 Welcome. Good afternoon. And welcome again to think tech Hawaii. Maybe evening for some of you, maybe morning for others, wherever you may be. Thank you so much for joining us. And today we have another all star group who have been with us from time to time, fortunately. I'm a retired judge from the state of Hawaii and noted author, working on your second book now right, and you're on view. And Tina Patterson from Germantown, Maryland. See, I'll get through a whole year without putting you in New Jersey. Okay, fine. I'll go wherever you send me Chuck. Okay, mediator arbitrator business consultants and strategist and jack of many trades or Jacqueline, how many trades, I should say, losing partner in one of the, not just the country is the one of the world's largest law firms. And noted most of all here for her community service and very recently Louise and another panel did a session, as we do on social justice issues called burning issues. It's going to be rebroadcast on fake tech 10am Hawaii time Friday, February 11. That'd be 3pm Eastern 2pm central. For those of you watching and would like to tune in. Excellent excellent panel former governor john why hey Louise, Professor Neil Milner, who's always outspoken and insightful. So, we encourage you folks to enjoy that. So for today, just being black history month. We're looking. Not only a black history but at the role of black history in the controversies on teaching of history and literature and subjects generally going on now. What role do you think the growth of black history has had in bringing these issues to the front and getting them out face to face with all of us. Sandra. I think it's had a profound impact. Because you know they're more and more people now that are certainly aware and listening and looking to see, you know the issues that come up during, unfortunately just during February hopefully will carry it out but the other side of it. I think it's going to be coming up. And it's actually kind of troubling to me is this notion of of what people are the critical race theory of, you know, objections, which focus on, at least the ones I've read and heard about focus on not having information that's going to make people make well particularly white people uncomfortable. And I find that so terribly troubling to me with that's the approach to history. I think in this country, you know, he, you know, well just in the issue of the world. And that web and endure some incredible injustices and harm and violence and all sorts of things that such that that are a part of our history, and we live it, we know it, it happened. But we still carry on because we have to. And that's the other part of it so to suggest that we shouldn't learn some things because they make you uncomfortable is it's just patently offensive to me. But I'm glad to see that more and more people are seeing and learning things about our black history every day. And, and that's encouraging. And as you indicate, there's a lot that is still unknown. If we did a poll of reading black figures in history pick a name Fannie Lou Hamer, for example, and asked high school graduates how many of them recognize that name, or could tell us who she was. Yeah, we hit 10%. Probably not. So, you know, Louise, what do we need to do about this. All right. I think Tina should go first. Okay. Wow. Thank you. These conflicts are in school boards they're in schools. These are Republican Party leaders who are saying they're going to make opposition to teaching of critical race theory, a main part of their platform for 2022 and they think it's a winner for them. Even though it's not taught in schools critical race theory is not just they have no idea what it really is. Exactly. Any of those Republican leaders, who they don't know is how many of them you would you think would know or could tell you anything about him. Yeah, or any of the successors, or the Pulitzer Prize winner who was denied tenure at North Carolina. Yeah, is all of this. How is this all coalescing? Where's the trigger point Tina. The trigger point is seeking information or knowledge and looking at it from the non traditional perspective. Many of the things that Sonda talked about, we know about because someone recorded it, whether they recorded it orally, or whether it was recorded on paper. And when we're seeing this type of pushback, we have to look at other means and make sure that our children are taught that they're informed that they're aware whether that is through documentaries and I know people usually roll that when you think of a documentary but think about the women who worked for NASA, and their stories were untold. And the only reason that we know about them was because they were featured in a movie. And we wouldn't have known otherwise. I mean there's there's scenes that are heartbreaking. But the fact that this woman was literally a math genius, and she's it's not just her story there are other stories that we're finding out about and it's it's having it's that dialogue and looking at non traditional ways of educating whether that is coming together with community and talking. I'm concerned, just as was indicated earlier, the misinformation the misunderstanding and the wrong application of terms critical race theory is not what what we're hearing at all. It literally is how race has been applied, whether that is directly or indirectly in law, and how it's impacted our way of