 Thomas Yarbrough. Welcome to Sister Power. The Black community is one of the fastest growing communities in America this decade. There are now 42 million people who identify as Black or African American living in America. There are now 42 million people who identify as Black or African American living in America making up 12 percent of the total population. According to the most recent American community survey, the Black population community survey in Hawaii is 24,472 at 1.7 percent of the total population of Hawaii. Sister's Power's guess is Ali'i Toya. So, and I will have an open and honest conversation about living Black, being Black in Hawaii. Welcome Ali. How are you? I'm going to say Ali. Ali. That's just fine. It's Ali Toya. You please, everyone knows me by Ali. Hello Sharon. How are you? I'm wonderful. I'm so happy to have you on Sister Power. Well, thank you so much for having me. This is just, it's a very beautiful time where I can get up on a platform like this and speak about the color of my skin especially being here in Hawaii. So, I really thank you for that and this opportunity is amazing. Oh good. You know, we were talking yesterday and you've been living in Hawaii all your life. You came here at two years old? Absolutely. Two years old. Yes, managing and navigating this Hawaii since I was two years old, a lifetime. Lifetime. So, where did you move here from? Good question. Well, I was born in New York. I have a younger sister who was born in La Paz, Bolivia. So, I can't say that I came here from New York. We did a lot of traveling prior. But, so from traveling, I arrived here at two and have been here ever since besides some of the things taken me away off the island. But this has been my home. I've been proud to say that this has been my home for, I won't give away how many years that is, but for a while. Okay. Well, that's good. You know, for the past months, the world has had an awakening and you've come up with this wonderful tool for all of us to use living black. Absolutely. You know, and what prompted you to create this tool, living black for the masses? Well, thanks for asking. Well, prompted would be probably my lifetime of, you know, living black and honestly, the protests, the protests that happen and, you know, our use and the energy that happened that allows for me to be able to create this space, basically a labor of love, basically, living black. Yeah, well, you know, we talked about Brianna Taylor. This is, was one of the reasons why it prompted you, Brianna Taylor and George Floyd. So that's something that the world has the unfortunate opportunity to see. So I can see why you would come up with this living black. So let's just go in deeper to talk about our experiences living here in Hawaii and how you came up with living black. Okay, thank you. And to go a little bit further into that. So, you know, I didn't write living black as soon as I heard, you know, about Brianna Taylor. What happens is, you know, we've been through many Brianna Taylor's, many George Floyd's, you know, and so this really was, it was enlightening. It was, it was a kind of a hope that the world kind of stood up, you know, at this, because we as black folks as African-Americans have had to watch this over and over and over. And I remember literally like probably a month right before all of the protests I was talking to my father-in-law and I was just like, you know, I just wonder, I wonder when there's going to be a time when we stand up or when somebody stands up because this, this is unacceptable. And lo and behold. So I was, it was, it was a passion. And what happened was when Hawaii decided to protest, which is wonderful. It's a beautiful thing. You know, I, I one day went out there and I did my protest. And from there, I kind of recognized that every black, every black person has their own story. We all have our own living black story. So, you know, me being from Hawaii, I really thought that I needed to kind of sit down and express. And it's really not even born out of having to tell somebody anything. It's really kind of my pouring of my feelings and pouring of everything that I've kind of done in my life out, out to you. And really that's education. It's, it's learning about ourselves. It's loving. It's trusting. And all of these things that I really hope that people can get from that living black. Well, you know, I always hear people and say they, there cannot be any type of racism or discrimination in Hawaii. And although the sun kisses our skin every day, this place is beautiful. Racism is here, is alive and kicking here in Honolulu in Hawaii. Period. And so I could tell many stories, but do you have one, especially going into the schools? You were so young when you moved here and so you had to attend elementary school. Can you tell us a couple of examples that you had to endure being a black girl? Wow, yes. To be honest, being, and I don't want to say Hawaii, but because this is my, where I'm from, that's when I'm going to stick to you. But really, living black really is, there's something that happens daily. Daily. And it's, and I'm so glad that that word came out that the system, that's huge. Because, you know, I've even right