Hawai'i Council for the Humanities

The Try Think program welcomed local filmmaker Scott W. Kekama Amona to the Hālawa Correctional Facility for Tuesday night's discussion. Amona shared his film, "E Malama Pono, W***y Boy" with the men, and participated in a rich discussion about houselessnes, Native Hawaiian rights and the enduring conflict of legality vs being culturally pono.

The deep thinking and honest conversation that was initiated left an impact on the audience. "Your film makes me want to find out who I am.", shared one participant.

Mahalo nui Scott for sharing your time and mana’o with us.

To learn more about the Try Think program and the important work our staff and volunteers conduct every week in Hālawa Correctional Facility as well as the Women’s Correctional Community Center, please visit:
https://hihumanities.org/what-we-do/try-think/

Hawaiian History Month is coming next month and we are excited to share this event hosted by the King Kamehameha V Judiciary History Center.

The recent convening and celebrations of the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture in Hawaiʻi demonstrate the growing importance of Oceanic nations uniting to shape a future of mutual connection and collaboration.

Join us as we learn and engage in this two-part civic education discussion—Teaching 1898: America’s Imperial Legacy in Oceania—bringing together esteemed educators to explore the historical context of America's military and political expansion into Hawaiʻi, the Philippines, and island nations across the Pacific.

Register for both events here:
https://www.jhchawaii.net/event/teaching-1898-part-i/?mc_cid=0cf4b15057&mc_eid=14f0354799

Congratulations to Shiloh Francis of Hawaii Technology Academy-PCS on her recognition as the The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History State History Teacher of the Year Award for 2024.

The GLI History Teacher of the Year award highlights the crucial importance of history education by honoring exceptional American history teachers from elementary school through high school. The award honors one K–12 teacher from each state, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense schools, and US Territories.

“I am honored to be recognized for this award because it shows that the creative ways I’ve been trying to engage young people to share their voices through equity-focused dialogue and build connections with our local and global community are meaningful to the students and making a difference. I hope my students learn to look at the past with empathy and understanding, see themselves in those stories by exploring multiple perspectives, and feel empowered to reach for a better future,” Francis expressed with gratitude.

Congratulations to Francis again on this well-deserved recognition! Mahalo for all you provide to our student community and for your dedication to keeping history alive!

Read more here:
https://hihumanities.org/what-we-do/humanities-for-our-teachers/history-teacher-of-the-year-award/

Image credit: Shiloh Francis

Excited to share the next event for this grantee project series hosted by the Filipino Association of University Women FAUW with support from the with support from the Filipino community of Kauaʻi.

We Tell Our Story: Filipino Voices in Hawaii is offered by FAUW, a non-profit organization that aims to preserve and support the history, art and culture of Filipinos and Filipino Americans.

To register, please contact Nanette Ruhter at [email protected] or Pepi Nieva at 808-225-1219. Registration deadline is September 22!

This program is funded by a grant from the Hawai'i Council for the Humanities Council, through support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. ⁠

Congratulations to our Board member Dr. Mary Therese Perez Hattori, who has been appointed to the Hawai'i State Board of Education! Dr. Hattori has served on our Board for the past six years and is finishing up her final year with us. We are so grateful for her deep heart and dedication to our Pacific communities...deep as the Marianas Trench!

Image credit: Pacific Islands Development Program (PIDP)

Congratulations to our Board Vice Chair Shelly Kaiaokamalie of Lanai Culture & Heritage Center for her recognition by Pacific Business News 40 under 40!

Mahalo Shelly for your leadership and dedication to our communities especially to the community of Lāna’i.

Sharing these beautiful memories from Celebrate Micronesia Festival in June celebrating the beauty, art and rich cultural knowledge from across Micronesia and our Micronesian diaspora here in Hawai'i. ⁠

This year marked the 10th year of the Festival and we are proud to have supported this amazing community festival. The images share moments from the special ceremony honoring the family of latte stones held on the Gallery Lawns of Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum. Prayer and offerings made of natural materials were gifted.

Pacific Islands Development Program (PIDP) Research Intern Elyssa Santos, PhD candidate in History at University of Hawaii at Manoa, describes the cultural significance of the latte stones.

To hear more about the significance of the latte stones by PhD candidate Elyssa Santos, visit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4fDVQ6soBg
⁠

We are honored as a partner, to share this Call for Story Submissions by our scholar hui leader Professor Lani Teves.

Help us share stories from across all our communities, including and beyond the LGBTQ+ Māhū community! We are especially interested in stories from outside urban Oʻahu. We welcome contributions from kūpuna and emerging writers, as well as researchers and scholarly writers.

