Scope and Contents: This collection consists of papers and records associated with the life of Nettie Jones (1897*-1979) who was known in the community of Ketchikan as a pioneer for equal education rights for her Alaska Native daughter. This collections highlights an early case of desegregation for Alaska Natives in the school system. The collection was compiled by one of Nettie’s granddaughters, Joanna K. Hendricks, and contains various photocopies of articles, event program in memorial of Mrs. Jones, newspaper clippings, and the copies of the actual court preceding’s from the case of her daughter Irene against the Ketchikan Alaska school board.
In September of 1928 Nettie’s daughter Irene was told by the Main School principal that she had to leave and not return to school. She was told to enroll in the Indian school along with a few other students. The reason given by the Ketchikan school board representatives was because of overcrowding. This notion was later disproved by Jones’ attorney William Paul. After Paul and Nettie Jones took the matter to the school board and were turned down they contacted William Paul, who was living and working as an attorney in Ketchikan at the time. William Paul is well known in Alaska for being both the first Alaska Native attorney and legislator. Paul took the case to Federal court in 1929 and on November 29, 1929 Judge Justin Harding ruled in favor of Ms. Irene Jones and stated that the school had to allow her admission. The ruling was made on the grounds there was not an overcrowding issue at the Ketchikan Main School and that the BIA school was not fully accredited so did not provide the same level of education for Ms. Jones.
There were three schools in Ketchikan in the late 1920’s White Cliff, Main School and the BIA school. Irene was a bright girl and Paul argued the inadequacy of the BIA schools in showing Ms. Jones was admitted to a higher grade because of her performance level in their system. Nettie knew her daughter had been wrongfully treated by the school district and fought for not only her daughter’s right but the right of many other Native children as well.
This collection highlights one of the earlier struggles in Alaska fighting for equal rights for Alaska Natives. The Molly Hootch case from the 1970’s is synonymous with equal educational rights in the state. This collection nicely compliments the State’s and Alaska Native history as being on the forefront in what has been at least a century long struggle for equal rights. The Nettie Jones collection is of interest for students of Alaska Native studies and Alaska Native law who want to see early cases of the struggle for Native rights. It gives a glimpse into the unjust treatment of the traditional occupants of the land now known as Alaska.
This manuscript collection is on file and open to the public through the policies of Sealaska Heritage Institute.
* Sources vary on Nettie’s date of birth, ranging from 1894-1899.
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