life. It's, it's, it's, it's nothing to be. I'm not going to say it's nothing to be ashamed of because I think there are people who feel shameful about what has happened in the past and there are shameful things that did happen. We are going to look at our future. We've got to look at what we did in the past, correct what we can and learn from what what what didn't work, or where, where we made mistakes and we've made some great mistakes, but does it mean it's over absolutely it just means that this is a time for us to re regroup rethink and move forward. I think we do our children and injustice when we tell them that we don't want to tell them things, especially about the past, because they see it they they're inquisitive they want to know they notice things. And the more knowledgeable they are, the more opportunity there is for them to be successful and take that baton moving forward. I'll stop there because I want Louise to have an opportunity. Well, and I think that everything you've both said goes to the importance of and the power of storytelling and the importance of history. And, you know, the whole issue of critical race theory, I mean, I have friends, a friend of Professor friends you've written a book about it. I never did understand it myself. I'm sure that the people opposing it don't understand a word of it themselves either. But I do think we do need a critical thing in education as critical thinking we need to, they need to be taught critical thinking, and to weigh what makes sense and what doesn't make sense. And I was heartened I think as I emailed all of you that yes this week I read about a group of mothers from suburbia interracial group who are trying to fight back by, you know, going to school boards, we're trying to suppress information, and really encouraging them and telling the story of how you need to be affirmative. These are the things that kids need to learn. And I think that, you know, the importance of heritage months, for instance, are the focus on learning the history of particular groups, and that's how we can move forward. I think I've mentioned before Sandra you had mentioned that book the warmth of other sons by Isabel Wilkerson that is so powerful in terms of telling stories that I'm sure many of us, not in the black community, have not heard about the whole migration and all of the horrible treatment mistreatment that led to that migration to the south to other parts of the US. Yeah. Oh, absolutely. And that's, that's, that's a key point I think it's just understanding all around for you know for black Americans and for other other groups as well whose histories and stories have not been told. We're noting today that was it yesterday that one of the schools in town central middle school. Oh, so cool. And it's, it's, it's a historic place and it was the site of King, Princess, Lio Kalani's residence. And then it was school was built there, but then they changed the name of the school, because they say they say the name was changed because people can pronounce it I mean it's so why come on that's one of the things you need to learn to do is to pronounce names that's you live. And so for years and years and years just you know the students who went to that school which is in a central part of Honolulu. It has a population that you know is largely low income or with, you know people who are immigrants to this country as well from, you know, from other countries and so it is even more important that that kind of used to be taught in a place like that. You know, our group has done some work at that school and a good number of the students are houseless. And so you, you know, we would they had an actual pantry at the school, so that on the weekends, you know kids could take home food, take to their places food, and the concern was that they would not have a meal until Monday, or God forbid on a holiday or before days. So this is school where it is important, you know, to provide those kinds of stories and images and an understanding of the historical context, particularly of a place that they were in that would help them to see themselves, you know in a in a in a different way and to, you know to aim, you know aim for. And that's just, you know, to look at how they proceed their lives and so that was I looked at them and say, Wow, it was a big ceremony to change the name back to what it was in the beginning. When you start doing that kind of stuff, you know, when you think about it. It's a long time to take away the name because I don't know how to say it. But yeah, what from central to Kaili Kalani, which is so cool. Yeah, because it was Kaili Kalani first, but went to Central because we can't say that. And it leads us to as biased as repressed as misleading as black history education has been in this country. The story of how the indigenous Native American people in this country and the indigenous Hawaiian people in this country have been treated has been even more thoroughly suppressed than the residential schools, the separation of children from their families. Truly brutal. And we're starting to see leading authors and works come out, Isabel Wilkerson, Louise Erdrich with her works on Native American experience and others. But you've hit on the crux of it is, we have to be able to talk about this. The schools are the most open and protected and safe place for that to happen. You've got adult teacher moderators to manage those communications. If