Meet and Greet for Alaska's Diane Benson
TUESDAY FEB 12
6:00-8:30 pm, 320 West End Avenue, Apt. 5B (at 75th St.), Host: Mary J Geissman, mgeissman_at_earthlink.net, 212-799-8048

This is a real chance to help Alaska get rid of another corrupt Republican and to elect an amazing woman to Congress. Republucan corruption in Alaska is rampant, making for a real opportunity for Democrats. One of our best chances is to defeat Alaska Rep. Don Young, a Republican under investigation by the FBI.

Diane is a member of the Tlingit Nation and grew up in Southeastern Alaska in foster homes and boarding school as well as logging camps with her father and in Sitka with her grandparents. She began volunteer work with senior citizens at Ketchikan Hospital at the age of 12, and although often homeless (she refused to rely on charity), worked a variety of social service oriented jobs with the underprivileged and the elderly until she took a position with the Fairbanks Native Association. At the age of 18 she was the youngest person to ever serve on the FNA Executive Board, and was invited by then U.S. Senator Mike Gravel to work in Washington D.C. Thereafter, she acquired a job as one of the first women tractor-trailer truck drivers on the Alaska pipeline in 1975.

In 1977 after working on a gill-netter (fishing boat) in Bristol Bay, and badly needing work after the completion of the pipeline construction, she sat in the lobby of the Alaska Federation of Natives promptly arriving at 8am and leaving at 5pm until someone finally gave her a job. When asked about her skills, she replied, “I can read and I can write.” She was hired by the Human Resources Committee to complete research for the Executive Board, and while she was at it helped revive the fledgling AFN Youth Council – the precursor to the Annual AFN Elders-Youth Conference. She took the initiative to build the AFN Youth Council Newspaper on her kitchen table after convincing the great Morris Thompson to invest in the project to pay for supplies. Thereafter she had a string of contracts with CINA, North Pacific Rim, and others and even as a Lay-out Artist and writer for the Tundra Times.

Diane paid for two years of college by driving trucks in the early 80’s as Alaska’s first female union concrete-mixer driver. She was a proud member of Local 959 – Teamster Union. During this time she could no longer avoid the truth of her history – not only the neglect but the acts of violence against her as a child and as a young adult. The birth of her son in 1979 was her driving force to improve her life. She not only survived, she became stronger. She did volunteer research work for the Berger Commission, was Public Relations Director for UTA, and 1986-1988 was a Para-legal for Alaska Legal Services. Through the 1990’s Diane ran Northern Stars Talent Agency doggedly promoting Alaska’s talent in feature films and commercials nationally and internationally. Because Diane understood first hand the trauma of violence, she found herself often invited to speak on justice for victims of crime, breaking the silence, and finding hope and dignity in survival. In the spring of 2007 she completed co-production on a video, “Healing Child Sexual Abuse.”

Diane is the mother of one son who served in the Iraq war until he was severely wounded, losing both his legs from a roadside bomb. The time she spent watching her son's recovery and visiting with other injured veterans played a large part in her decision to run for Congressional office, and which has shaped many of her ideas surrounding the Iraq war, terrorism, homeland security, and Veterans' benefits.

Diane has been endorsed by Senators Max Cleland and Mike Gravel, Governor Bill Richardson and the National Women's Political Caucus.

For more info on Diane, check out her website.

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