Forum Welcomes Malik Allen

Malik Allen joined the Alaska Humanities Forum in June as the Operations Coordinator. In this newly created position, Malik supports the administrative and financial operations of the Forum, as well as the rest of the Operations Team.

We asked Malik a few questions to get better acquainted:

What’s one Alaska story you’ve heard or read that you would recommend to others?
One Alaska book that I’ve been reading is "Yupik Qanruyutait: Yupik Words of Wisdom". I enjoy the stories ranging from discussing traditions, to knowledge, and to general advice passed down by people.

What’s one thing you have been curious about lately?
One thing that I have been curious about lately is how the conversations that are being facilitated in these programs will affect how Anchorage will look like in the future.

What question do you wish more people asked you? And you them?
I wish people asked me more about the different places that I have lived. I’ve lived overseas and in the US, and I enjoy people’s amusement when I tell them about my experiences. I wished that I asked people more is how they got into their occupations. It is always interesting to me how and why people land in certain places in their life.

What conversations do we need to be having (or having more of) in Alaska?
I think we should have more conversations about the mental health problem here in Alaska and how it’s affecting our community. Especially this year, there has been an overall decline in mental health in the state without any resources or information to help these struggling individuals.