"The history of African-descended peoples in Alaska runs deep and spans generations. Decades before statehood and earlier even than the Klondike gold rush of the 1890s, Black men and women participated in Alaska's politics and culture. They hunted for whales, patrolled the seas, built roads, served in the military, opened businesses, fought injustices, won political office, and developed community. Black Lives in America's Far Northwest presents their stories and chronicles how Alaska's Black population, though small, has had an outsized impact on the culture and civic life of the region. Centering the agency and diversity of Black Alaskans in a unique political and economic environment, this project documents the history of Black achievement, struggles, and everyday life in Alaska from 1867 to the early 21st century"--