Hawaiʻi Rising

Special - The 2025 ʻOnipaʻa Peace March and Rally

On Friday, January 17, 2025, thousands will gather in Honolulu for the annual ʻOnipaʻa Peace March and Rally, marching from the Mauna Ala Royal Mausoleum to ʻIolani Palace. The 2025 march marks the 132nd anniversary of the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom and the beginning of u.s. occupation. The annual event, convened by the Queenʻs Court and Ka Lāhui Hawaiʻi, raises public awareness about the overthrow and occupation and calls the lāhui and allies to stand firm.

In today’s special episode, Kauwila Sheldon, a committee member of Ka Lāhui Hawaiʻi, shares about the history and significance of the ʻOnipaʻa march and gives context and pointers for those who would like to participate. Learn more on the Ka Lāhui Hawaiʻi website at www.kalahuihawaii.net/onipaapeacemarch. We hope to see you there!

Tags: Hawaiʻi, Hawai'i, Hawaii

75. Hoʻōla Hou Iā Kalauao: Creating Kīpuka in ʻEwa

A conversation about aloha ʻāina in the highly urbanized and militarized context of Kalauao with Anthony Deluze and Dani Espiritu from Hoʻōla Hou iā Kalauao.

Hoʻōla Hou iā Kalauao revives and brings life to Kalauao, an ahupuaʻa in the moku of ʻEwa on the island of Oʻahu. Their vision is a thriving and abundant ʻEwa moku beginning with the ahupuaʻa of Kalauao. Recognizing the negative impacts of urban development and militarization on both the ʻāina and kānaka of ʻEwa, the hui works to create and maintain kīpuka (places of calm, safety, and regeneration) where culture can thrive, food can be cultivated, and ʻāina and kānaka can heal and be restored. The hui is currently restoring māla and loʻi kalo at Kaʻōnohi, a small, organic farm and ʻili in Kalauao completely surrounded by development, which is their base of operations.

Website: hoolahouiakalauao.wordpress.com/

Tags: Hawaiʻi, Hawai'i, Hawaii

74. ʻEkolu Mea Nui: Empowering Youth to End Intergenerational Incarceration

A conversation about supporting and empowering youth and ʻohana affected by incarceration with Jamee Miller and Kalei K-aloha from ʻEkolu Mea Nui.

ʻEkolu Mea Nui is dedicated to addressing the overrepresentation of Native Hawaiians in Hawaiʻi’s carceral system and empowering those directly impacted by incarceration, particularly youth and families, to be leaders in the movement for transformative change. Through mentorship, leadership development, and community engagement, the hui aims to prevent intergenerational incarceration and break the cycle of harm within Hawaiʻi communities.

To learn more about the E Hoʻowaiwai Ē gala event, visit the ʻEkolu Mea Nui website at ekolumeanui.org/ehoowaiwaie.

Tags: Hawaiʻi, Hawai'i, Hawaii

73. Hui Hoʻoniho: Building a Foundation through Uhau Humu Pōhaku

A conversation about uhau humu pōhaku (Hawaiian drystack masonry) and intergenerational knowledge transmission with Keʻalohi Wang and Kaimalu Cope from Hui Hoʻoniho.

Hui Hoʻoniho’s mission is to build a firm foundation to cultivate and strengthen community through the practice of uhau humu pōhaku, providing entry into exploring ʻike Hawaiʻi through a deeper sense of stewardship towards ʻāina and uhau humu pōhaku's connection to the agricultural, ecological, and cultural practices of Hawaiʻi. Through the restoration of these critical knowledge systems, the hui perpetuates intergenerational knowledge transmission for the benefit of current and future generations.

Tags: Hawaiʻi, Hawai'i, Hawaii

72. Hawaiʻi Alliance for Progressive Action: Advocating for Regenerative Food Systems

An interview about regenerative food systems and progressive leadership development with Anne Frederick, Fern Holland, and Hina Kaʻōpua at the Hawaiʻi Alliance for Progressive Action (HAPA).