after, even through the protests and after talking with people, you know, I even have family members because of course we're all blended family. So family members who they wanted to say, you know, get over it, the very week of the protests, get over it. And that is just, you know, something that I basically want to say that we've lived through, that I've lived through kind of being in Hawaii. It's that it's a, it's a silence. It's just silence. So you are living through this oppression without anybody acknowledging it. And it's just so difficult. It is. So for some specifics, you know, she says when I'm in school, because like I said, it's daily, I can give you something like really happened yesterday. But okay, well, I have some really big ones up. I actually was falsely accused and actually arrested. And it was false. And I won't get into the specifics of that. But it was basically complete racism. And I really like struggle with the word racism, because I really honestly think that there's a lot of ignorance going on. There's a lot more than just racism. But at the end of the day, it's all a question. Yeah. So I've been being here, I have been falsely arrested. I have definitely, I don't really like to go there, but I've definitely been called the Emirates several times, just living here. I am constantly asked, Oh, are you, where are you from? I mean, and while that's an innocent question, it's almost like, as my mother likes to say, you're an other and I've lived here. So for me, this should be my home. And imagine if you have a home, and somebody doesn't welcome you to that home. And that's a little bit how I felt in my whole pretty much existence until June. Like really literally, it's so funny, because honestly, I felt like June, I felt like it was okay to be a Black person. How, you know, it's, and it's as simple as that, you know, it's sad, and it's kind of heartbreaking when I say it, but really June allowed me to be okay with being a Black person in the world, and especially in Hawaii. Sorry. I think from the horrible, the horrific events from the George Floyd, we're having more open and honest conversations with each other and with our communities as well. It's needed. Our stories have power. And I have been, I've had similar cases with me. Also, when I worked at the Olomawana shopping center that they call the security on me, and I worked at them all because I asked a question. So in another form of racism, discrimination, that it's like you're invisible. Have you felt that here? Oh, every day. For you, I hear that you're asking about for our young girls and things like this, especially as an African-American, don't really want to bring it, you know, just about the dating, but imagine, and it wasn't until I was a little older, but this is all against systemic and it makes me who I am, but imagine that, you know, growing up here as a teenager and, you know, going through the dating, well, I really realized at one point that I'm probably, I am invisible to public, I want to say and don't quote me, but this is my feeling about 60% of the people here. So could you imagine, I mean, just what that feels like, you know, as a young person kind of navigating your social life here, you know, with that said, though, you know, I do look back because one of the things that I have to say is that one of the things that makes us have better about ourselves is being grateful. So even along all of those things, you know, as you said, sure, we have to talk, it's just mandatory. We have to talk because how do you know if you don't know? How does somebody know if they don't know, you know, because we're all living in our own culture, you know, and we have to get outside of that. We have to talk and we have to allow people to talk and share their stories and not be shied away from it. Yeah, well, stories have power. And I think one of the healing processes for all of us, if we respect each other's cultures. Absolutely. You know, it's just not, yes, we feel the brunt. We meaning black, we meaning African Americans, you know, since 1619, over 400 years plus, we have felt the oppression. And it has to stop. And I would ask my friends who are non black, have these conversations with your family and friends. Absolutely. Absolutely. It really is everyone's responsibility. The state of the world is everyone's responsibility. I believe so, regardless of what part you play, because, you know, there are, even if we think that, you know, okay, we're great. This is not my problem. You know, there's little things that we are all doing that kind of add up to that. And the most one is the silence, really. It's heartbreaking. It is. And you mentioned earlier that someone mentions you to get over it, which is laughable. Well, do you think it's fun for us to feel this dismissive? You're not valuable. You don't matter. Yes, black lives matter. But we would love for this to go away. And as a writing king said, can we all just get along? Can we just get along? Oh, that would that would really help. But tell us a little bit about yourself. I know that you are a curriculum developer as well. Yes. Okay, so about me a little bit. I my passion really is performing arts. I love