Fairbanks NAACP discusses joy, resistance, anthropology at 73rd anniversary banquet

Story and photos by Jonathan Wasilewski

The Greater Fairbanks Division of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP, held their 73rd anniversary banquet in the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Wood Center ballroom on December 6.

Left to right: Robyne, Eboni Bright, Barbara Wiley, Bennie Colbert, Lakeidra Chavis, MoHagani Magnetek and Juanita Magnetek listen to Richard Wiley, at the podium, speak at the 73rd Fairbanks NAACP Anniversary Banquet.

The evening kicked off with guests being invited to elegant seating and transitioned to remarks from Rev. Richard Wiley, the night's master of ceremonies. In his opening remarks, Wiley mentioned the reason for the banquet. “Tonight, we gather not just for a meal, but for a mission. We're here to celebrate our progress, honor our champions, and sharpen our collective resolve for the vital work that lies ahead.” 

Wiley prayed for the event, acknowledged the Dene people on whose traditional lands UAF resides, mentioned the event’s special guests, led the Pledge of Allegiance, and sung the 1900 hymn “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” After a raffle facilitated by NAACP member Eboni Bright, food was served with live music in the air. 

As attendees ate their fill, Fairbanks NAACP President Bennie Colbert mentioned the organization’s mission and the events they have facilitated. The meeting then transitioned to investigative Chicago journalist Lakeidra Chavis’ talk on joy as an act of resistance.

Chavis, a 2015 graduate of the University of Alaska Fairbanks and former Sun Star editor, has worked in public radio in Juneau and Bethel and in Chicago for ProPublica and the NPR station. She was drawn to the journalism field because of Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s talk on “the danger of a single story.” Adichie’s 2009 TedTalk mentioned that having only one viewpoint is dangerous; a person needs to know the full story. In Chavis’ own words, “the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.” Chavis said that the stories people create and tell themselves have power.

Chicago investigative journalist Lakeidra Chavis speaks to the crowd about joy at the 73rd Fairbanks NAACP Anniversary Banquet in UAF’s ballroom.

The very first story Chavis wrote was about the removal of a Mississippi flag in Juneau that “contained Confederate energy” in 2015. “Removing that flag seemed like one small step in a larger battle to end racism in America,” she said.

Chavis then moved to Chicago the day after Trump was elected in 2016, and has wondered how to create joy in these times. She mentioned that people are living in a critical moment in democracy, which is showing signs of authoritarianism, and that constitutional rights are under threat. “Worries about joy seem to be everywhere: among my fellow journalists and among my friends and neighbors,” she said.

Yet, according to Chavis, joy is found in the small moments of life. It can be found in laughter with friends, a walk under the winter sun or a warm mocha. Chavis also mentioned that the other main speaker of the evening, MoHagani Magnetek, was "infectiously joyous” about historical archaeology. Colbert finds joy in knowing that everything will be okay. In short, the small joys of life can be used to fuel hope for the future and to hope for change. 

Chavis also had thoughts on how people can resist, mentioning negative events that have occurred as of late. She said that diversity was celebrated five years ago and it is now the subject of ire for the U.S. Department of Justice. Simultaneously, federal cuts to NPR and PBS have dismantled newsrooms across the country, which give voice to the underprivileged. Yet, according to Chavis, people can resist with the truth and seek it out in any way they can.

MoHagani Magnetek, U.S. Coast Guard veteran, anthropologist, historical archaeologist, and human rights activist, speaks to the crowd about anthropology at the 73rd Fairbanks NAACP Anniversary Banquet in UAF’s ballroom.

The other speaker of the evening was MoHagani Magnetek, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran, anthropologist, historical archaeologist and human rights activist. Her talk’s main focus was unearthing the lives of the 97th Engineering Regiment, who were Black Alcan Highway builders. They were stationed near the Tanana River to brave the 1942-43 winter, and there aren’t many records of their time there. Magnetek and her team spent six weeks in tents near the site to see what they could find: barrels reused from WWI and the Gold Rush era, a cluster of cans and the wooden foundation of a segregated outhouse. To find the artifacts, the team used drones, pedestrian surveys, intensive photogrammetry, archival research and other methods, helping them to unearth the past. According to Magnetek, her research and talking about it brought her joy. 

Reflecting on joy and hope, Chavis was reminded about this chapter of the NAACP and the reason for the 73rd Anniversary Banquet. “[We are here to] raise funds to help people in need, to help people fight an unjust system, and to give people hope to pursue the truth,” she said. 

The evening concluded with another raffle and an opportunity to dance.