you can't have them in the schools risk, they're going to have happen in the groups that lead to things like January 6. There are connections between those things. So, how do we bring about those communications, those exchanges on the things that we need to talk about. And where do we do it. Who takes the lead. I think the power of zoom, you know, another thing we have to thank coven for is getting more used to zoom, and it seems like that's really expanded our access to content. And I remember early on during coven, you know, listening while I was working in the kitchen listening to speakers on black history, and including Doug Jones who was a white lawyer but who worked during the civil rights period. And, you know, those we just need to keep telling the stories in as many forums as we can movies TV shows I know it sometimes when I see a historical movie or show, it makes me want to read more about the people involved. And of course, we need to reach out to educators that would be interesting to get some educators on your panel. And to see their thoughts. Yeah, that's good. Yeah, I agree I think the zoom has been. It's got the pluses and the minuses but it's certainly done that. And also other forms of social media I've noticed that on, at least on my Facebook feed. Quite a few people are posting stories about black history. You know, I know one, one of my friends he's just taken it upon himself to post something every day about a figure in black history that that's not so well known. And it kind of fascinating kind of watching and seeing so that's happening and he's got quite a, quite a network and that is happening. And I saw something the other day that kind of fascinated me it was an element I wish I had saved the article. But an elementary school teacher was teaching about slavery I mean you can't ignore slavery I mean it happened. And what she did instead of you know going into I don't know exactly how teachers do this teaching but what she had done was taken news articles on slave auctions sales, just taking the newspaper itself you know printed copies of what the paper said this is so and so for sale this is Mary, she's for sale this is the child Mary's son, or Mary's daughters for sale. And this is her husband but they can be separate I mean they were the actual articles and gave it to the kids and asked that what they were doing was to create a story off of just seeing that. Not telling them necessarily this is just what do you think about that. And the things that they put the kids came up with. One was, I mean, because their children and they came up with things like I would, I would give them some music so they can come together and you know, I play a guitar and let them sing together so they wouldn't be separated or they would. I mean they came with things that children would think of to do in that situation seems it's like I'm not sure why that has to happen that way. Why are they for sale. Why is it you know that's it's, it can't. It's interesting to kind of just see their reaction. Again, it's back to what we just talking about critical thinking it's just thinking it's not about. You know indoctrination is just sitting there and saying to a child what do you think about something like this happening to someone that you know, what would you think, what would you feel, what do you feel, what do you see. Yeah, I think there's big, big and little ways I'm really happy with our one of our legal firm administrators and person overseas staff. We have a daily news, e news it goes out. And so she started during COVID using it to, you know, just tell little stories to black history month there's always a little story about a figure from Hawaii history or us history and same with other heritage months. So we get a little education along with the news of the day. So I'm really happy and proud of her that she's doing that. That's good. And in Hawaii, we know that if anyone were to suggest that our schools could not teach or talk about the Japanese internment. That would be nowhere. Not just because the Japanese American population here is one of our largest groups, and one of our most prominent and most respected. But because we've all grown up understanding our connection between and among the different population groups to different sectors, and the importance of each one. We have a comedian rep replinger who said hoy is not a melting pot. It's a salad bowl. We've got radishes and mangoes and cucumbers and all kinds of exotic things in there and everything has its place and its value. And even then, you know, there's still stories that need to be told on, you know, we don't have enough information we need more about the concentration camps that existed on Oahu, and on Sand Island, Hono Uli Uli. And, you know, even now the story of how the government, oh, you know, kid, or manipulated the information that was considered to justify internment camps that those films have only come out in the last few years so it's still a continuous learning process. Yeah, for all of those points in history. And it's taken a galvanized resistance that's come from people heavily involved in the educational institutions and industry. Eric here who was one of the people instrumental in bringing Fred and the intern prisoners cases. Yeah, and over. