Alaska's Congressional delegation was strongly in favor of the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act, and public opinion in Alaska was as well. Here's Rep. Howard Pollock explaining in one minute the significant effects of the 1968 Civil Rights Act.

You see, back before World War II and especially during that war, Alaska had some pretty dreadful experiences with discrimination and racism. It wasn't black-white; it was generally white on Native or white on Asian racism. It was particularly acute from the time of the Klondike Gold Rush to the end of World War II, as large influxes of whites from Outside brought racist attitudes with them.

Before the Klondike Gold Rush, whites were very much in the minority, and while they did exhibit racism, it wasn't as large as it would later become.

In any event, in 1945 the Alaska Legislature passed the Anti-Discrimination Act, the first of its kind in an American territory or state in the United States. This legislation was strongly supported by the Alaska Native Brotherhood and Alaska Native Sisterhood, which each fought strong for Native rights (and still do today!) Much as the Civil Rights acts of the 1960s did, the Anti-Discrimination Act's main purpose was to prohibit housing discrimination and to guarantee equal accommodations in businesses. That meant no segregation.

In 1954, when the Alaska Constitution was drafted, and in 1959, when Alaska became a state, equality was again confirmed. Article 1, Section 3 of the Alaska Constitution states unequivocally: "No person is to be denied the enjoyment of any civil or political right because of race, color, creed, sex, or national origin."