The AKPIRG Advocate, January 2026
Resources, Compassion,
and Solidarity 💛
Across the country, democracy and human rights are under attack. AKPIRG stands firm in the belief that our governments can – and must – do better.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids continue to escalate, shattering families and traumatizing neighborhoods across the country. The deaths of 32 people in ICE custody, alongside the murders of Keith Porter in Los Angeles, and Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, are not isolated tragedies, but part of a long pattern of violence, kidnappings, and terror inflicted on communities across the country.
In Alaska, ninety-nine people have been taken into ICE custody in the past year, with each detention creating a widening circle of loss carried by families, friends, and neighbors.
Alaskans deserve safety in our homes and communities, and public systems that are transparent, accountable, and responsive to the people. When government actions cause harm and erode trust, it matters to speak clearly about those impacts and to stand in solidarity with immigrant communities, BIPOC communities, and all those who are showing up for their neighbors – from Minnesota to Alaska and in every corner of the country.
Images credited to @acluofalaska
Even amid so much heartache, there are powerful reminders of hope. In the Twin Cities, community members are modeling what it looks like to truly care for one another: neighborhood-based rapid response groups are organizing resources, local manufacturers are 3D-printing whistles for protesters, and small businesses are coordinating mutual aid and fundraising efforts. These acts – small and large – are gestures of courage, creativity, and collective care.
That same light is burning here in Alaska. From Anchorage to Sitka, Alaskans are showing up for one another. We applaud these efforts and encourage everyone to stay connected with their neighbors and communities, remain vigilant, and continue finding ways to lead with compassion.
Image credited to KCAW/McKenney.
Now is the time to take action – call your lawmakers, donate to on-the-ground efforts, make safety plans with your friends and families, know your rights, share resources, keep paying attention, and speak out.
As you find the ways to take action that feel right for you, remember to care for yourself – fuel your body well, take time to rest, create, and connect with others. And whenever possible, extend that same care to those around you.
In solidarity,
The AKPIRG Team
A Message from Indra Arriaga, AKPIRG’s New ED 💬
A week into my new position as AKPIRG’s Executive Director, I believe this is one of the most important positions I have held, at a moment when AKPIRG’s mission and focus matter more than ever.
More than half a century after its founding, AKPIRG stands strong with a stellar team that is deeply committed to the shared values of Justice, Community, Trust, and Accountability. Our work is rooted in providing reliable information and analysis to Alaskans about complex systems that impact their well-being, ensuring they are equipped to engage, advocate, and forge their future.
Our work in Economic Justice, Energy, Good Government, and Language Access, supports communities as they grow and thrive, holds powerful interests accountable to Alaskans, and imagines a world in which democratic processes and economic systems are built on equity.
I am excited and humbled by the opportunity to lead AKPIRG in these challenging times, and I am confident in our team’s ability to keep showing up for Alaskans no matter the challenges. I invite you to stay connected and engaged with us as we continue this work – together.
With gratitude and respect,
Indra Arriaga
Neezhraazhii, We Are Healing - Community Dialogue 💚
This conversation event offers a welcoming, healing space for our Indigenous community to come together around language, wellness, and collective healing, with a particular focus this year on recovery from substance and alcohol use.
Language is vital to our identity and connects us to our ancestors and ways of knowing. Each of us holds a connection to our language that can be a source of strength and grounding in our healing journeys. This gathering invites participants to come together in a good way to share stories, listen, reflect, and support one another, stoking the inner fire within each of us to keep it burning brightly.
AKPIRG's Language Access Director Rochelle Adams will co-facilitate the conversation with traditional healers Yaari Walker and Kay Wallis, bringing together traditional healing knowledge and language access work to hold a care-centered, community-rooted space for connection, reflection, and healing space for connection, reflection, and healing.
Hosted by the AKPIRG Language Access Team, with support from Recover Alaska. Food will be provided. This event is limited to 20 participants, there are only a handful of slots left!
Where: 2522 Arctic Blvd, Anchorage, AK 99503
When: Saturday, January 31st, 2 - 4pm
Cost: FREE!
Community Meal &
Conversation in Juneau 🏘
Free food and community! What could be better?
Tongass Tenants Alliance (TTA) is hosting a community meal and conversation about Juneau's housing shortage and what we can do to solve it. Join us, and bring a friend!
Where: Mendenhall Valley Public Library, 3025 Diamond Pk Lp, Juneau AK
When: Tuesday, February 3 @ 6pm
Cost: FREE!
Centering Indigenous Women’s Voices: The COVID-GEA Project
The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped life everywhere, but its impacts were not felt equally. In the Arctic, Indigenous women experienced the pandemic in ways shaped by gender, culture, language, and place. The COVID-GEA Project was created in collaboration with The George Washington University and AKPIRG to better understand these experiences by centering Indigenous women’s voices and ensuring that research findings were accessible to the communities they came from. Together, they engaged Indigenous communities in Alaska and the Nenets Region to examine the gendered impacts of COVID-19 across the Arctic.
Language access and revitalization were central to this work. Selected project materials were translated into Nenets and Iñupiaq (using the Seward Peninsula Iñupiaq [Kigiqtaamiutun] dialect), and shared in written, audio, and video formats to honor the importance of oral tradition. In accordance with Alaska Native Language Translation Protocols, this work was completed through AKPIRG’s Iñupiaq (Inupiaqtun) Language Panel. Written translations were led by Language Panelist Georgianna Oonak Merrill, with video materials voice-dubbed by Annauk Olin, an Iñupiaq language educator and tribal member of the Native Village of Shishmaref. Because English and Iñupiaq differ significantly in structure and cultural meaning, the translations focused on conveying ideas and lived experiences rather than word-for-word equivalence.
The COVID-GEA Project in Iñupiaq features the voices of Indigenous women living in Anchorage, Nome, and nearby villages, whom researchers met with in 2022. Their stories offer powerful insight into how the pandemic affected families, care systems, and community life in Alaska. By revitalizing and sharing these voices in Indigenous languages, the project helps ensure that Arctic women’s experiences are recognized as part of the broader history of COVID-19. It also encourages future responses to be more inclusive, just, and informed.
American Community Survey Toolkit Highlight: Inupiaq Language Poster 🌟
In 2026, we’re continuing our Alaska Native Languages American Community Survey (ACS) Toolkit series. This month, we’re highlighting the work of AKPIRG’s Inupiaq Language Panel.
The Inupiaq Panelists created an amazing fact sheet about the ACS, a survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau that determines how trillions of dollars in federal funding are distributed. When a community member responds and marks that they are a speaker or learner of Inupiatun, they create visibility for their whole community.
Quyanaq to our Inupiaq Language panelists for creating this resource!
Check out the full toolkit with downloadable and printable resources in nine Alaska Native languages at akpirg.org/acs.
End of Year Fundraising Goal: EXCEEDED! 🙌
AKPIRG is starting 2026 on a strong note: we not only met, but exceeded our end-of-year fundraising goal! 🎉
We put out a call at the end of 2025 inviting folks to pitch in to a $3,500 funding match. Our community answered the call, donating over $5,000 to AKPIRG in less than 3 weeks! With $3,500 matched by a generous donor, that puts our end-of-year grassroots donations at over $8,500!
Grassroots donations are so important to our organization -- your contributions help us cover everything from snacks at our community events to travel expenses for our expert policy staff to engage in on-the-ground advocacy in Juneau and DC and everything in between. Your support drives our work, and we are so grateful that you chose to invest in our organization.
Thank you for your support, and stay tuned for a busy year of advocacy.
