Monday, October 9, 2017

Trailblazers in Black History: Blanche McSmith


Blanche McSmith played a major role in organizing the Anchorage branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1951 and served as President in 1959, advocating for a comprehensive civil rights law. 

In that same year, Governor Bill Egan appointed Blanche McSmith to serve in the Alaska House of Representatives, and thus she became the first African American to serve in that body.

Click here for additional information. 

Source: Alaska Women's Hall of Fame 

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