Please email stories, questions, inquiries to: [email protected]

For more information about the Lei Pua’ala project, visit:
https://www.queerhistoriesofhawaii.org

We are proud to share that our Director of Literary & Conversation Programs, Lyz Soto, has been appointed to the Commission on the Culture and the Arts for the City and County of Honolulu, to serve alongside other new members and friends: Kumu Vicky Holt-Takamine, Taylour Chang and Joshua Tengan. The work of the Commission plays a key role in promoting and preserving the artistic and cultural heritage of the city of Honolulu. Congratulations Lyz, Taylour, Josh, and Aunty Vicky!

Lyz’s reflects on what she hopes to bring to her service:

“Much of my career as an artist has been about bringing art into more of our community and making the practice and experience of it more available, particularly to young artists and people who don’t identify themselves as artists. I’ve seen access to cultural and artistic practices change and improve lives in real and substantial ways. Every time I’ve had the privilege to witness and experience this in turn inspires and enriches me. Itʻs an example of how art can be such an amazing connection across cultures, generations, and experiences.”

Ho'omaika'i and mahalo to this group for your willingness to serve and envision and enact beautiful things for our community.

Our hearts and minds are with our Maui community as we reflect and hold space for our friends, 'ohana and communities lost and affected due to the Maui wildfires.

We offer p**e and aloha to our community of Lahaina, Kula, and Maui as efforts continue to heal and find housing whilst simultaneously rebuilding and advocating for land and water restoration. Let us continue to come together and each play our role in restoring pono. We will continue to share pathways to take action to support our friends and 'ohana across Maui in the long-term.

This beautiful image is from Paradise Now Hawaii

We join our community in mourning the passing of Aunty Twinkle Borge, a community leader and compassionate advocate for houseless communities and ʻohana. Borge was the leader for Pu'uhonua o Wai'anae, a village of approximately 250 people including children, working families, and kūpuna living unhoused on the edge of the Wai‘anae Boat Harbor.

Borge helped pioneer a new model for addressing the issue of homelessness with dignity and grace. Mahalo Aunty Twinkle for your incredible leadership and example of service and humanity.

You can read in depth on how Aunty Twinkle's leadership and vision to create a safe space or home for everyone who needed refuge impacted so many, here: https://hihumanities.org/an-elsewhere-we-call-home/

Mahalo to Tatiana Kalaniopua Young, PhD for this beautiful entry.

Photo credit: 1st image: Kumu Hina; 2nd image: HCH website

Mahalo to the Pacific Islands Development Program (PIDP) for capturing these moments from the "United We Stand - Carrying Culture: Micronesia" workshop in Hilo a few weeks ago.

This workshop centered Micronesian knowledge and expertise and addressed historical and contemporary justice issues.

The workshop helped participants understand and support people from the region of Micronesia.

We look forward to sharing more memories from prior workshops and upcoming information for future workshops.

We are proud to share the release of, "The Mana of Salt" by Kealiʻi Mackenzie, and this collaborative poetry reading celebrating the launch of his award-winning collection. Hosted by Noʻu Revilla and featuring Hawaiʻi State Poet Laureate Brandy Nālani McDougall and other incredible poets such as Kamakani Albano, and Lehua Leong, this is a reading you don't want to miss.

This event is FREE and open to the public, please join us for an afternoon of inspiring poetry and community art.

Join us for an insightful presentation addressing the nuanced emotional landscape of disaster anniversaries. This session delves into the phases of disaster recovery, with a focus on the impactful effects and strategies for navigating its emotional triggers.

Mahalo to Funder Hui for this presentation and opportunity to learn from our community leaders and experts on how to appropriately address sensitive events and honor those affected.

To register for this event, visit:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEpdOurrDorHNdFoSe7qroa3JVrpUxzj1kv #/registration

In case you missed it-we are excited about this upcoming event for our writers and those interested in writing-please join us for this writing workshop hosted by the Filipino Association of University Women (FAUW) with support from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and the Filipino community of the Big Island.

This workshop will be led by expert teachers Nanette Carreon-Ruhter and Margot Q. Adair. To learn more about the schedule of events and workshop leaders visit:
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=890599133106872&set=a.553082430191879

To register for this event, please email: [email protected]
Don't miss out! Registration closes on August 2!

There’s still time to apply and access FREE support for your foundation grant seeking! Make sure to apply before July 31, 2024, to be part of this valuable pilot program. Don’t miss out on this opportunity!

Please visit: https://hanohawaii.wufoo.com/forms/z1jv1puk06xawdi/
for more information about this program and for more assistance

Mahalo Hawai’i Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations (HANO) for this generous opportunity!

We are excited to share this special celebration celebrating 4 years of Shangri La’s 8x8 community arts exhibition! Current and past Shangri La 8x8 artists including Hawaiʻi State Poet Laureate Brandy Nālani McDougall, will perform in Capitol Modern’s sculpture garden with projections of 8x8: Source photographs by Elyse Butler. This event is free and open to the public.

