Meet Charity Blanchett

Chef Derrick: Who are the women of color who have inspired you, and in what ways have they impacted your journey?

Charity: My mother, Martha Blanchett. My Yup’ik mother was born in a small rural village site, Tuntutuliak, population 400, when Alaska was U.S. territory and a toddler when it received statehood in 1959. She remembers the missionaries in her village, the removal of traditional language spoken in school, the outlaw of serving Native foods in schools and leaving her village to attend boarding school. She was the first college graduate in a family of ten children with a degree in business administration. She was the Director of Alaska Housing servicing the Matanuska Susitna Borough. All my life she had her own corner office with a large window, plush seats, lite music playing in the background, and potpourri. Her office smelled like the perfume she wore, spicy and velvety, bergamot and rose. My mother wore silk, wool, laces, fur, pearls, diamonds and gold to work. She was the most stylish lady boss I have ever known. 

My childhood dentist, Doctor English. My childhood dentist was a Black woman who owned her practice. I enjoyed my appointments with Doctor English. She had a big beautiful white smile with glimmering teeth, luscious lips always a shade of red, perfectly coiffed bobbed black hair and wore her doctor whites also perfectly pressed. I can’t thank my parents enough for exposing me to women of color who held jobs predominantly by White Men. Teeth are tools. Treat them as such! 

Our family attorney, Mahalia Dickerson. When I was a little girl growing up in Sarah Palin’s Wasilla, our family attorney was Mahalia Dickerson, a Black woman, one of the first Black attorneys in the state of Alaska. We spent every 4th of July at her large lakefront mansion with an indoor pool on land she owned. All of her clients were Black families from the Municipality of Anchorage or the Matanuska Sustitna Borough. She lived alone, experienced tragedy, loss and the power of healing; she held herself with esteem and grace. To this day my parents are still represented by her law firm, a legacy which lives on forever. 

Wilma Rudolph. My dad shared the story of Wilma Rudolph with me when I was in 2nd grade. He bought me a book on her life and a VHS movie depicting her story. Wilma Rudolph, an American, a Black woman sprinter who overcame polio as a child and went on to become a world-record-holding Olympic champion and international sports icon in track and field following her successes in the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Games. I wanted to be a champion like her. 

Queen Liliuokalani. Queen Liliuokalani was the first and only reigning monarch Native Hawaiian Queen and the last sovereign to govern the islands, which were annexed by the United States in 1898. She fought for her peoples’ sovereign lands and identity, and against the orchestrated Bayonet Constitution, which singlehandly disenfranchised Hawaiian People. She stood strong and  resolute in her decisions, using her voice, words and actions advocating for her peoples rights. She watched as her people’s land was stolen by the federal government. The Queen continued her peaceful advocacy until death, her legacy, now in a trust, which continues her amazing work. 

Elizabeth Peratrovich. A woman I admire greatly is Elizabeth Peratrovich. She was an Alaskan Native Civil Rights Hero who championed the Anti-Discrimination Act of 1945, the first anti-discrimination law in the United States. She was a civil servant to her people. She eloquently reminded the good ole’ boys club: “I would not have expected that I, who am barely out of savagery, would have to remind the gentlemen with 5,000 years of recorded civilization behind them of our Bill of Rights.” Ms. Peratrovich’s brave actions fought for equality, representation and justice.

Chef Derrick: How would you describe your leadership style, and how has it evolved throughout your career?

Charity: I believe in fundamentals. I have Coach Jeanie Hebert for that. She would always remind me, “To be a better basketball player Blanchett, you have to practice and master fundamentals!” It’s a metaphor for life and how I have maneuvered my leadership journey. I have learned the most from failing. I have wanted to give up countless times because I felt stuck, unsupported and tired. I know what winning tastes and feels like, and that inspires me to strive for more because I’ve tasted what’s out there. I know what to do differently, research, study and out smart my opponent, even if my ego is the opponent. I’m thinking ahead and playing chess, setting up for the money shot or next. Earlier this year I learned Indigenous cultures and languages have no translation for the word vulnerable, what we know as Indigenous peoples is the meaning of raw.  I am fierce, graceful, and raw with my leadership. I’m steady, ready and prepared. I’m curt but kind. I envision Phylisha Rashaad as Claire Huxtable. When I am secure with who I am, I am a better woman, a greater leader and an exceptional visionary.