This week as we track and anxiously await incoming dog teams and mushers, kids enjoy Spring Break and snowmachiners prep their rigs for the Iron Dog a family quietly observes what would have been their daughter’s, granddaughter’s, sister’s, niece’s eighteenth birthday. In that celebration where the guest of honor is painfully absent, are the silent reflections of what she would have gone on to become and do after this milestone birthday, after her graduation, and beyond.
In Alaska March 12th is observed as Ashley Barr-Johnson Day. We wear her favorite color, purple, in her remembrance. In our reflection of the tragedy, we hope and encourage parents to recommit to teaching their kids about body autonomy, about touches they like and touches they don’t like, about consent and about online safety. We recommit to open dialogue in communities about sexual assault, domestic violence and how to address it and reduce it. The byproduct of this violence in our people-alcoholism, drug addition, bullying, suicide -is not what we want for our future leaders and community members. We cannot put off action for someone else, for another day, for another year because we in Alaska and in Western Alaska have the highest rates of sexual assault and domestic violence in the nation. Let’s not have Ashley’s death or the thousands of other children’s suffering be in vain. Write your political leaders, make a donation, support your local Child Advocacy Center, facilitate a community conversation, report signs of abuse, support families in need, participate in Child Abuse Prevention month activities with your children and talk to your children about body safety and boundaries.
This year, in 2026, Ailayah Barr-Johnson, Ashley’s older sister, decided to wait an additional year to graduate to walk the stage this spring and receive not only her diploma, but also an honorary high school diploma for Ashley, who would have graduated this year. What will you do?
