Black Alaskans See Sarah Palin as Daughter of Privilege, Out of Touch with People of Color

By: Patrice Gaines

Blacks in Alaska said they will be watching closely Thursday when their governor, Sarah Palin, faces Sen. Joe Biden in the vice presidential debate in St. Louis.

They see Palin as a daughter of privilege, someone out of touch with the concerns of people of color, and a government official they’d like to see return to their state to face an investigation into allegations of abuse of power.

Asked about their relationship with Palin, some black Alaskans echo Montean Jackson: “What relationship?” he asked.

“She has very little, if any black representation on her cabinet or on any of the committees that she makes appointments for,” said Jackson, an educator, community activist, and Fairbanks native. “The NAACP, along with other groups, was disappointed there were no members from the black community among her appointments.”

Jackson said many Alaskans know little about Palin.

“I’m over 50, born in interior Alaska before Alaska was a state, and I don’t know that much about her,” he said.

Black Alaskans See Sarah Palin as Daughter of Privilege....