performing arts. So I do on, you know, I have a group of kids and stuff that I train. So I train models after dancers, singers, etc. Again, my passion though is to just make people forget about themselves. So that's where that stems from. What I do date on a daily basis is I do I write curriculum for a nonprofit technology company here. So we provide computer literacy for computer literacy training for kindergartners all the way up to Kapuna. So it's really rewarding and wonderful. And that's actually why Living Black paid because I was using some software. Okay, well, tell us about Kappa Magazine. We were talking about that you also attended MIT Fashion Institute. I did FIT in New York City. So fun. That was wonderful. I started here UH in the design program, first of all in the marketing program. And then, you know, I love my art. So then I studied fashion. And then I took myself to New York, which is where I was born, probably have to go sell some oats there. And I studied at FIT, a wonderful experience. I graduated from there. And I came back home. I always come back home. And then I also, you know, I think that I needed some more tech stuff. So I took myself off to California, where I graduated from the California Design College, excuse me. And I studied CAD, computer design, et cetera. So I have a lot of tech behind me. Bring it forward to today. I'm back in Hawaii. And I've continued and I'm still doing the performing arts with the kids and adults, young adults. And now training. So what I do right now is I write curriculum, and I train teachers. And on the side, I have Kappa Magazine. So Kappa Magazine is a company that was born out of my passion for fashion. And knowing that, you know, Hawaii definitely has its own sense of fashion, doesn't it? But I thought that we need to showcase that. We need to have a hub, you know, so this is where Kappa is. And it has since developed into really like showcasing, showcasing people, making people feel proud of themselves, giving a platform for performing artists, and all along high highlighting and showcasing fashion. Wow. Well, okay, what does Kappa Magazine do? And how can one be a part of it? I love this question. Thank you. Well, to be a part of it, really, you just have to be. You have to want to showcase something. We are so willing to, you know, I can walk down the street or my director can walk down the street. And depending on that passion that you have, you could be an establishment, you could have a restaurant, you could be a young singer, you could be a model, aspiring model, you could be a designer, those are our favorites, designers. You could be, you know, let's see, what do I have? I have just Hawaiian things. Oh, definitely anything that's Hawaiian because what we're really trying to do is perpetually, perpetually fashion in white. So anything from a piece of thread, all the way to a full-flow and full-cutor garment, we would like to showcase that. Okay, great. Let's get back to Living Black. I did have a chance to really go through this tool that is so wonderful. And it says here on Living Black, every life is precious, beautiful, and has the right to be lived out. Go ahead. Ain't it the truth? That's the truth. So living black and what are your hopes for it? First of all, before, how can the people, the masses, be a part of this tool, Living Black? Excellent. Well, first of all, it is housed on the Kappa Mag website. So if you go to Kappa Mag, you'll find more, and then you can find Living Black. My hopes for Living Black, really, again, I kind of said that it was born out of my, this, I guess there's a turmoil, right? There is. There's a turmoil going on. And that was my expression of the turmoil, honestly. And my hopes for it really is that everybody takes it seriously as you go through it. First of all, go through it. Open it up. Take the time. Have yourself some time. Give yourself a good half an hour so that you can, you know, explore. And really what my hopes are is it's, you hear our words, you know, it's me and my family has kind of gone ahead and contributed some of their words. And just so that you can, you know, get, be in my shoes, be in our shoes for a little bit. Because sometimes I think it's hard to imagine things if you're not in someone's shoes. For example, I've had some of my friends right after the protests happened come right up to me though. Oh no, no, Ollie, but that doesn't happen to you, does it? You're, there's no, there's no racism against you. No, wait, you're in Hawaii. Oh boy. I've heard that so many times. I mean, I have so many stories to tell. The difference is, Ollie, I found it's just done differently here. You know, racism is racism. It's the silence that you do not matter. You are not in the room. You're invisible. You said the word perfect, invisible. That's what it is. And can you imagine feeling that way for your, you know, for your life that you've lived here, you know, and then not be able to be expressive that you're, that you're part of this. That's probably the hardest for me. And guess what? Because I am trying to find my identity. And I recognize that, wow, how can you find an identity when they're not welcoming you to the home that you