Na Pua Ho'ala i ka
Pono
www.hawaiipeaceandjustice.org
Winter 2011
Moana Nui
by Terri Keko‘olani and Ikaika Hussey
While hundreds of chief executives of
companies and countries came together
at the annual APEC conference in
Waikiki this past fall, the Pacific's "99%"
were gathering at the Moana Nui 2011
Conference. Organized by the
International Forum on Globalization
(IFG) and Pua Mohala i ka Po, Moana
Nui ("the great ocean") brought together
academics, indigenous leaders, and activists from 30 Pacific countries to
discuss the impact of economic globalization in the Pacific.
At the 3-day conference, November 9-11, 2011, speakers and
participants recognized that a movement of different groups had come
together to assert their opposition to APEC and their support of
indigenous peoples in determining their own future. Participants said they
had never seen an event with as many diverse cultures and peoples
focused on the Pacific.
The “teach-in” format of panel discussions featured 80 scholars,
activists, policy analysts, lawyers, labor union leaders, cultural
practitioners, and artists who argued against the ongoing militarism and
colonialism in the Pacific.
Hawai’i Peace and Justice played a critical role in the
conference; HPJ staffers Terri Keko’olani and Kyle Kajihiro and HPJ Board
member Ikaika Hussey were part of the local organizing committee which
pulled a event together.
The first day of the conference, held at Calvary by the Sea church in
Maunalua, featured speeches and dialogue among Pacific indigenous.
Kaleikoa Ka‘eo, of Hamoa, Maui, opened the conference with a speech
calling for Pacific leadership to ea mai ke kai mai, or to 'rise from the sea.'
He implored the gathering to fight for indigenous rights as part of a
movement to restore humanity and build solidarity.
The second and third days of
Moana Nui featured panel
discussions about broad panPacific issues: militarism; climate
change; and the Trans-Pacific
Partnership. Brilliant speakers such
as Christine Ahn (Korea Policy
Institute) www.civilbeat.com/
articles/2011/11/03/13477moana-nui-speaker-challengespeople-to-examine-apec-more-closely/ and Richard Heinberg ("The End of
Growth") www.civilbeat.com/articles/2011/11/04/13478-moana-nuispeaker-says-hawaii-should-take-its-cue-from-new-zealand/ informed the
attenders.
Thanks to the Olelo production team with people like Scotty Wong
and the talents of film producer Connie Florez, a compilation of videos
featuring all the Moana Nui 2011 speakers and their presentations is
available on the web at http://moananui2011.org/. This is an excellent
resource for teachers and community leaders.
Moana Nui brought us together to learn and also to laugh. Women
Voices Women Speak, a Hawaii delegation of the International Network
of Women Against Militarism (INWAM), in collaboration with Third Path
Movement for Reproductive Justice, DMZ Hawai'i/Aloha 'Aina, Pek Pek
Liberation Front, and Women for Genuine Security produced a fashion
show entitled Passionista! Undressing Globalization and Militarism
Fashion Show. More coverage on Passionista! can be found at wvw.
808.blogspot.com/2011/11/passionistas-resisting-sistahs-and.html.
Hawai'i Peace and Justice's Transition Ceremony
by Kay Larsen
I stood under the kukui tree and breathed in the air. It was the Transition Ceremony for Hawai'i Peace and Justice. We had been upstairs in the Meeting
room listening to speeches by the American Friends Service Committee's representatives who had traveled from California to participate in the event. There
had been introductions of the board members of the new entity. Now, here in the sunshine, we stood in a circle around the tree, and the spiritual infusion to
the ceremony began. Terri Keko'olani explained the meaning of the object she held; a bowl that was grown from an ipu gourd by Kyle Kajihiro, and which
was filled with water that was collected from a stream at the base of Mt. Ka'ala (Hale'au'au Gulch).
As the bowl was passed around the circle, we each breathed our wishes into the water, for Hawai'i's future, for HPJ's. Lastly, Terri asked the children,
representing our future, to hold the bowl and empty the water onto the roots of the kukui tree.
This "tree of light" ("Kukui" means lamp or light, and the Hawaiians use to burn the nuts for light, like candles) had been bought and planted years ago
with donations by Friends in memory of Marieja Beckett Fuller. I could feel her gentle presence.
Then we ended with a rousing Korean drum ensemble to energize our endeavors. A delicious lunch followed, complete with a carrot cake baked by
Renie Wong Lindley, that sported the Hawai'i Peace and Justice logo.
Upcoming Events
MOANA NUI 2011
HAWAI‘I PEACE AND JUSTICE
2426 O‘AHU AVENUE
HONOLULU, HAWAI‘I 96822
COMMUNITY UPDATES
Protest at Korean Consulate Opposing the South Korea-US Free Trade Agreement
by Steve Dinion
HPJ Welcomes New Staff
HPJ is excited to announce that Renie
Wong Lindley has been named HPJ’s
new Executive Director. Renie is a
former HPJ Board Member and a long
time Quaker. We are overjoyed that
Renie has agreed to come on board
and serve in this important role. We
are also pleased to announce that
Terri Keko'olani is continuing as
program staff and that Shelley
Muneoka has been hired to coordinate
the Ka Makani program in Waianae.