Come and join us in this celebration of local & community artists next week at Capitol Modern (Hawai'i State Art Museum) for a night of art, poetry and music!

Check out our feature in the National Endowment for the Humanities magazine Summer 2024 issue! Mahalo to Puanani Fernandez-Akamine for this beautiful spotlight on our Hawai’i History Day program especially the value of the ‘Ōlelo Hawai’i program to National History Day.

You can find the story here:
https://www.neh.gov/article/hawaiian-language-projects-uplift-indigenous-voices

We are excited to share the next United We Stand: Carrying Culture Micronesia workshop happening this month on Hawai’i Island!

Pacific Islands Development Program (PIDP) (PIDP) in partnership with Micronesian United - Big Island (MU-BI) and the Center for Pacific Islands Studies (CPIS) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa offers a workshop to center Micronesian knowledge and expertise and address historical and contemporary justice issues.

Join us for an engaging workshop and full day of conversations, learning & weaving!

Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc3MNAsPmaf_aIUvmaMupYoXIkLRjbsUO9x_YVan5td0WFrOg/viewform

Sharing this very special broadcast tonight on PBS Hawai‘i from one of our grantees we've been honored to support. Please join us tonight for this special re-broadcast of "FINDING KUKAN" by Robin Lung.

Filmmaker Robin Lung investigates the forgotten story of Li Ling-Ai, the uncredited female producer of Kukan, an Academy Award®-winning color documentary about World War II China that has been lost for decades.

Download the viewer's guide here: https://www.nestedeggproductions.com/viewers-guide

This guide can help facilitate dialogue and deepen understanding of the complex issues and themes explored in the feature documentary Finding KUKAN.

We are proud to share this exciting opportunity to audition for an upcoming new weekly show in Waikīkī coming this Fall! Looking for experienced, engaging dancers-please come out and audition-for more information, please visit: https://shorturl.at/a6e8j

Please join us this Thursday, for this special public program, “Endangered Endemics: A Peek into the Fascinating World of Hawai‘i Kāhuli.”

This presentation will include a talk led by David Sischo, a wildlife biologist with the Division of Forestry and Wildlife who also coordinates the DLNR’s Snail Extinction Prevention Program (SEPP). A short-film by filmmaker Daniel A. Kelin II about Hawaiʻi’s endemic kāhuli will follow, and a discussion will cap off the program.

This program is funded by a grant from the Hawai'i Council for the Humanities Council, through support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. ⁠

Visit https://www.manoaheritagecenter.org/ for more info! Please join us for this special presentation, light pupus and a community event!

Sharing some of the magic shared with our Pacific Ohana this past month from our various events hosted across

We can’t wait to get together again soon and share more updates from the Pacific Islands Humanities Initiative Network (PIHN)!

Celebrating another successful trip to in D.C. thanks to the amazing support and dedication from our chaperones, students, staff, teachers, and friends who put in countless hours to ensure a safe & memorable trip for everyone.

Hoʻomaikaʻi to all our students on this memorable achievement and for your recognition at Nationals! Mahalo for all your hard work and dedication-we look forward to already!!!

Mahalo to National History Day for sharing this awesome moment for some of our Hawai’i Delegation at so far!

We look forward to sharing more exciting moments for our students and team out in D.C. as they continue presenting projects through the week.

Sending ALOHA to our Hawai’i Delegation in Washington D.C. for National History Day!

Mahalo Nui to all our teachers, volunteers and families for the incredible support and encouragement leading up to this incredible event for our students. We look forward to sharing more moments from their trip!

Pacific Islands Development Program, in partnership with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, present:

Carrying Culture: Micronesia
Celebrating Micronesian Voices
Sunday, June 9, 2024
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Doris Duke Theatre,
Presentation and discussion on Micronesian experiences in Hawaiʻi

Free with registration, here:

Pacific Islands Development Program, in partnership with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, present:

Carrying Culture: Micronesia
Celebrating Micronesian Voices
Sunday, June 9, 2024
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Doris Duke Theatre,
Presentation and discussion on Micronesian experiences in Hawaiʻi

Register here:
https://rb.gy/xbhsss

Sharing moments and memories from our poetry event with Poet Laureate Brandy Nālani McDougall, 2022-2023 Tony Quagliano Award Winner Lee Tonouchi and our community at the Kaimukī Public Library earlier this month.

Mahalo to Brandy and Lee for this engaging event with a diverse group of community members!

We are excited to share that our 2023 Annual Report is available for download on our website!

We invite you to delve into our 2023 Annual Report and engage with our programs in this special way by learning in depth about our reach, impact and overall engagements throughout 2023.

Mahalo nui for your support and for being a part of this community, ever deepening our capacity to love.

To download our 2023 Annual Report, please visit:
https://hihumanities.org/who-we-are/annual-reports-and-financial-statements/