grew up in? And so that I've had to find my power through that. Luckily, you know, through the resources, through the family, through the friends, through the love for myself, honestly, the love for myself to make sure that, you know, I found my identity and that I was proud of myself and that I love myself. I was so proud of the young people that stepped up at the, for the protest here in Hawaii. It just did my heart so good to see people. Yeah. It's just full of hope. And it's a beautiful thing. And it really shows me that, you know, we're going on the right direction. You know, this day will come. Yeah. Are you proud of the world today? And why or why not? Okay, I know. And that question, you know, so to answer it directly, yes. I am proud of the world because look at what we've done. It goes to show because, you know, we have to have this turmoil in order for it to be exposed. And the exposure is just to me, a beautiful thing. I'm very, very proud of the world because even if you are not willing to accept, even if you are one of those who are silent and even if you are one of those who, because there are some who are like, what racism? There really is. I promise there are some people saying that. Even if you're one of those, you know, it is undeniable that people are watching, people are seeing and people are listening and supporting. And that's just, it's beautiful. It's my heart is so big. And so, yes, I'm very proud of the world. We have a lot to go. I'm not saying that we don't have a lot to go, but it has to start somewhere. And it started by the way, you know what I mean. If you look it up, there's been protests, there have been, but this is just unprecedented. And I'm very proud of the world, to be honest. Oh, great. In light of the past months, how are you thinking about future of the black girls and women who live here now and who are moving to Hawaii? Okay, what a great question. And what I feel is that, you know, we need to find ourselves, first find yourself. You know what I mean? Really? Because yes, my outer skin is black, but that doesn't define me. You know, we have to define who you are. What are your loves? What are your passions? What are your truths? That's my favorite. Once you have your truth, then you can pretty much take over anything because nobody can really bring you down from that and find a support system, you know, and go for it. But the one word that I really want to throw out there is diversity. So, you know, go ahead and allow yourself to be diverse. Allow yourself to, you know, feel, you know, because that's one of the things that I think that I wasn't really able to do, even though I'm such a feelings person, you know, a lot of our cultures, especially here in Hawaii, we have a lot of cultures that, you know, they're come out of modesty and out of, you know, shame and no, no, no, we don't, we don't do that. You know, we hide that under the rug and not only public cultures, but generations. And so now we're coming to a new generation and a new mixture of culture because it is not okay to not see a culture today because, listen, our babies are half up. You know, it's just not okay. Our kids are growing up with multiple cultures, so they have to be proud and know all of those cultures. And even if that's not my culture, I should know it, you know, just so that I can appreciate it. And so that I don't come out of an ignorance or out of an oppressive way, really. So to all of my wonderful Black African American young females, I say, come, come over, find a support system. There's lots of us here, and we're just so excited. Come, come over and be diverse with us. Absolutely. We want you here. Hawaii is a beautiful place to live. It's paradise. I call it the bus stop to heaven. Oh, that's what I call it. Absolutely. So I went to, we went to Indonesia and it's just such a beautiful feeling. And when I came back, you know, I heard that it was called the chakra, chakra of the world. And we can say that probably about Hawaii too. It is a beautiful, lovely place that I always have to say that I thank my mother because whatever how she got us here, we got here. And I'm very appreciative. I'm very, very grateful to be from Hawaii. Yeah, I've met your lovely mother and your sister, Dr. Alana Coffey has been on Sister Power's show. Dr. Coffey. Yeah. So what bit of advice would you give the young girls who are living in a Hawaii and they're trying to find their spot. They're trying to find their space because I say move step out and be bold. Oh, I agree with you. I agree. I second that emotion. And what I am to say it again is, is find your truth. Find your truth first. Because once you find your truth, then nobody can sway you to something else. You've got your truth. And what does that mean? That means find the things that really that make that, that you're passionate about. What makes you, you, what do you want to wake up and do in the morning? You find those things because what for me, it's going to the ocean. And whenever I go to the ocean, it doesn't matter. It just everything sheds off, you know, and things like that we've got to find. And as you said, yes, be bold, do not shy away. There's no more. I'm here to say