 Welcome to ThinkTech on OC16, Hawaii's weekly newscast on things that matter to tech, and Hawaii. I'm Jay Fidel. And I'm Elise Anderson. In our show this time, we'll visit the recent downtown forum, organized by ThinkTech and Grassroot Institute at 1132 Bishop Street. The title of this special forum was, Beyond Political Sovereignty, Pathways for Hawaiian Advancement. The discussion was intended to cover the issues facing the Native Hawaiian community, and the alternatives by which it can achieve cultural, social, and economic goals. We organized this downtown forum to be a discussion of that question. What are the best pathways for Hawaiians to better themselves, culturally, socially, and economically? How can the larger community help them reach their goals, other than by a restoration of political sovereignty? The panel was comprised of Oz Stender, formerly of Kamehameha Schools, and Oha, Billy Richardson of the William S. Richardson School of Law, and the Office of Technology Transfer at UH Manoa, Miley Meyer of Nameha, Hawaii, and Koleiakina of Grassroot Institute. While some Hawaiians have done well and have occupied prominent roles in the community, others have not, and they include a substantial number of the disadvantage we become concerned about. What to do, what to do, what should they do individually and as a community to advance themselves and reach their cultural, social, and economic goals? Our frame of reference is that, apart from sovereignty, there are promising pathways native Hawaiians can take, such as business, the sciences, the professions, education, and for that matter, political involvement. First we heard from Oz Stender, formerly of Kamehameha Schools, and Oha. At home, we had one spoon of poi bol in the middle of the table, and that was it. At Kamehameha was so different. We had two developed social skills. I call that group therapy for people like me. When I became a junior, someone decided that 80% of the class is going to learn a skill. In those days, commitment was basically a school that trained plumbers, electricians, welders, and as 80% of the kids went into the shops to learn a trade, so we were at trade school. 20% of the kids became college prep, and they took a different tact of learning. I was one of those of the 80% group. I learned to be a draftsman, and a senior year, we went to classes in the morning, took math and English and whatnot, and in the afternoon, we all worked. I worked at the Hawaiian Electric Company, my brother worked at the telephone company, and people worked apprentice all around town. When we all graduated, we all had jobs. We moved right into the workforce. My apprenticeship at Hawaiian Electric lasted about two years. I looked around the room, and I found that the people that had the corner offices or ended up downtown were all college grads, so I decided that I wanted to be a college grad, but because I had no parents and nobody to support me financially, there was no scholarship and no student loans, none of that. If you wanted to go to college, you had to find your own money and pay for it. The only solution for me was to join the military and get the GI Bill. I joined the Marine Corps, served my time, and then came home, went to the university and graduated from the university. I was the only one in my family, and we had a large family that went to college. So that was something that I will always remember, that there is, at least today, the good news is that there are more and more opportunities for education beyond high school, both trade schools and beyond high school. Today, we have counseling that will counsel the parents and the teachers and the students about the availability of financial aid. You have student loans, you have scholarships, and you have grants. So with that said, the question is how does Native Hawaiians achieve their cultural goals? Culturally, I think in the 70s, we had the Renaissance, and with the establishment of the Hawaiian language charter schools, that area is rapidly growing. As far as the economic goals, Hawaiians have a long way to go. Education is the key. With 45,000 families, so 76% earning less than 75,000 per year, and more than 10% or nearly 10,000 families living in poverty, with incomes less than 15,000 annually. It is only with education can we change these numbers. I think the issue of illegal authority needs to be addressed, and it needs to be resolved between the Hawaiian community and the federal government and the state government. As long as that fester is out there, you're going to have a lot of Hawaiians unhappy, or you're going to have to wait until they all die off and forget it. But I think the younger generation I see out there holding flags and marching down Calacau Avenue, so that issue must be addressed. Then we heard from Billy Richardson of the William S. Richardson School of Law and the Office of Technology Transfer at UH Manoa. People would criticize me as one of those golden spoon guys. You know, I went to Punahou, I went to University of California, then I had to do Glasgow straight out and came back. And what I would say is I spent my career, and it's not over yet, I hope, trying to fulfill my dad's and my family's responsibility back to the community, because that's how I was raised. And so, but I didn't want to follow the track of my dad. So I did all of the things that were required of me to complete my education. But then when I came back, I decided that I was going to fulfill my responsibility of the community in far different ways for my dad. I think, you know, he was a politician and, you know, a social activist. I never took that tack. I find myself now back in a role that kind of surprises me where I'm, you know, I work at the University of Hawaii now, I'm a UH professor, I'm a Hawaiian Homelands Commissioner, and I look around to myself. I look at myself in the mirror this morning, I thought, man, I'm turning into my dad. And, you know, but in between that time, I felt that job creation and Hawaiian economic development was the key. And so I spent my time trying to do that. And that's why I fell into my investment career and my venture capital career and my business creation career. And I felt that was the most productive way that I could give back to my community. I guess I would say that I spent my life with two very simple philosophies. One is the Hawaiians got screwed. And the second one is individual action is the only way to get that back. And so