Celebrating Hawaiian Language Month

Image from Hawai’i State Public Library System website

In school, I was lucky to take some Hawaiian language classes, but I didn’t speak Hawaiian with family or friends. Thinking it might be useful in a future job, I also tried learning Japanese and Spanish, but now I’ve lost most of those language skills.

Last year, I felt a need to reconnect with the language of Hawaii ‘I, so I started learning Hawaiian on Duolingo, about 15 minutes every day. I was surprised by how many words I’ve learned just by living in Hawai‘i. I finished the first checkpoint and was excited when Duolingo recently released a new set of lessons. I’m just a beginner, but I plan to keep going!

Being introduced to other languages has given me an appreciation for other cultures, the way we see the world, and the way that the words we use shape how we see the world.

To celebrate Hawaiian Language Month, here are some Hawaiian language resources you may find helpful:

* Hawaiian Word of the Day. Learn a new Hawaiian word every day with the Hawai‘i State Public Library. When I clicked to the site, I learned hanohano: glorious, magnificent, noble.

* Watch Ka Leo ʻŌiwi. In these 30-minute episodes, join Hina, Pōmaikaʻi, and ʻIwalani as they practice ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, go on huakaʻi, and kanikapila with some of our favorite musicians! After a few lessons, youʻll start to notice how our ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi is all around us.

* Kulāiwi video lessons. These free online lessons are an archived program hosted by ‘Ekela Kanī‘aupi‘o Crozier. There are 24 lessons and a workbook for the first 12 lessons.

* Watch and repeat after me. Watch Hawaiian language videos by Kamehameha Schools Hawaiian language teacher Kahanuola Solatorio on his YouTube channel, “E Ho‘opili Mai” (Repeat After Me).

* Translate words, phrases, and place names. Ulukau Hawaiian Electronic Library is an open-source digital library for the use, teaching, and revitalization of the Hawaiian language and for a broader and deeper understanding of Hawaiʻi. Look up common Hawaiian words and find out the meanings of place names in Hawai‘i.

* For keiki: Hawaiian culture activity books. Kamehameha Schools compiled three free activity books for keiki to download and use year-round. In “Nā ‘Ono,” learn about foods and recipes, and reflect on ‘ohana. In “Sense of Place,” observe what is around us, how we affect our environment, and how our environment affects us. In “Ku‘u ‘Ohana,” learn about Hawaiian language and genealogy.

* For keiki: The Forest Jewels of Hawai‘i Coloring Book. Learn about Hawaiian forest birds that are found only in Hawai‘i and nowhere else on Earth in this free downloadable coloring book from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, with illustrations by Michael Furuya.

Do you speak Hawaiian or want to learn Hawaiian? Have Hawaiian words or phrases offered insight into the way Hawaiians see the world? What have you learned from speaking other languages?

Cultivating empathy with Eddie S. Glaude Jr.

Professor Eddie S. Glaude Jr.

What do past struggles tell us about the present? What can we learn when we bring people together in dialogue with empathy and understanding?

Last year, Pomona College President G. Gabrielle Starr and Professor Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., Chair of the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University had a warm, open conversation about “Cultivating Empathy in a Time of Division: Eddie S. Glaude, Jr.”

“Empathy does not come naturally, but it is a skill worth cultivating,” President Starr affirms. Their rich conversation starts with writer and activist James Baldwin and the need to “imagine ourselves otherwise.”

Acknowledging that we have failed to live up to our promise. “America tells a story about itself, that ugly things are an exception, that we are on the road to perfection,” Professor Glaude Jr. shares. That ideological frame gives us a kind of protection for our innocence, even when we do ghastly things. “We need to challenge this self-conception… that white people are more valued.” This self-conception distorts our perception of democracy.

An inclusive “we.” There is no simple “us” and “them” binary. Professor Glaude Jr. talks about a shared “we” that is inclusive and inspirational. He later brings up the conflict of how to talk about race and the kinds of harm people have experienced without being racist and using race to divide people. “Race shapes the distribution of advantage and disadvantage.”

Morality and racism. White supremacy may benefit whites materially, but not morally. There is also some untapped discussion of the way that white supremacy did not benefit the majority of white folks, President Starr suggests.