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that that. Yeah, that that was another powerful piece I sat in on a discussion the other day on Patty mink and that would be that's fascinating to and and Tina was interesting because one of the panelists was the Supreme Court Justice Sabrina McKenna. And she, I mean she just told her story, and a lot of people on that knowledge in the group that they did not know her story. She is, you know, part Japanese she grew up on a military base in Japan, and she got to play basketball because you she's on a base and they could play. But then when she went to high school in the college to high school there was no such thing as girls playing basketball, or girls playing sports at all. And it wasn't until she got to you age and met up with Dr. Thompson Donna Thompson with that time it just been appointed as the first women's athletic director, and she's African American from Chicago, and she had a title nine had just been enacted a few years earlier, and they gave her scholarship she said I played basketball, who knew she didn't even know it existed. And she got to play basketball they gave her scholarship because she said she was good. And well she was because she'd gotten to play but now just hearing her story and you think about it, that wasn't that long ago. Well, the notion of, you know, girls and athletics and, and of course, she's, you know, she's, she's, it wasn't that long ago. And, and here we are. Another of those stories that we just need to keep letting people know she went on to, you know, get to go to law school and become an attorney and she's on the Supreme Court now. There was a wonderful, I even learned something just flying an airplane and watching one of the Hawaiian Airlines free programming, it was about title nine, and the growth of what he may sports at new age. And I just saw another dimension of paths make and Donna's Thompson and people that as a kid you didn't really pay attention to. But again it was the history and the storytelling that made to appreciate what they went through to bring what he may sports to Yeah, yeah. And, and Donna's was just like, amazing to me. Oh man, we could do stories about her but yeah there's and I think it's important sharing the stories because when we are when we are doing that and we learns what people have gone through what they had to go through to exist or to do something that they cared about doing. Because there were all these obstacles and things in their way it just. Oh man. I mean I think about my own dad I mean he things just didn't happen because it wasn't allowed. You know he wanted to go to school but he wasn't allowed to go to just because of that area just you didn't like, you know, black people couldn't go. Simple as that. Donna you have some thoughts on your money. Yeah. Actually, I didn't I was just thinking, I did. All right, let me just say it. You know better. I guess I would say this because we're talking about at the community again community for those who can. It's time for school board. Get on your PTA be a volunteer. It's at that grassroots level and yes it takes time, it takes energy and sometimes running school board takes money. But if you can't be a school board member support your school board. You know, it's not about the meetings right letters be that yeah pain that and make sure that children have an opportunity to learn and be thoughtful and creative and inquisitive about the world around them. Otherwise we're all going to think the world is flat again. I thought we're all done with that. That's that's that's an idea. That's a great idea. Yeah, just simply going to volunteer at your at the school doesn't have to be your kids school but you know during my kitchen I'm just going in, you know, often will not any time, you know, to be a part of, you know, the programs and things that take place at schools that's an excellent idea. Excellent idea. Yeah. Thank you folks have really hit on it. I mean this is something that we see happens when three truly amazing leadership women come together and share intuitions and insights and experiences. If we could gather the coalitions and the stories of the people who have struggled the most to be the kind of examples and leaders that you are that Camille Nelson is that Danielle Conway is that the other 26 black women law school deans were now up to 28 nationally. Those stories, children would love those stories youth would love those stories people would love those stories. I wonder, people who don't want those stories to be shared. Yeah, to be talked about to be discussed. Why, where is that fear that insecurity coming from. And we're in our last couple of minutes so final thoughts on that. The other part the other thing that hurt me was that the push back. So there was a book that was banned by an Alabama school board called mouse kids book about holocaust. And what resulted is that the sales shot way up, not just in Alabama but nationwide. We need to fight back and fight for knowledge. Yes, absolutely. Like that. There's more of that is happening fight for your knowledge there you go. So as we wrap up for today maybe that's the image to leave us with it, which is not the image of the book burning, but of the nearby bookstore that put all the band books out. Exactly. And it's stable. Absolutely. So this think tech group. And that bookseller are peas in the same pot. Thank you all for joining us. Come back and see us again we'll be back in a couple of weeks. Take care be well be safe stand up speak up, speak out. Thank you.