11.29.18

Murkowski Legislation Honoring Native Women Advances to Senate Floor

“It is essential that we recognize and honor the women who helped shape our country’

Today during a Senate Committee on Indian Affairs business meeting, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) applauded passage of her legislation, S.RES 444, which recognizes the heritage, culture, and contributions of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women in the United States.

Click here for full text of the resolution.

Legislation Honoring Native Women - 11.28.18

(Click the image to watch video of Senator Murkowski’s remarks)

“I’m very proud to have sponsored legislation alongside my Senate colleagues to recognize the great many contributions Native women have made to this country throughout its history. Whether it’s those who have been active participants in our military since WWII or contributions and innovation in industries such as medicine and science, and fine arts, these women deserve to be recognized for their actions,” said Senator Murkowski. “We’re particularly proud in Alaska of a Tlingit woman, Elizabeth Peratrovich, who was an advocate so early on in terms of anti-discrimination laws, as she was instrumental in securing the Anti-Discrimination Act of 1945, which was the very first anti-discrimination law in the United States and was signed into law 19 years before the passage of the Civil Rights Act. It was led by a Tlingit woman in Juneau, Alaska, who went to our state legislature, stood up from the back, and spoke out to the assembled lawmakers. It is just again a reminder of the significant contributions that so many indigenous women have made across generations.”

Background: On March 2018, Senator Lisa Murkowski introduced the legislation with Senator Tom Udall (D-NM).