HAPA is a dynamic organization with a rich history of advocacy for environmental justice and public health in Hawaiʻi. Their roots lie in the fight for basic pesticide protections, a battle that saw them standing shoulder to shoulder with frontline communities, advocating for their right to a safe and healthy environment. HAPA’s intersectional programming recognizes that food systems issues in Hawaiʻi are interconnected with other social, economic and environmental justice issues, advancing social change in Hawaiʻi by building upon the successful foundations of those who came before and bringing it into the future.

Tags: Hawaiʻi, Hawai'i, Hawaii

71. KAHEA: Gumming Up the Gears of Extractive Capitalism

A conversation about protecting ʻāina by analyzing and intervening in government processes with Shelley Muneoka, Marti Townsend, and Logan Narikawa from KAHEA: the Hawaiian Environmental Alliance.

KAHEA works to address the failure of government to protect Hawaiʻi communities and natural resources. Their members include Hawaiian cultural practitioners, aloha ‘āina advocates, and environmental conservationists. Mobilizing aloha ‘āina communities in ways that realize their collective strength, intelligence, and vision, the hui seeks to build networks of politically conscious folks across Hawai’i by providing cogent analyses of government and administrative processes involved in furthering extractive capitalism, settler colonialism, and white supremacy.

Tags: Hawaiʻi, Hawai'i, Hawaii

70. Circular Hawaiʻi: Reestablishing Circularity in Maui's Economy

A conversation about circular economic practices on Maui with Nicole Huguenin, Lehua Simon, and Leo Nahe Smith from the Circular Hawaiʻi Collective.

Circular Hawaiʻi is a conduit and connector of dots in Maui’s circular economy, centering the reestablishment of indigenous models of circularity and incubating collaborative efforts to increase participation in circular-based economic practices. Circular Hawaiʻi is a collaborative effort between initiatives that emerged in 2022 to respond to the impact of the Covid pandemic. In the economic aftermath of the 2023 Maui wildfires, Circular Hawaiʻi seeks to support residents by informing them about the free, subsidized, and affordable local resources available to them.

Tags: Hawaiʻi, Hawai'i, Hawaii

69. Academic Labor United: Organizing Graduate Workers at the University of Hawaiʻi

A conversation about graduate worker organizing with Dianne Deauna and Ken Reyes, two Executive Committee members of Academic Labor United (ALU).

ALU organizes graduate workers of the University of Hawaiʻi system to empower them to hold their employers accountable. Even as graduate worker labor is recognized by the University as fundamental to its success, their work is continually devalued by the State and University administration which refuse to pay them a living wage, have no viable process for addressing grievances, and have failed multiple times to keep graduate workers safe in their working environments. ALU is fighting to establish a graduate worker union, which would be the first new public employee union in Hawaiʻi in 50 years.

Tags: Hawaiʻi, Hawai'i, Hawaii

68. Sex Workers Outreach Project Hawaiʻi: Dreams of Safety and Liberation

A conversation about community care and shifting the perception of consensual sex work in Hawaiʻi with Doug Upp and Jin Kwak, organizers with the Hawaiʻi chapter of the Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP).

SWOP Hawaiʻi is a grassroots organization led by sex workers, advocating for the safety, healing, and liberation of marginalized communities engaged in consensual adult labor. Through direct support services, mutual aid, and community empowerment initiatives, they address systemic discrimination at the intersections of race, gender, and class. The hui’s work challenges stigma and advocates for the decriminalization of adult consensual sex work.

Instagram: @swophawaii

Tags: Hawaiʻi, Hawai'i, Hawaii

67. Jewish Voice for Peace Hawaiʻi: Building Anti-zionist Jewish Community in Occupied Hawaiʻi

A conversation about Palestine solidarity organizing in Hawaiʻi with Cynthia Franklin and Imani Altemus-Williams from the Hawaiʻi chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace.

JVP Hawaiʻi works to educate Hawaiʻi communities about settler-colonialism in Palestine and the links to colonialism and militarism in Hawaiʻi. They organize Jewish and non-Jewish communities towards an end to u.s. funding to Israeli apartheid and the militarized occupation of Palestine. They work to build a loving and intersectional anti-zionist Jewish community in Hawaiʻi where everyone is welcome and feels safe in expressing their solidarity with Palestine, taking action for tangible social change for the liberation of both Palestine and Hawaiʻi.

Instagram: @jvphawaii

Tags: Hawaiʻi, Hawai'i, Hawaii