Long time AFSC Hawai‘i Director, Kyle
Kajihiro, has now joined the HPJ Board
of Directors and will be focusing on
HPJ program work as well as attending
graduate school in the fall.
Hawai'i Peace and Justice joined other
community groups on November 22 to
express solidarity with Korean workers,
farmers, and environmentalists who
opposed the Korea-US Free Trade
Agreement. Over a dozen protesters,
including members of HPJ, Pride At Work
Hawai'i, UNITE HERE Local 5, Occupy
Honolulu, the Hawai'i State AFL-CIO and
Faith Action for Community Equality rallied
at the Korean Consulate in Hawai'i, as part
of this international effort. Rallies were
also held at several Korean consulates
across the US, despite the fact that the deal
- the largest US trade agreement since
NAFTA - had just passed the Korean
parliament a few hours earlier.
Volunteers Welcome!
A statement prepared by Global Trade Watch
and signed by local community groups urged
the consulate to oppose the deal, which
opposition lawmakers, trade unions, farmers
and civil society groups in Korea note
"encourages growth-without-employment in
both countries. The proposed deal pursues the
North American Free Trade Agreement-plus
model... Since NAFTA went into effect, the U.S.
has experienced massive job loss in the
manufacturing sector and numerous laws were
challenged before foreign tribunals. Provisions
of the proposed FTA will weaken the social
safety net in both countries and strip crucial
safeguards in a time of global economic
instability and high unemployment." A joint
statement from trade unions in the US and Korea described the Agreement as “based on an economic
model that has privileged investor rights over workers’ rights, public services and the environment. It is
clear that this model will ... provoke a ‘race to the bottom’ on working standards in both countries,
resulting in the deterioration of wages and working conditions.”
In particular we need help sorting our
boxes of old files and selecting which
materials need to be archived.
Database entry work is appreciated as
well! Contact the HPJ office:
988-6266. Many thanks to Jessica,
Kristin and Debbie for their work so
far.
Bidding Farewell
This fall we had the sad news that
long-time staff member Darlene
Rodrigues would be leaving us for a
position as program coordinator at the
Hawai'i People’s Fund. Although we
are sorry to see her go, HPJ wishes
her the best of luck in her new
position! We also said goodbye to
Van Law and Kimo Carvalho as board
members, but hope to see our
departing members at HPJ events in
the future.
The Next Generation of HPJ
Two of HPJ‘s board members, Melissa
Woo and Soo Sun Choe, welcomed
babies in the recent months. Melissa
gave birth to a baby girl, Naima
Kamaleimakamae Moin Patterson
Woo, on August 25, 2011 and Soo
Sun gave birth to a baby boy, Jinsu
Kawaiola Park, on January 10, 2012.
Welcome to the world baby Naima
and baby Jinsu!
Donations Welcome!
As HPJ gets off the ground during our
crucial first year, your financial
support is greatly appreciated by the
Board and Staff. The work we do in
Hawai'i is unique, and for this reason
In Korea, police responded violently to massive protests against the Agreement, including attacking
civilians with water cannons. In the US, despite strong opposition, the Agreement was passed in October
and signed by President Obama. The Economic Policy institute projects the US will lose 159,000 jobs over
the next seven years as a result of this deal.
CHOICES
by Kay Larsen
How can we reach the most young people with a small number of volunteers? Answer: a Career Fair. This November, as in several previous years, several volunteers from Honolulu Friends Meeting staffed a
booth at the annual College and Career Fair at Blaisdell Exhibition Hall. They were joined by volunteers
from Hawai'i Peace and Justice, a student from Farrington High School and a graduate student from the
University of Hawai'i.
The goal was to present alternatives to the military to middle and high school students looking for
careers. If students were interested in the military, we talked to them about what they really need to know
before applying for a military job. We passed out brochures originally from AFSC and stickers ("Power to
the Peaceful!").
Thanks goes to Jeannie Wheeler, a volunteer Quaker from New Mexico. She organized our booth in
Honolulu and on the Island of Hawai'i in Hilo and Kona. Kaua'i volunteers also participated in the Career
Fair there.
Weaving a web of solidarity for peace in Moana Nui
by Kyle Kajihiro
On November 24 - 27, I had the honor of
representing HPJ at the International Forum "For a
nuclear weapon-free, peaceful Asia-Pacific without
military bases - Solidarity among Okinawa, Guam and
Asia-Pacific" and the Japan Peace Conference in
Okinawa, both of which were cosponsored by the
Japan Peace Committee and the Guahan Coalition for
Peace and Justice. This year’s conference was notable
for the large international delegation from Guahan/
Guam, the Marshall Islands, Belau, Hawai’i, Korea,
and the Philippines and especially the large number of
delegates from the Pacific. Guahan alone had a
delegation of eleven people, many of them young and
emerging leaders in their anti-bases movement. I was asked to speak about resistance to U.S.
militarization in Hawai’i and perspectives on recent
U.S. policy developments in the Asia-Pacific region. I
spoke on six different sessions and events, including a
plenary of 1600 attendees and a rally before a march
through a business district that arose from a former U.S.
military base. One of my main messages was to reframe our region as Moana Nui, the great Pacific
ocean that connects us. I appealed to our relationship
as an ocean family and the need for us to weave our
stories, our love for our people and the land, and our
struggles into a net that can restrain the powerful and
monstrous fish that threaten to devour us.
