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AFSC - Honolulu, Hawai'i

Hawai'i Area Program

AFSC work in Hawai'i began in 1942 with a program of service to Japanese residents suffering persecution after the Pearl Harbor bombing. Friends' opposition to the Vietnam War led to initiation of the present program in 1968. The Hawai'i Program offers grassroots, social analysis-based economic workshops. Advocacy work is initiated by others and focuses almost exclusively on state public policy affecting "welfare."

AFSC's focus is to assure that state policies bridge work and welfare. In 1996, collaborative work between the STRENGTH Coalition, Honolulu Friends Meeting, and the Committee on Welfare Concerns resulted in state legislation with less negative long-term impact on the poor.

Also, AFSC gained recognition among peers, Department of Human Services, and selected state legislators as a credible advocate. In addition, the program has compiled and distributed packets of information about Hawai'i and provided these through AFSC-sponsored educational workshops.

Demilitarization Program (Honolulu, Hawai'i):

Accomplishments include coalition with community to successfully halt open burn and open detonation of military waste in Makua Valley, annual car caravan conducting educational programs at military sites, alternative July 4th observance, and picnic at Bellows Beach (Air Force recreation facility); increased discussion of alternative land uses in media and general public, recognition of AFSC as an alternative voice to the military's presence by media and academics. We focus on military destruction of land/environment and percentage of military lands withdrawn from ceded lands trust. AFSC-Hawai'i materials are used by academics, peace, and sovereignty groups.

Gay Liberation Program:

To date the purpose of the program has been to support plaintiffs in a landmark court case challenging State prohibition of same-gender marriage and to participate in legislative hearings on the subject. As a non-Hawaiian/Quaker organization, AFSC has worked with Na Mamo, a local organization for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered Hawaiians, to discuss Hawai'i's tradition of diversity and openness to diverse relationships among Pacific cultures as a value to be perpetuated.

Hawaiian Sovereignty Program (Honolulu, Hawai'i):

The Hawaiian Sovereignty Education (HSE) Program works with a committee of Native Hawaiians and their allies from the community to provide education to the local, national, and international communities about Native Hawaiians, their history, culture, and the current challenges they face. We support and give voice to Hawaiian people and communities that are not often heard. We promote the practice of Hawaiian language, culture, and protocol and support the protection of Hawaiian land, sacred sites, and customary rights such as access and water rights.

HSE works to build solidarity with Native people and programs throughout most of the Americas and the Pacific Islands. We also work with Native Hawaiian youth to provide them opportunities for training, travel, and cultural exchange in order to nourish our future generations.

Indigenous peoples usually come to politics as a way to protect the things they hold sacred: their innate connection to the land, their culture, and their traditions. The process of colonization has badly fragmented our way of life and the basis of our knowledge. We work towards the sovereignty and self-determination of Native Hawaiians and the larger community of indigenous peoples so they can direct their own future.

These watercolors were painted by Native Hawaiian artist, Solomon Enos, who is a member of the AFSC Hawaiian Sovereignty Education Subcommittee and a strong advocate for Hawaiian rights.  The originals of these paintings are available for purchase at $75.00 each, with proceeds going to the Hawaiian Sovereignty Education Program.  For more information contact the AFSC Hawai'i Area Program at (808) 988-6266.

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