I felt that building companies one at a time was the way to do it. So that's sort of where I am and how I got here. What I was doing when I was thinking about this presentation is I'm an economist. My dad was an economist, kind of very few people know that. Before he went to law school, he was an economist. And so I look at the world's or Hawaii's issues very simplistically. There, a Hawaiian nation has to stand on a few simple economic tenants. One is you have to have a credible economic policy. The second one is you have to have a well-regulated financial sector. And finally, you have to have a robust and diversified economic balance of payments to support current arrangements. So when I hear about a lot of the governance issues and the aha and other things, I just think that it's premature. We have to face the much more broad questions of what is a Hawaiian nation and how does it survive and how does it sustain itself? So when I look at the costs and benefits of a Hawaiian nation, I think of, well, what are the costs of infrastructure? What are the costs of health and safety? What is the cost of governance? What's the cost of a banking system? And all of the questions that are required to sustain an economic engine that can build a Hawaiian nation. And so when I go back to my first year economic class, there's really four main conditions under which an economy sustains itself. You have to have capital, you have to have labor, you have to have natural resources, and an entrepreneurial spirit. We have a lot of those things in Hawaii right now, but we've superseded the discussion for building those things through the contentious ideas of how we're going to govern ourselves. Well, what is there to govern until we get some of those questions answered? And I just think that people think with their pocketbooks and if you're going to try to get consensus on a governance issue, you have to understand the economic issues first. Then we heard from Miley Meyer of Nomea, Hawaii. I'm like Miley, we ended up being so fortunate to be landed Hawaiians. And Oz, I just have to tell you, listening to your beginnings, I've read it, I know it in my heart, but every time I hear it, I realize, in this room, raise your hand if you've had a similar upbringing to Oz's standard. So two out of 30. So just remember that. Just remember who you're talking to and what their experiences are. So we don't over-apply what we think we know. So important. My mother was orphaned, but she was from a large family with lots of aunts that raised her. Every Hawaiian she knew, most of them were orphaned. 80% of our population was gone. We had intergenerational trauma to deal with. When Michael and I moved home, I'll never forget Michael saying, my husband Michael Broderick, wow, Hawaii feels not like America. It feels like a foreign country. And I would smile and I would say to him, it's because it is. So just hold that thought. The other thing I have to mention about Dear Jay, when he says a hosted culture, we're the host culture as Hawaiians, we're actually the rooted culture. We're rooted to place. We're not going anywhere. When our bones get put into the earth or released our spirits, it will mostly be here because we are of this place. So host implies choice as in, oh, sure, you come on in. I'm welcoming you. I have a choice. We don't have that option as native people. So we are rooted to this place. And I feel very grateful to not have to live with the tourism model of being just a host. So I just want to clarify that. Let's use the rooted model. Dear friend Kukahakalau, she has studied the pedagogy of aloha and its history and education. And what she says is, after so much work and community, when natives thrive, everyone thrives. She didn't say when natives thrive, just Hawaiians thrive, or those people thrive, or not those. She said everyone because that's the nature of our value system. And everyone in this room, Hawaiian or not, recent newcomer born and raised, has benefited from the value of place. And the value of place and relationships taught by a dear mentor of mine, Kenny Brown, is this place has the least amount of ancestral memory loss. Simply translated, we remember how to treat each other, how to care for people. I work in creative communities. I started Native Books and Beautiful Things years ago in downtown Honolulu, my most favorite store. I unfortunately, as Jay suggested, was in retail, but it's a front. I have to sell a few things, and they're always locally made, mostly by native Hawaiians. Over 300 to 400 producers at any given time. And any of you who have been there, bless you, thank you. I can't even tell you the difference it makes. I've become more and more of a professional retailer. My landlord right now is Howard Hughes, and it used to be General Growth, and before then it was the Ward family who rung their hands and sold to General Growth because they didn't get more money from a local developer. Really? Come on, we can do better than that, can't we? What is the best use in the end? Making the most money? You gotta question that. So, retail is a conduit to resources for me as an economic development person. I also laugh because I unfortunately, that's not the right word, I love going to Punahou. I love going to Stanford, and I love going to UCLA Business School. I totally did, but I never tell people other than people like you guys, because you guys think it means something. It doesn't. It's what I do with it that actually means something. So, we have to get over that. You gotta go to this or that. It presents terrific opportunities and shortens the pathway, and allows me to speak with credibility, because normally I look one step above homeless because I just don't care. So, I'm teasing to you all. You have to all lighten up, life's too short, but the point is there's many more important things to care about than where I went to school. But if you do care, please know that I'm not as crazy as I do sound. So, for me, I loved hearing Billy say, fulfill my responsibility, my community. If you have a skill set, find your skill set and use it. Last but not least, we heard from Kaylee Iakina of Grassroot Institute. The Hawaiian narrative is one of achievement. It is one of labor. And this is what we need to tell our young Hawaiians. This is what we need to tell everyone in our culture. From Manono, there was no victimization narrative. And as I have studied the narratives of the ancient Hawaiians, the