Ka`u News Briefs Thursday, March 30, 2017

      Her  Ho`okipa Resolution does not automatically make Hawai`i one of the sanctuary jurisdictions where President Donald Trump has threatened to cancel federal funding for refusing to cooperate in some federal immigration enforcement matters. However, the Ho`okipa Resolution could be interpreted as creating “sanctuary,” said one of Hawai`i’s few Republican state legislators, Gene Ward, of O`ahu. He said federal funding could be threatened. He called it “sticking our finger in the eye of the Trump administration.”
     The introduction to the resolution points to Hawai`i’s state motto, Ua mau ke ea 'o ka ‘āina i ka pono, which means, "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness." The resolution says the motto “reminds us that our deepest community values compel us to welcome the visitor and care for the wanderer in our midst.”

    The resolution describes the Hawaiian value of Ho'okipa, and says this “open-hearted hospitality calls us to welcome the visitor and the stranger alike, and to unselfishly extend to others the best that we have to give.” HR76 declares that “Hawai`i is justifiably proud of its diverse immigrant heritage, which has woven the many people of this State into a rich tapestry of races, ancestral groups,

The motto on the state seal "reminds us that our deepest community values compel us to welcome the visitor and care for the wanderer in our midst," says the Ho`okipa Resolution authored by Rep. Joy San Buenaventura.

religions, cultures, and languages from all over the world.” It points out that “Hawai`i's unique spirit of inclusiveness allows its diverse people to live in relative harmony because of our respect and aloha for each other and our commitment to peace and justice.”
    The Ho`okipa Resolution says, “our state and county governments cultivate a culture of inclusion when they ensure that all people in our communities receive equal protection under the law and respectful treatment, without regard to their race, national origin, ancestry, or citizenship status.”
    HR76 turns to the federal government and its new practices: “Hawai`i's inclusionary and peaceful culture is now threatened by inflammatory rhetoric and harsh federal policies that vilify immigrants, divide communities and families, and create fear and suspicion among different racial, ethnic, and ancestral groups.”    
     The Ho`okipa Resolution puts forth that the U.S. Constitution “provides that the federal government may not commandeer state and local officials by demanding that they enforce federal laws and regulatory programs” and guarantees that “each state, and municipality within each state has the sovereign power to choose how they allocate their resources and cannot be forced to carry out the federal government’s agenda.”    

     HR76 contends that “local law enforcement agencies should not be required to bear the immense financial burden of enforcing federal immigration laws.” It requests that the “State of Hawai`i and its political subdivisions recognize that immigration is a federal function and that local law enforcement agencies should decline to work with federal immigration agencies.”
     The Ho`okipa Resolution asks that the State of Hawai`i and its political subdivisions refrain from expending state and county funds and from entering into “any agreements under section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act or any similar agreement with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), or by engaging in any other law enforcement activities that collaborate with ICE or any other federal law enforcement agency in connection with the deportation of undocumented immigrants who have not been convicted of committing a violent crime.”
    Testimony supporting the resolution came from many organizations, including the Filipino-Amercian Citizens League, Filipino-American Advocacy Network, Japanese American Citizens League, Imua Alliance, American Civil Liberties
Union, Hawai`i J20+, Young Progressives Demanding Action, Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawai`i, Aloha Dream Team, Hawai`i Friends of Civil Rights, Muslim Association of Hawai`i, Nursing Advocates & Mentors, as well as church leaders, professors, students, attorneys and many other individuals.
     One petition asked that Hawai`i bccome an official Sanctuary State and Honolulu a Sanctuary City.
     See testimony at http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HR&billnumber=76&year=2017

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NA`ALHUU SIXTH GRADERS HEADED NORTH TO ALASKA during Spring Break. Seven from Nā‘ālehu Elementary represented Ka‘ū thanks to Preparing Responsive Educators using the Place-based Authentic Research in Earth Systems Program, affiliated with Alaska Pacific University.

Sixth-graders Ariel Cohen, Jaydah Pilanca-Emmsley, Smith James,  Madison Okimoto, Hulali Baji, Jessa Mae Tamayo and Candace  Keohuloa (front) share Hawaiian implements with Alaskan peers.

     Nā‘ālehu sixth grade teachers Amber Keohuloa and Nellie Davis both participated in the program which, according to the PREPARES website, “seeks to expand, implement, and conduct research on a framework for providing indigenous students with the skills and knowledge needed for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers.” In doing so, PREPARES supports teachers with curriculum to help students learn about effects of climate change on Hawaiʻi and Alaska.
     This year’s participation included a cultural exchange with Nā‘ālehu students meeting with their Alaskan peers in person. Student participant Candace Keohuloa recalled watching native Alaskans share dances about hunting seals for food and clothing as one of her favorite memories of the trip. Another trip highlight included learning about the Iditarod and meeting dog sledder Mary Shields, said Jaydah Pilanca-Emmsley. Jessa Mae Tamayo, of Nā‘ālehu, said Shields even let them pet her dog sledding team of huskies and shared racing stories.