-Shyler Umphenour, KUAC
Willard Bowman, Alaska's First Black State-House Representative.
Willard Bowman was born August 18th 1919. Coming of age in Ohio, Bowman joined the navy to escape what he called the “the Ghetto of Toledo.”
He was aboard the U.S.S. Honolulu, in December 1941. That infamous day Japan's imperial navy hit Pearl Harbor.
The sneak attack, propelling Bowman's crew and the whole country, into World War II.
Bowman survived, making his way to Alaska in 1950. Where he landed work as a laborer, followed by management consulting, eventually joining anchorage chapter of the NAACP... that’s short for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
Some ten years later, amid rising racial tension, Governor William Egan formed a new commission on human rights, naming Willard Bowman as director.
Drawing on his experiences and awareness, Bowman later formed the Citizens Council for Community Improvement, examining segregation and discrimination in Alaska.
In 1970, Bowman ran for the Alaska House of Representatives. Alongside another Black activist, both won, becoming the first Blacks to serve in their respective seats.
Bowman continued to hold office through the rest of his life, dying amid his third term, December 13th 1970.