no more. Yes, no more shying away. That doesn't mean that we have to, you know, scare anyone because it's, you know, people do get scared. I definitely believe that you got to find the language of whomever you're speaking to, you know, is this part of just life? And that's the same thing that goes for us, right? For as a black person, you know, I need people to find our language and talk with us, not shy away and revert your eyes because you can't talk to us. Let me give you a perfect example. I do do a lot of education and teaching in the classrooms. And one year, our wonderful movie got Panther came out and the students, you know, were talking about it. And this would be about grades three and four. And they were talking about the movie and stuff. And I'm not sure if it's because my presence was there. But one of the kids that was shot it up, the title, Oh, Black Panther, to which another kid said, that's racist. You can't say that word black to which I had to get up and do the, Oh, no, no, you can say the word black, but it just made me realize that, you know, we, we all need to not be scared to talk to each other, you know, because it's all just communication. And even if something hurts in the beginning, you keep writing that out, you keep with the communication and eventually we'll come up to the other side in agreement and or disagreement, but at least a mutual understanding. Right now, I feel like there's no mutual understanding if we don't communicate. True. Well, you know, John Lewis said, says, you cannot be afraid to speak up and speak out for what you believe you have to have courage, raw courage. And that's what it takes. And I want people to know, because we live here in Hawaii, it is part of the United States, it's the same as living on the mainland. The difference is, we have a beautiful weather every day, every day. So being black in Hawaii has taught you what? Oh, wow. Okay, being black in Hawaii. And as you say, you said it's the same and yes, because oppression is the same. And you said it's just a little different. So what I'm going to say is that for me, growing up is a little different because I want to say, and maybe it's not right, but on the mainland, I would say it's a little bit more on your face. You know, we did kind of already talk about this, it's more on your face. So you can kind of come with it that way. But when you're here and it's silent, it takes even a while to you for you to even know that it's there. You're like, oh, was I, did they say something against me? Oh, yeah, yeah, maybe they did. So it takes a little while. So what that really taught me, as you said, is to you have to again, find out who you are. You have to know who you are and what is going to be okay, what's acceptable and what's not. And definitely speak out and be strong. So my word really is integrity, have integrity. It's a beautiful word, I believe. And it's one that, it's not easy, but I believe that it's something we should all strive to have. And integrity means that you don't get to make excuses. You don't get to make excuses, you know. Oh, I don't feel like, you know, no, no, no, I'm okay, I'm not racist, but then you don't, you don't speak up for the person who's being oppressed. Well, that's making an excuse that that's not having integrity. You know, so things like that, we all have to come back down to our integrity for the world, for humankind, because guess what? We are all humans. I mean, what about that word racist? You know, I've been thinking about that word racist. It's almost like they put it out there so that we segregate ourselves. Like really, we're all one race. We're really one race. So I really encourage people to always think about that first is that who are you first? What are we first we're humans and we're all humans. We all have the same needs, the same desires, the same wants, the same, you know, we get hungry. I mean, the same things. So let's start there before we oppress somebody. That just makes sense and vote. Let's talk about vote, advocate, engage. Absolutely. Advocate, engage, get out there. I just, you know, I had a class and just this summer and that's what I said and they were babies, fifth graders, but it starts early. You got to tell them early because things become a habit. You know, I remember when I was 17 and 18 was an inhabit. You know, I was an inhabit of, oh, I can't go out. I don't have a curfew for mom anymore. And so, but those types of things, if it was encouraged from like kindergarten, first grade have mock classes, we should have mock voting in schools so that it becomes just ingrained. Because listen, if we don't vote and you really don't get, you don't have anything to say, you can't say anything because you didn't go up there and make your voice be heard. Yeah. So we have to vote. I hope that everybody voted for, you know, our Hawaiian affairs and for all of our Hawaii officials. Oh, great. Well, Ali, this has been absolutely wonderful. As usual, we have, we have to go. And I would like, this is it, we'll have a part two for sure. So be safe, be real, be strong, be kind. Be kind. And aloha, everyone. Thank you, Ali. Be safe and peace to everyone. Thank you so much, Sharon. Aloha.