Several key themes emerged during the various
sessions: 1) Okinawa is at a turning point in its
campaign to stop the planned relocation of the
Futenma base to Henoko. 2) The U.S. ‘pivot’ to the
Pacific is a dangerous move to contain China. 3) The
Japan-U.S. mutual defense treaty is a major source of
tension in East Asia, and Japanese groups are
intensifying their campaign to abolish the treaty. 4)
Solidarity and peace in the region requires that we
remove and reduce U.S. military bases in the region
rather than relocate them to Guam, Hawai’i or any
other location. 5. There is a growing resistance to the
Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement in Japan.
Besides meeting many amazing activists, scholars
and grassroots leaders from Okinawa, Japan and the
region, a highlight for me was visiting Henoko, where
the residents have held a constant protest for more than
2800 days against the proposed Marine Corps base
that would destroy a beautiful and bountiful coral reef
habitat. I met with Nago City council member and antibase leader Gushiken-san. We walked a short distance
down the beach. A monstrous concrete and steel fence
rose up out of the sea cutting the beach in half. It
reminded me of the fence at Friendship Park along the
U.S.-Mexico border. Thousands of ribbons, banners
and other artwork and signs had turned this ugly
manifestation of military occupation into a fluttering
wall of art and resistance. As Gushiken-san told the
story of their struggle, a remote controlled surveillance
camera watched from over the fence. I looked out
across the sea in the direction of Hawai’i and said a
quiet prayer.
On my return journey, I was able to stop off in
Guahan/Guam, where I met with many activists and
visited sacred sites, natural areas and communities that
are threatened by the enormous U.S. military buildup
proposed for the island. Most memorable for me was a
short but deeply moving hike into the Pagat limestone
forest where an ancient Chamoru village rises from the
forest floor. This is one of the sites that is endangered
by the military’s proposed firing range. The community
recently got a win in their environmental lawsuit against
the Navy. The Navy agreed to do a supplemental
environmental impact statement to consider alternatives
to using Pagat for a firing range, which will delay the
project by several years. Meanwhile, the recent Defense Authorization Act
passed by Congress cut all funding in FY2012 for the
Futenma base relocation. This may mean that the
Futenma relocation plan is dead and along with it,
some of military buildup on Guam.
Tensions are increasing between U.S. settlers in
Guam and the native Chamoru people as Guam
prepares to have a plebiscite on its political status. Unbeknownst to many people, Guam remains a colony
of the U.S. listed for decolonization by the U.N.
However, American settlers are now suing to be
allowed to vote on Guam’s political status. This would
completely violate the intent and spirit of the human
right of self-determination. And it is similar to what
happened in the 1959 statehood referendum in
Hawai’i, where U.S. settlers and military personnel
were allowed to vote on Hawai’i’s political status. The culmination of my time on Guahan was
speaking as part of the “Blue Pacific Continent” forum
at the University of Guam. The speeches were live
streamed on the internet and can be viewed online at
http://www.dmzhawaii.org/?p=9892.
As a founding donor to HPJ, you and
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strong, rooted in a strong and dynamic
past. Become a “Roots Supporter” and
make a secure online donation to our
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Hawai‘i Peace and Justice are tax
deductible. Our federal tax
identification number is: 27-4603534.
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people of all sizes.
Jeju Documentary Screening
Hawai‘i Peace and Justice, Hawai‘i
Women in Filmmaking, and DMZ
Hawai‘i/Aloha ‘Aina are proud to cosponsor the Hawai‘i premiere of
documentary film shorts, Jam Docu
Gangjeong.
Banned from theater showings for 40
days by the Korean Film Commission,
Jam Docu Gangjeong just recently
received approval (January 31st) for
showing in South Korea. Although Jeju
was named an “Island of Peace” in
2005 by the South Korean government
and listed as a UNESCO World
Natural Heritage site, the Korean
government has pushed ahead with
plans to build a huge naval base in
Gangjeong Village for the use of both
the South Korean military, as well as
US naval warships and destroyers.
For Docu Jam Gangjeong, eight
independent filmmakers in South
Korea responded to the situation by
making short films about the people’s
struggle over the course of 100 days.
The filmmakers present an array of
stories from their time living among the
villagers and capturing the beauty of
the threatened coastline.
Jam Docu Gangjeong will be showing
at The ARTS at Marks Garage on
March 17 from 6:30-8:00 pm.
This screening is free to the public.
Light refreshments will be served.