LIHU‘E — With Hawai‘i residents preparing to celebrate the 50th state’s 50th anniversary, one segment of the population continues to ask an important question: Does statehood benefit everyone? Puanani Rogers, a well-known social justice activist and advocate for Hawaiian independence,
LIHU‘E — With Hawai‘i residents preparing to celebrate the 50th state’s 50th anniversary, one segment of the population continues to ask an important question: Does statehood benefit everyone?
Puanani Rogers, a well-known social justice activist and advocate for Hawaiian independence, will be a panelist at Hawai‘i: Statehood Unmasked, to be held Saturday in Lihu‘e, according to a press release from the Kaua‘i Alliance for Peace and Social Justice. The event will offer alternative perspectives on the upcoming observance of 50 years of Hawai‘i statehood.
Rogers was born and still lives in the Ahupua‘a o Kealia. She is a kanaka maoli, a nationalist of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i and a member of na Kupuna o Manokalanipo, a status conferred on her by her peers, the press release says. She is the co-founder of the Ho‘okipa Network, a taro-roots initiative educating on issues regarding lands, water and aboriginal culture. She has advocated for Hawaiian independence and social and environmental justice at conferences in Australia, Aotearoa, the Marshall Islands, Puerto Rico and Japan.
The event will also feature Dr. Dean Saranillio, a Maui native, who will deliver a PowerPoint presentation from his doctoral dissertation “Seeing Conquest: Colliding Histories and the Cultural Politics of Hawai‘i Statehood.”
Two 30-minute documentary films will be shown: “Then There Were None,” about the relationship between colonization and the declining native population, and “Taking Waikiki,” about the transformation of the famed O‘ahu beach from agriculture and aquaculture to an international tourist destination. The latter film was produced by Kaua‘i residents Carol Bain and Ed Coll.
Rogers will be joined in the panel discussion by Kaua‘i residents Dayne Aipoalani and Ben Nihi and O‘ahu resident Ikaika Hussey. The event will take place at Lihu‘e Neighborhood Center from 3:30 to 8 p.m., the release states. There will be light pupu and pot luck dishes are welcome.
For further information, call Jimmy Trujillo at 346-7725 or Ed Coll at 246-2111.
