Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation

Kneohe native, Brandon Ing is a champion of Okinawan rootsnot only his own roots, but those of many, discovered and rediscovered. With his music aimed at language revitalization, these roots are nourished. They are firmly planted, not only in his ancestral homeland, but in the fertile ina aloha that he calls home. In Hawaii, civic engagement means more. When we understand civic engagement as a collective initiative that strives to define and better our community, we ...realize that the civic space goes beyond the town hall meetings, the legislative bodies, and the voting booth. To define and better our Hawaii, we engage in a sense of place. We engage in aloha ina. When we call Hawaii our home, we are charged with a duty to aloha ina. Ignoring this callattempting to live passively in Hawaiirenders one extraneous in this unique system of existence by which community and ina thrive. Our goal is to show what civic engagement can be when guided by the humanities and arts and unique cultural traditions and values of Hawaii. We cannot strive to define and better our community without engaging ina. Aloha ina remains a guiding beacona fire we strive to maintain eloquently in the humanities and artsand thus, in us all. The Why It Matters: Civic and Electoral Participation initiative is administered by the Federation of State Humanities Councils, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Why It Matters programs in Hawaii are created in partnership with the Hawai‘i Council for the Humanities, King Kamehameha V Judiciary History Center, the Civic Education Council, Khuli Leo Lea, Chaminade History Center, the Center for Oral History at UH Mnoa, and others. Why It Matters aims to create spaces for true exchange and listening across our different viewpoints that will lead to continued productive discussion. The opinions expressed here do not represent those of Hawaii Council for the Humanities, Federation of State Humanities Councils, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, or the National Endowment for the Humanities. #WhyItMattersHI

HB1015 and SB1169 are making their way through the legislature. At this moment, these bills don't currently have hearings scheduled but are expected to be sch...eduled any moment now. These Water License Bills change the way the Board of Land and Natural Resources gives out water licenses to divert water from public auction to direct negotiations. These bills could deepen the entrenched stream exploitation we've seen for decades, potentially leading to secret backroom deals for large, wealthy diverters to get away with unjust licenses that lack public transparency and have little protections for the streams they are diverting. Learn more about these bills at bit.ly/cw-stream21 and stay tunedwe will let you know when hearings are scheduled.

Thursday, Feb. 18th at 2pm Live on Office of Hawaiian Affairs’ Facebook page and via Zoom at www.oha.org/aloharising Learn from current Native Hawaiian State Board and Commission members about their work and how they have been able to impact the community.... #AlohaRising