Font ResizeWhat was once known as the Mayors Diversity Dinner for the past 5 years is now to called the Mayor's Unity Dinner.
A group of Anchorage residents were so upset with the change, they are putting on a new event called the True Diversity Dinner, which will take place just blocks away from the Mayor's dinner the same night.
"It really is a celebration of diversity but at the same time there has been some inconsistencies with his (Mayor Sullivan) politics and policies compared to what he is trying to represent with the Unity Dinner," said Heather Aronno, co-organizer of the True Diversity Event.
Heather Aronno is talking about the anti-discrimination ordinance vetoed by Mayor Dan Sullivan last month. She says that is why she got together with others to organize True Diversity Dinner the same time the Mayor is holding his.
For the past 5 years, the Mayor's dinner has taken place at the tail end of Anchorage's Diversity Month. But this year, Mayor Sullivan changed the word "diversity" to "unity".
He did not want to go on camera and comment about the dinner feud but sent out a statement saying, "People will inevitably speculate about some kind of deeper meaning, but I can assure you that it's just a different way of looking the same issue. As Danny Glover said at the kick-off to Diversity Month, diversity includes diversity
The name change did not sit well with one assembly member, who actually changed her dinner plans. "At first, the Mayor wanted to call it all-American dinner and then he changed it to unity and I was planning to go to that event," said Elvi Gray-Jackson, an Anchorage Assembly Member, "But when I saw that the community came forward and wanted to celebrate Diversity Month and then they called it "True Diversity", so everyone felt like they could be included, it was easy to make a decision."
But at the same time, another assembly member saw nothing wrong with the change. "It's an expression of the things that bring us together, just like it's important to understand why we are so different in so many ways and I for one, think that is really nice," said Dan Coffee, Anchorage Assembly Member, "I mean, we all live under that flag, we all have rights of citizenships, what is wrong saying we are all Americans, we are all in this vote together."
Another person attending the True Diversity Event said there are already days for that. "We have the 4th of July, where we say we are all Americans and at the same time you look at the parade and there are all of these different ethnicities because they are proud to be an American. We are already unified in just that fact," said Shannyn Moore, who will be one of the speakers at the dinner, "But celebrating where we came from and who we are to contribute to a community, that's celebrating our diversity."
Both the dinners are on September 25th.
The Mayor's Unity dinner will be at the Hilton at 7 pm for $60 per person.
The True Diversity dinner will be at the Snow Goose Restaurant at 7pm for $10 per person.
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