Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 27, Number 11, 1 November 2010 — Bringing a voice for Hawaiians to the nation's capital [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Bringing a voice for Hawaiians to the nation's capital

As part of the Offiee of Hawaiian Affairs initiative to better the eonditions of Native Hawaiians, the agency opened a Washington, D.C., Bureau in 2003. Its ongoing presence in Washington, D.C., has allowed OHA to advocate on issues that impact Native Hawaiians being made at the federal level, educate the members of Congress and the Administration regarding OHA's concerns, and clarify misinfonnation spread by those who oppose Native Hawaiian rights. "Many pohcymakers and staff are not aware there is a distinct Hawaiian conununity with a thriving culture and language," says Tim Iohnson, OHA Washington, D.C., Bureau Chief. "By educating federal policymakers and agency personnel, and by advocating for Native Hawaiians in legislation and federal agency action, OHA assists in bettering the conditions of Native Hawaiians through self-detennination initiatives, funding for Native Hawaiian education, the inclusion of Native Hawaiians in housing programs, protection of Native Hawaiian self-determination, culture, historic sites and wahi pana, increased federal funding for grant programs, and Hawaiian health programs, among others." The bureau has also advocated for passage of the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act, also known as the Akaka hill, and other measures important to Native Hawaiians. It has also grown its network of allies supporting Native Hawaiian issues at the national level and maintained a mechanism to collect and disseminate info on issues important to Native Americans. "Through the hard work and initiative of our first Washington, D.C., Bureau Chief, Martha Ross, OHA has estabhshed a strong network of allies supportive of Native Hawaiians," adds Johnson. "Through her efforts and our work to date, OHA has been able to garner support for Native Hawaiians across a broad spectrum of issues, including Native Hawaiian health, museum exhibitions, education, housing, small business and organizations such as the Asian American Justice Center, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the Asian Pacific Islander American Heahh Forum, the National Congress of American Indians, National Indian Education Association, National Musemn of the American Indian, National Education Association and the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies." In addition, the OHA D.C. Bureau has working relationships with the White House, Congressional offices, the Department of Defense Senior Tribal Liaison and several federal agencies. — Melissa Moniz M

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