Menu Close

Annual Meeting

The Friends of Sheldon Jackson Museum
Annual Meeting

Saturday, April 25th 2026

Noon – 2:00 pm

At the Sheldon Jackson Museum and on Zoom 

 

Guest Speaker: Michael Livingston, PhD

JOIN THE PROGRAM IN PERSON:
Sheldon Jackson Museum
104 College Drive
Sitka, Alaska

JOIN THE PROGRAM ON ZOOM:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81705533515?pwd=8MFFRXFbjbelF8RaEI3QLrKmjYagjB.1

Meeting ID: 817 0553 3515
Passcode: Friends

This event is free of charge for all attendees.

Members and guests are welcome to start arriving at 11:30 am.
The meeting will start promptly at noon. 

Following the presentation, there will be a reception in the SJM lobby where Benny Benson Ice Cream will be served.  Door prizes will also be given.  

Annual Member Meeting Agenda

  • Call to Order
  • Welcome and Land Acknowledgement
  • Introduction of current Board Members, Melissa Fouse, Steve Íxt’ík Éesh Johnson, Roby Kooyéik Littlefield, Chris Berk, Justin Kaa Shaayí Ketah, Kendra Delikatny, Rosemary Carlton. Office Assistant, JJ Carlson
  • Approval of Minutes for 2025 Annual Meeting (held on May 3, 2025)
  • FOSJM President and Finance Report
  • SJM Curator Report
  • LAM Leadership Report
  • Old Business
    • none
  • New Business
    • Board Member Election
      • Candidates: Justin Kaa Shaayí Ketah, Chris Berk,
        1 more needed
  • Good of the Order
    • Summer Hours at SJM
    • 2026 Native Artist Residency Program
  • Adjournment

Guest Speaker Presentation by Mike iqyax̂ Livingston, PhD

Benny Benson vs. the KKK: Alaska’s 7th Grade Super Hero

Reception in the lobby with door prizes available, ranging from ceramic dishes to jewelry, and fine art prints. 

Learn how a dark-skinned Alaska Native boy, age 14, fought racism in 1927 to win the Alaska flag contest, despite bombings and cross-burnings by the Ku Klux Klan in several Alaska towns.  Alaska’s flag is the only US state flag designed by a Native American.  Benny was the only flag designer alive when the flags flew to the moon in 1969 on Apollo 11. 

Dr. Michael Livingston has served as an Alaska police officer for 28 years and received an Alaska Superior Court order to correct Benny Benson’s birth certificate.  Mike was recognized by US Senator Dan Sullivan as a “detective with a servant’s heart.”  The 100-year anniversary of the raising of Benny’s strong flag is July 9, 2027.  Mike will also give a demonstration of how to make Benny Benson Ice Cream.  

Thank you to our corporate sponsors, including Sealevel Consulting and event sponsor Aspen Suites Hotel Sitka

View the 2025 Meeting Recording on our YouTube channel 

Thanks to all who joined us in person and online for the Friends’ 2025 Annual Members Meeting. We will continue another year of good work as we celebrate 40 years of being a mission-driven organization. 

Congratulations to all the door prize winners! And an additional thank you to those who donated to the 2025 Native Artist Residency Program. 

To learn more, email friendsofsjm@gmail.com or call (907) 747-6233.