Elizabeth Peratrovich
US Civil rights activist
Died when: 47 years 150 days (568 months)Star Sign: Cancer
Elizabeth Peratrovich (née Elizabeth Jean Wanamaker, Tlingit: ?aax_gal.aat [q?a?.g??.?at?];July 4, 1911 – December 1, 1958) was an American civil rights activist, Grand President of the Alaska Native Sisterhood, and member of the Tlingit nation who worked for equality on behalf of Alaska Natives.
In the 1940s, her advocacy was credited as being instrumental in the passing of Alaska's Anti-Discrimination Act of 1945, the first state or territorial anti-discrimination law enacted in the United States.
In 1988, Alaska Governor Steve Cowper established April 21 as Elizabeth Peratrovich Day "for her courageous, unceasing efforts to eliminate discrimination and bring about equal rights in Alaska.
The date was later changed to February 16 in observance of the day in 1945 on which the Anti-Discrimination Act was approved.
In March 2019, her obituary was added to The New York Times as part of their "Overlooked No More" series, and in 2020, the United States Mint released a $1 gold coin inscribed with Peratrovich's likeness in honor of her historic achievements.
The Peratrovich family papers, including correspondence, personal papers, and news clippings related to the civil-rights work done by Peratrovich and her husband, are currently held at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.