Spirituality and politics. “No politics necessarily follows from being Black,” Professor Glaude Jr. says. Black religious life animates Black politics, but is no longer the center of Black politics. An Afro-Protestant-centric outlook has given rise to a prosperity gospel, with a “sow your seed, reap your blessing” theological orientation. “Black churches are no longer the principle site for organizing and mobilizing the Black community,” Professor Glaude Jr. suggests.

Institutions and values. “Our budgets reflect what we value,” Professor Glaude Jr. says. “Police should not be the front line for mental health calls, for example,” President Starr adds. This is true in government budgets, admissions policies, and hiring practices.

Professor Glaude Jr. shares three suggestions for teachers and professors when talking with students: 1) Treat them seriously, as people capable of great things. 2) Expect excellence, and model what it means to be excited about ideas. 3) Get them to see themselves in the grandest terms.

There is so much more to their conversation than what I highlighted here. You can watch the full conversation or other dialogues and the Pomona College YouTube channel.

What systems of racism do you see in Hawaii, and how are people working to change things? How can Hawaii “imagine ourselves otherwise”?

Spreading love and books

When my son was 7 years old, he told me, “I can’t stop hugging you!” His spontaneous words made me feel such joy!

This week, we celebrate two things I love: love and books.

Here are three wonderful ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day:

Handcrafted Valentine’s gifts. Choose from 15 inexpensive ideas that you can do from home to show people that you care, shared by Avery. I love the sweet messages we can leave with Hershey’s kisses.

Decorate with love. Brighten up your home and spread a little love with Oprah Magazine’s easy, do-it-yourself Valentine’s Day decorations. My favorite idea is the rose petal garland backdrop – to brighten your home or your virtual meeting.

Meals with friendship or romance. Choose from over 50 romantic dine-in and take-out menus offered around O’ahu, curated by Frolic Hawaii and Honolulu Magazine.

February 14 is also International Book Giving Day, a day to get books into the hands of as many children as possible. #bookgivingday

Research collected by Reading is Fundamental (RIF) proves that “giving children access to print materials is associated with positive behavioral, educational, and psychological outcomes.” It improves children’s reading performance, causes children to read more and for longer periods of time, and produces improved attitudes toward reading and learning among children.

Bookmarks to keep books happy. Print an International Book Giving Day bookmark to attach to a book you give.

How will show the people in your life that you care? What books have people shared with you that sparked a love of reading?

Thinking big with marine debris

“THINK BIG!” by BWL

When my son was 10-years old, he worked on a bottle cap art recycling project during the summer. He came up with the design, “THINK BIG!” with a lightbulb, and he painted and glued the caps to a piece of left-over particle board (with a little help). The mural was 20″x13″ and used 260 bottle caps.

He wrote this description of his project: “The “THINK BIG!” bottle cap mural was created to show others that anything is possible; that recycling can help the environment and make beautiful art; and that using your imagination can guide you to life, to succeed!”

I was excited to learn that though school is very different right now, Plastic Free Hawai’i is still planning a 2021 School Mural Project. This year’s theme is “Unity” and participants are asked to create a mural that showcases how working together can have a greater positive impact towards solving plastic pollution.

Murals can be created with bottle caps, marine debris, and other found objects via a beach cleanup, campus cleanup, waste audit, or a recycling drive. Students and school groups (K-12) are eligible to participate, and the deadline to submit an entry is March 26, 2021.

Kalāheo Elementary created an inspiring how-to video, “How to Create a Marine Debris or Bottle Cap Mural in Your School or Classroom.”

Looking for marine debris? Volunteer at the Waimea Valley Workday on Saturday, February 13, 2021; the Kaimuki Neighborhood Cleanup on Saturday, February 20, 2021; or mini-cleanups at the Sustainable Coastlines Hawai’i Pau Hana on Thursday, February 25, 2021.

Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation has collected a lot of resources where you can clean up, drop off items at a recycling drive, and attend workshops.

What do you do with marine debris at the beach, recycled items find along the road, and recyclables in your own home? How can you turn trash into inspiring art?