What is distinct about the lives and experiences of women of color in Alaska? And how can listening to them help ensure social justice and inclusion for women and girls of color in our state? Join the Museum and YWCA Alaska for a conversation with a diverse panel of women living in Alaska . . . in color.

Susan Anderson, M.Ed., has led The CIRI Foundation as President/CEO for 21 years, helping to provide programs that promote individual economic self-sufficiency and cultural pride through education among Cook Inlet Region original enrollees and their descendants. Susan was appointed to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) by Governor Sean Parnell in 2010 and currently serves as the Commission’s Vice-Chair.

Indra Arriaga Delgado is a Mexican artist, writer and researcher. Indra’s art has shown internationally and nationally, including in communities across Alaska. In addition to her work in the visual arts, Indra works as an independent consultant doing economic and social research, and as freelance writer.

Laile Fairbairn has founded three popular Anchorage restaurants -- Snow City Cafe, Spenard Roadhouse, South Restaurant + Coffeehouse, and is the managing partner for Crush Bistro. She is member of the Anchorage Museum and Anchorage Downtown Partnership boards of directors.

Born in Cordova, Alaska, Krystal Kompkoff claims her four years of commercial fishing on her parents’ seining boat taught her how to do hard work, which came in handy as she recovered from a drive by shooting in late 2018. Krystal has managed youth employment programs for over twenty years and currently is the 477 Youth Services Manager at Cook Inlet Tribal Council.

Natasha “Tasha Webster” is a self-taught visual artist. Influenced by the Black Arts Movement  of the 1960s and 70s, and the works of Betye Saar, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Nina Simone, James Baldwin and Maya Angelou, Tasha researched the lives and histories of notable Black Alaskans and Black artists to deepen her understanding of her own heritage and roots.

Being a Woman of Color in Alaska