaton (Curator of the Black History Archive
at Florida A&M University);
· Ted Stevens (U.S. Senator);
· Andrew Molloy (Head of Pentagon's Affirmative
Action Office);
· Colin Powell (Retired Four Star General);
· Stan Cohen (Author);
· John Virtue (Author);
· Mike Dunham (Anchorage Daily News);
· Cornelia Dean (New York Times);
· Tim Ellis (KUAC News);
· Rickie Longfellow (News Writer);
· Bill Gifford (Washington City Paper);
· Kani Saburi Ayubu (Black Art Depot Today);
· Douglas Brinley (Rice University-Historian);
· Jean Pollard (Educator);
· Lael Morgan (University of Alaska-Professor of
Journalism).
Thank you all for your contributions in revealing this
remarkable story and your support of Senate Bill 46's
efforts to establish October 25th as "African American
Soldiers' Contribution to Building the Alaska Highway
Day."
He encouraged all Alaskans and visitors to attend the Alaska
Highway's 75th anniversary events throughout the state during
the upcoming summer.
CHAIR DUNLEAVY thanked Mr. Zepp for his presentation. He opened
invited testimony for SB 46.
3:50:56 PM
KATRINA BEVERLY GILL, representing self, State of Maryland,
testified in support of SB 46. She revealed that she is the
daughter of Veteran Reginald Beverly, previously noted in Mr.
Zepp's presentation. She detailed that Mr. Beverly is one of
over 4,000 black soldiers who built the Alaskan Highway in 1942.
She provided the committee with details of Mr. Beverly's
experience in building the ALCAN Highway as well as his
educational and vocational history. She set forth that she
supported SB 46 to recognize the contributions of African
American soldiers who worked extremely hard on the Alaska
Highway and completed the task in record time prior to the time
that was given.
CHAIR DUNLEAVY thanked Ms. Gill and Mr. Beverly for his service
to his country.
3:55:18 PM
JEAN POLLARD, Chair, Alaska Highway Memorial Project, Anchorage,
Alaska, testified in support of SB 46. She set forth that it is
time to recognize the achievements of the African Americans that
built the Alaska Highway. She noted that when she graduated from
college she did not know about the history of the Alaska
Highway. She stated that SB 46 will ensure that future
generations will learn about the contributions of the African
American soldiers that built the Alaska Highway.
4:00:53 PM
VERDIE BOWEN, Director, Office of Veterans Affairs, Alaska
Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Anchorage, Alaska,
testified in support of SB 46. He remarked that the greatest
aspect of SB 46 is the fact that it recognizes a third of those
that built the Alaska Highway and did so with less than the rest
of the soldiers. He said the contribution by the African
American soldiers proved that under great, extreme difficulties
that not only were they the same soldier, but equal too. He said
what the African American soldiers did on the Alaska Highway was
just as significant as the military desegregation that occurred
in 1948.
4:02:30 PM
BERT LARKINS, representing self, New Orleans, Louisiana,
testified in support of SB 46. He revealed that his father was
one of the black soldiers that built the Alaska Highway. He
disclosed that his father was ecstatic when he heard the black
soldiers that built the Alaska Highway would be recognized for
their accomplishment.
4:05:28 PM
MARK FISH, representing self, Big Lake, Alaska, testified in
opposition of SB 46. He asked that SB 46 be amended to recognize
all soldiers for an Alaska Highway Day. He disclosed that his
grandfather had worked on constructing the ALCAN Highway. He
admitted that the bill is well intended, but informed that both
blacks and whites had worked together in a racially divided
country for a common cause in building the ALCAN Highway.
4:08:31 PM
KAREN JONES, representing self, Wasilla, Alaska, testified in
opposition of SB 46. She asked that the bill be amended to
include all soldiers. She disclosed that her father was a
civilian contractor on the Alaska Highway. She noted that her
father endured challenging conditions during the highway's
construction. She revealed that 12-men died on a resupply
mission during construction. She pointed out that recent history
has noted the contribution of black soldiers in the Alaska
Highway's construction. She stated that October 25 should be a
date that recognizes all that had served during a most difficult
time in the nation's history.
4:12:26 PM
CHAIR DUNLEAVY closed public testimony.
4:12:42 PM
SENATOR GIESSEL moved to report SB 46, version 30-LS0431\A, from
committee with individual recommendations and attached zero
fiscal note.
4:12:54 PM
CHAIR DUNLEAVY announced that there being no objection, SB 46
moved from the Senate State Affairs Standing Committee.
SENATOR GIESSEL commented as follows:
I am happy to support this bill, but one of the things
that I can't fail to notice is the Corps of Engineers
approved this building of the road through wetlands
and permafrost, it was built in less than a year, if
only we could do that today.
CHAIR DUNLEAVY reiterated that SB 46 moved from committee. He
noted that the Delta Junction area will be having a celebration
during the upcoming summer in commemoration of the Alaska
Highway's completion.