What is the origin story of your community’s beginnings in Anchorage?
In 1971, the Municipal Charter for the City of Anchorage included the Bill of Rights with the stated objective “. . . the right to opportunities . . . without regard to race, religion, sex, color, national origin . . . .” In 1985, the international community and business structure of Anchorage became active in the campaign to become America’s bid city to host the Olympic Winter Games in 1992 (and 1994). In 1994, Assembly chair and Olympic activist, Rick Mystrom, was elected Mayor.
Bridge Builders was founded in 1996, with the VISION . . .“Make Anchorage the First City without Prejudice as a first step to eliminating Racism in Alaska”
The CORE PURPOSE and MISSION of Bridge Builders. . .“Promote and Celebrate Harmony and Respect among all Cultures”
Photo above: 1996 – At the first Bridge Builders potluck in Mayor Mystrom's garden, President Paul Davis introduced two couples of different heritage who will co-host conversations at their homes. The organization grew membership at 100% annually the first years as this social network expanded.
Where can people learn more about your community’s history?
- Facebook Pages - Bridge Builders of Anchorage
- Attending events advertised on Facebook
- Up With People 50th year celebration (presentation re Bridge Builders of Anchorage)
- UAA-APU Consortium Library (Anchorage, AK) Special Collections (not yet digitized – beginning soon)
Who in your community is considered to have the most knowledge about your community’s history in Anchorage?
Minoo Minaei – Board member beginning in 2014 and current President. Minaei currently serves on boards of ACLU and Alaska Public Media, is a certified Farsi translator, and recently retired after 33 years teaching in the Anchorage School District. Minaei has received BP Teacher of Excellence and the 2024 YWCA Woman of Achievement award.
Rick Mystrom – As an entrepreneur and public relations/advertising exec, Mystrom was elected to the Anchorage Municipal Assembly in 1979 and served as Chairman 1984-85. Concurrently, he served as Chairman of the
“Olympics Yes!” Committee and led our success to become America’s Choice to (bid to) host the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympic Games. Mystrom was elected Mayor in 1994 and served through 1999. He was the major developer of the Bridge Builders idea and its expansion into the diverse communities of Anchorage.
Elsa Sargento – She and her husband, Angel, were original participants and representatives of the Filipino-American community in Mystrom’s first Bridge Builders potluck. Before retiring, Sargento served as a teacher in the Anchorage School District from 1974 to 1998 after 10 years of elementary teaching in the Philippines. In 2000, Sargento was a key organizer and first president of Alaska Federation of Filipino Americans (AFFA). In 2002, she was a major participant in Anchorage’s All America City bid team. In 2006-2011 and again in 2013, Sargento served as Bridge Builders president.
Tell us about three to five people - past or present - who made a mark on your community.
In addition to the three above . . .
- Mayors who were active with the Bridge Builders community: George Wuerch, Mark Begich, Ethan Berkowitz
- Original President and led the team to create The Pledge: Paul Davis
- Religious Community leaders and community brain-stormers: Alonzo Patterson, David Bleivik, Ted Moore, . . .
- Mayor Mystrom’s key international community staffer Malcolm Roberts and Alaska First Lady and idea multiplier to other cities: Donna Walker, wife of Governor Bill Walker
Photo above: 2025 – Mayor LaFrance joined President Minoo Minaei, Former Mayor Rick Mystrom, and board members in reading The Pledge of Mutual Respect at February’s Meet the World in Anchorage celebration.
What are some defining moments - the good, the bad, and the wild - that shaped your community’s identity in Anchorage?
1995 First Annual Potluck (at Mayor Mystrom’s home) when members committed to exchange personal dinners with members from another/unknown heritage. This began a “rainbow” of multi-cultural Family connections. 1996 is the official start date of the organization.
1997 PASSPORT TO ANCHORAGE This multicultural manual helped cross-cultural dinners be more gracious and confident. (By 2010, the internal document was revised 7 times with 46 community cultures.)
2000 The Pledge of Mutual Respect – Created by representatives of 16 communities, Bridge Builder’s bicentennial gift to the City of Anchorage had a goal of obtaining 50,000 personal signatures. The original document was signed by 57 organization/cultural representatives at the historic Fourth Avenue Theater on 2/27/2000. In 2001, the Anchorage School Board adopted a resolution supporting The Pledge of Mutual Respect, and distributed it to every classroom for student signatures. Many businesses displayed it and offered customers the opportunity to sign. The Pledge is a major element of every Bridge Builders event.
2000 July 4th Parade – With floats, flags and banners of The Pledge of Mutual Respect, Bridge Builders has been a participant in most parades since this time – sometimes with over 100 marching members. Often members are costumed to show their heritage and happily greet observers with “Happy Birthday, America” and waving American flags.
2001 post 9/11 “Love and Prayers” banners - Our condolences for those attacks went to New York and Washington DC. thanks to a local printer and many volunteers. Two (10 foot by 60 foot) banners carried 10,000 Alaskan, personally-signed signatures from across the state.
2001 - Fur Rendezvous Parade - Bridge Builders added a float with two 30 foot blue hands that shook their warmest greetings and waved to the crowd. The float was followed by members carrying The Pledge banners and inviting Anchorage to the Museum for Meet the World in Anchorage where 30+ cultural groups had displays and welcomed people to understand their heritage.
2002 All America City honors – Anchorage was 1 of 10 cities honored by the National Civic League. Our presentation featured Special Olympics, Anchorage Youth Court, and Bridge Builders which secured a standing ovation for leading the audience in The Pledge of Mutual Respect. Our team included Mayors Mystrom and Wuerch and 20 other Anchorage story-telling delegates. Additional magic was provided by the Pamyua musical group.
2006 – first Gala Awards Banquet and Ball with 21 honorees recognized for service in their own communities. This event has continued (’07, ’08, ’10, ’13, ’15, ’17, ’18) with 142 leaders and 17 groups thanked and celebrated.
NOT-so-good moments: The 2019 COVID pandemic hit Bridge Builders and all community organizations. “Activities” were trimmed to “essentials.” Re-creation is in progress.
Photo above: A poster for the 2015 4th of July Parade invited the Anchorage “Community of Friends” to celebrate their heritage and march with Bridge Builders in the parade.
Why is Anchorage important to your community? What makes you stay here even during the hard times?
The Pledge of Mutual Respect gifted to the City of Anchorage has built on our Frontier Spirit with a standard of welcoming our diverse communities and building genuine Friendships:
“We the people of Anchorage, Alaska
pledge to respect one another,
celebrating the differences that make us unique,
our customs, spiritual beliefs, cultures, colors,
dreams, and ancestral traditions.
Standing together, hand-in-hand, young and old,
we affirm that through mutual respect,
we can build a stronger more harmonious community,
a more unified nation, and a better, safer world.”
Photo above: 2000 – President Paul Davis and the creators of The Pledge of Mutual Respect present to Mayor Mystrom the original document with 57 organization representatives’ signatures.
What’s one interesting fact about your community’s history that you think people in Anchorage should know about?
In 2015, Anchorage became recognized with the honor of having the 3 most diverse high schools in America (Bartlett, East and West). Anchorage is continuing to have more than 100 languages spoken in the homes of school district families. The Fall 2025 count is 102 for our 40,953 K-12 students.
For additional questions, please contact Minoo Minaei at anchoragebridgebuilders@gmail.com
Published by the Assembly Legislative Services Office
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