Effort aims to build native community

By Rosemarie Bernardo

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Oct 13, 2010

Giving native Hawaiians and Pacific islanders broader access to federal agencies will be the focus of the next meeting in Washington, D.C., of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, an official said yesterday.

"We built a great team to meet these demands, but our success depends on our work together and your help," Kiran Ahuja, executive director of the White House Initiative, told attendees at the 9th Annual Native Hawaiian Convention.

Ahuja was the convention's keynote speaker yesterday at the Hawai'i Convention Center. The convention, which kicked off yesterday, is holding workshops and sessions through tomorrow on topics that include federal recognition economic development, housing and community well-being. It is sponsored by the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement.

Ahuja said the federal panel wants to build self-reliance for the native Hawaiian and Pacific islander community that will allow it to be in charge of projects and ideas they want to implement.

The announcement on building community capacity was embraced with cheers and applause from more than 300 people at the luncheon.

"I'm just stunned and grateful. ... I think we get used to being invisible and it's extraordinary how this president truly means it when he doesn't want any of us to be invisible to our government," said Robin Danner, president and chief executive officer of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement.

"This is just another example of elevating the talent and ingenuity that exist in Pacific islanders. We are going to be a part of the recovery of the country. There's no question about it," she added.

During her visit to Hawaii, Ahuja and other members of the White House Initiative have visited community health centers and charter schools that promote native Hawaiian language and culture. They also observed traditional fish farming practices, organic food production and renewable energy projects.

"We see communities collaborating to create solutions and models developed in Hawaii that we can replicate in other parts of the country," she said.

For more information on the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement's 9th Annual Native Hawaiian Convention, go online to www.hawaiiancouncil.org.