ancient Oli, the chance, the melee that came from that, yes, there are stories of wars and battles and people winning and some people losing, but there is no identity that says we are victims. There is no identity that says that we have oppressors and that we are utterly defeated by that. Unfortunately, in the 1970s and 80s, with the wonderful rise of the Hawaiian renaissance in music and culture, which has blessed everyone, a narrative came to us from across the world that has often described colonial peoples. And that was the victimization narrative, that we Hawaiians are defined by the fact that we were defeated, that we have had our lands stolen and that we have conquerors over us. Now, today, my purpose is not to debate the truth or falsehood of that. And it's likely that it's not, is it true or is it not true, but how true is it? But putting that aside, there's a more important question that I always raise when I address young Hawaiians and that is how productive is it to take that as our only identity, the victim narrative? There are so many more powerful narratives that could drive our lives. There are so many more powerful narratives that honor the past, but look to the future. The victimization narrative serves several functions. First of all, it is used by some to rationalize why we don't have success as Hawaiians. But I think we need to look at the statistical data there. One, Hawaiian kupuna tome, you know, Kilii, most of us Hawaiians are mostly something else. And people may not see that that Chinese businessman is part Hawaiian or that Caucasian businessman is part Hawaiian because part of the success of the Hawaiian gene pool is that it has spread all over. Hawaiians are amongst the most successful people. The victimization narrative blames others for our condition. It divides society between victims and victors. And here, I'm not trying to say there isn't any truth to the troubles that Hawaiians have faced. I'm trying to say that we not only look to the past, but we reach into the future. And we need a narrative I would suggest changing our narrative to one in which we are leaders, alakai, leading society in every way possible as my esteemed colleagues on this table are doing. One in which we are achievers. And one in which we preserve the aloha spirit. And part of that preservation is to proclaim that not only do those whose ancestors were here before Captain Cook belong in these islands, but all newcomers, all Malahini who have come here. Aunty Nona also taught me the aloha oli, the aloha chant to welcome people here. Part of it says, oh ta'u no i'a, e'a no i'nei, e'a li'a nei, ho'i o tahiti mai, she said ho'i o tahiti mai coming from a far place. She said that's the definition of everyone in Hawaii and what binds us together, that whether our ancestors were here before or have just come from a far place, we have all come from a far place. My encouragement to young native Hawaiians today is the key to our advancement is to change the narrative. Look to the future. Kulia Ikanu strived to reach the summit. After Q&A, we heard closing remarks from the panel. We need to believe deeply in the value of our culture and our heritage and preserving that that's important as a people. But we need to raise our children so that they advance as individuals, taking advantage of all great opportunities in this land. Ehana Kako, let's work together. I love hearing this and I've carried dual citizenship all my life. Whether it's been given to me or told that I have it, I know I have it and that's all I need. I used to go around and say it was ho'o lohe, but I think, I actually talked to Miley's sister and it's more ho'o pono, is do pono, do what you can and maybe the greater issues will take care of themselves. I think Frank discussion needs to be held with the Hawaiian people on over the issue and try to come to some conclusion on that issue because that will always be on the current of it all. Of course over time, it might change, but I doubt it for now. In the meanwhile, the Hawaiians should be educated and trained in whatever skills that would improve the quality of their lives, whatever that takes. We're all trying to get our word out. I appreciate the opportunity, yeah. I love the discussion. You know, I just, I love dynamic. It's part of the work that I do with artists. So as soon as it gets a little bit interesting, contentious, turning over ideas, heated, I tend to lean in because you've got to be listening. We have a government to deal with already. Why do we need another? I think most Hawaiians want to be American citizens. They want to be a resident of this state. Why is it that there's 500,000 Hawaiians in this country and only 99,000 are interested enough to be involved? It was wonderful to have such a diverse panel, a former trustee of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, a university administrator and entrepreneur and little old me. We need to have this kind of coming together and talking about issues that are sometimes controversial. Many people say that we are all Hawaiian and that we should not be building barriers to divide ourselves, but instead overcoming barriers so that we can live together in a more perfect aloha. Yes, these are difficult issues about which many people are passionate. If you'd like to express your views, please let us know. And we'll give you some time in our speaker's corner where we allow the public to speak on issues of interest to the community. And now let's take a look at our Think Tech calendar of events going forward. 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We'll be right back to wrap up this week's edition of ThinkTech. But first, we wanna thank our underwriters. Okay, Elise, that wraps up this week's edition of ThinkTech. Remember, you can watch ThinkTech on OC16 several times every week. Can't get enough of it, just like Elise does. For additional times, check out oc16.tv. For lots more ThinkTech videos and for underwriting and sponsorship opportunities on ThinkTech on OC16, visit ThinkTechHawaii.com. Be a guest or a volunteer, a producer or an intern, and help us reach and have an impact on Hawaii. Thanks so much for being part of our ThinkTech family and for supporting our open discussion of tech, energy diversification and globalism in Hawaii. You can watch this show throughout the week and tune in next Sunday evening for our next important weekly episode. I'm Jay Fiedel. And I'm Elise Anderson. Aloha, everyone.