5 Reasons Alaska Is Ripe for Multicultural Psychology Work

I meet a lot of people as I travel around the country to share my work on multicultural psychology. In the process, I get asked many questions – What are some of the most interesting findings of my research? What have I learned so far? Where is my work heading? – questions that other researchers also get asked. But one very typical question I get that other scholars probably don’t, goes something like this:

“You live in Alaska? Alaska? Why Alaska? How is it even possible to do multicultural work in Alaska?”

Yes, many people get surprised – shocked even – when I tell them that I grew up, live, and work in Alaska.

And as a brown-skinned immigrant man doing multicultural work in Alaska, I am definitely “rare” in many people’s minds.

Source: By 2002_Winter_Olympics_torch_relay_route.svg: User:Mangoman88, using Blank_US_Map.svg by User:Theshibboleth [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

But as I explain below, I am not “rare” at all, although I don’t blame people for thinking that. Look, I understand that not a lot of people know much about Alaska. And with my home state seemingly being the “Reality TV” capital of the country, even the few folks who do know of Alaska tend to have a very warped picture of the place and the people.

Then there’s also Sarah Palin and her family, and how they have shaped (distorted?) Alaska’s image. So yes, I do understand people’s ignorance.

Anyway, because I am sure I am not the only person – especially person of color – who gets quizzical looks from others when they find out that people like me exist in Alaska, here are five reasons why not only is multicultural work possible in Alaska, but why such work can also thrive in this wonderful state.

Reason #1: Alaska has the highest percentage of Indigenous Peoples in the country

Alaska is home to 229 of the 556 Federally Recognized Tribes in the country! Alaska’s First Peoples are very diverse culturally and linguistically, but they are often categorized into five major groups: Aleut/Aluutiq (Southwestern Aleutian Islands), Athabascan Indians (Interior Alaska), Inupiat (Northern Region), Yup’ik (Southwest Region), and Tlingit/Haida/Tsimshian Indians (Southeastern Coast). Together, Alaska Natives compose approximately 16% of Alaska’s population. So if one is interested in the realities and lived experiences of Native Peoples in the United States of America, Alaska is the place! You can look at historical trauma, epigenetics, resilience, colonialism, settler colonialism, indigeneity, identity politics, Native languages, Native ways of knowing, Native ways of healing, Native political activism, Native sovereignty struggles, among many other topics. In fact, the top-notch team at the University of Alaska Fairbanks' Center for Alaska Native Health Research have been doing empowering, culturally-responsible, and collaborative work with Alaska's First Peoples for years!

Reason #2: Alaska’s immigrant population is 50 years ahead of the rest of the country

Currently, Alaska’s foreign-born population of around 9% is still slightly behind the national average of around 13%. Nevertheless, Alaska has a rapidly growing immigrant population, primarily because of the large numbers of Asians in the state, who compose the third largest racial group in Alaska after Whites and Natives. Also, although it is not until the year 2065 when Asians will overtake Hispanics as the largest immigrant group in the U.S., this is already the case for Alaska right now in the year 2016! Yes, approximately 50% of the foreign-born population in Alaska are Asians! Even further, Filipinos compose a whopping 30% of all immigrants in Alaska, with Mexicans coming in as the second largest immigrant ethnic group at 8%. So if one is interested in acculturation, family dynamics, language acquisition, and other factors and issues that are especially pertinent and salient to the immigrant experience, Alaska seems to be the place to get ahead. There is plenty that one can learn from the amazing work that the Alaska Immigration Justice and Refugee Assistance and Immigration Services have been doing for a long time!

Reason #3: The most diverse neighborhoods in the country are in Anchorage, Alaska

Contrary to popular belief – or contrary to distorted “common sense” – reality shows that the most racially diverse neighborhood in the country is not in Queens, not in Los Angeles, and not in Honolulu. According to research, the most racially diverse neighborhood in the United States is in Anchorage, Alaska! Also, the top 3 most racially diverse public high schools in the country, the top 4 – and 6 of the top 10 – most racially diverse public middle schools in the country, and the top 19 out of the 20 most racially diverse public elementary schools in the country are in Anchorage, Alaska! Additionally, after Hawaii, Alaska has the second highest percentage (around 7% of the state population) of mixed-race individuals too! So if you are interested in working with a particular population – ranging from people whose heritage is from Asia, Africa, Central America, or Europe and how they live in various environments ranging from urban centers to rural isolated villages – chances are good that you will probably find them in Alaska. Some commendable efforts have been started by the Municipality of Anchorage to harness the strengths of this amazing diversity, so the work that people can get involved with is already under way!

Reason #4: Just like the rest of the country, there is rampant racism in the state of Alaska

Although there is amazing racial diversity in Alaska, it doesn’t mean that racism is not a concern. In Alaska, as is the case with the rest of the country, the majority of power is still held by White people. This imbalance in power and privilege is precisely what oppression is. And when the imbalance of power and privilege is between racial groups, then we call that racial oppression. There are way too many instances of racial oppression in Alaska to mention here, but a recent example is the Fairbanks Four – four Native men who were convicted of murdering a White man despite biased investigation and weak evidence. We also have an over representation of Native people in our jails and the juvenile justice system. Also, there is research showing that Natives, Asian Pacific Islanders, African Americans, and Latinos/as in Alaska commonly experience racism in various contexts from housing, the criminal justice system, employment, school, and health care. So if one is interested in addressing racism in the interpersonal, institutional, and internalized levels, there is definitely plenty of work that needs to be done in Alaska. A great example of people working on these issues is the wonderful team at First Alaskans Institute and their Advancing Native Dialogues on Racial Equity project.

Reason #5: Health, education, economic, and other disparities are clearly felt in Alaska

Research has consistently shown that racial oppression is related to the various health, education, economic, and other issues facing racial and ethnic minority groups. So over the past few years, there’s been plenty of attention and resources devoted to racial/ethnic minority disparities research and services. In Alaska, we see our various racial/ethnic minority groups experience disturbingly high rates of alcohol and drug use, suicide, depression, intimate partner violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, incarceration, diabetes, hypertension, poverty, lack of access to healthcare, and low educational achievement, among many others. For example, recent research on Asian Pacific Islanders in Alaska shows that 60% felt depressed, 59% were overweight or obese, and 31% had hypertension, all of which are rates that are higher than those for the general U.S. population. Indeed, there is so much work to be done in Alaska for folks who are interested in addressing the various disparities that exist between racial or ethnic groups. For instance, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium has been a leader in understanding and eliminating such disparities.

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Source: E.J.R. David

So contrary to what popular media representations may suggest, the reality is that Alaska is one of the better places in the country – perhaps even the world – to do multicultural work. Hopefully, these five straightforward and easy-to-relate to facts about Alaska will be helpful in destroying myths and stereotypes about my beloved home state. At the very least, from now on whenever people ask me the typical question of “You live in Alaska? Alaska? Why Alaska?”, I can just easily give them this link. Here you go friend, educate yourself.

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E.J.R. David, Ph.D. has two books, "Brown Skin, White Minds: Filipino American Postcolonial Psychology" and "Internalized Oppression: The Psychology of Marginalized Groups."

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