Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 26, Number 9, 1 May 2009 — Tim Johnson [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Tim Johnson

lnterview and phntn by Liza Simnn Puhlie Affairs Specialist Tim Iohnson has been named OHA's new Bureau Chief in Washington, D.C. A decade ago, Iohnson, who is part Hawaiian, left behind a successful career as a tennis pro to pursue a new path in public service. Iohnson attended Catholic University's Columbus School of Law, where he specialized in public policy affecting Native Hawaiians. After graduating from law school in 2004, he was awarded the Daniel K. Inouye Fellowship by the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies and was assigned to the office of U.S. Rep. Eni Faleomavaega (D-Amer-iean Samoa), for whom he continued to work for two years, focusing on issues related to Native Hawaiian and territorial Paeihe Islanders. As OHA's D.C. bureau chief, Iohnson begins his job of advocating for Native Hawaiians at a pivotal time when Kanaka Maoli issues are being debated before Congress. KWO spoke with Iohnson about his new kuleana in the nation's capital. KWO: Can you tell us more about your midlife change from professional tennis to public service? Johnson: When my mother's heahh started to fail, I eame back (to Kona). I had a long talk with my unele here, who convinced me I could bring some gifts to the table in terms of helping my family and other Native Hawaiians. I had grown up mostly (on the U.S. continent), but my Hawaiian family accepted me. After 20 years of not cracking a book, I had this epiphany that I could be of help to them with a law degree. It never crossed my mind to work for private practice. On my applieahon for law school, this how I explained my move: In tennis, I specialized in

junior development. I helped young people learn a skill and out of this they developed self-esteem. I saw law school and public service as a way to eonhnue to do this but with a direct positive result. KWO: How did law school increase your understanding of Native Hawaiian issues? Johnson: I was studying law right after the Rice v. Cayetano decision. I found the questions of constitutionality compelling. I wanted to know the answer. In academic circles, the constitutionality question (of native rights) has been pretty mueh settled. By the time I finished law school, I was very comfortable with the idea that the founding fathers understood that as a nation we are going to accommodate people who were here before us - despite the European theory of discovery that discounted this. I had boxes and boxes of law journals I collected to write policy papers on the Akaka Bill and OHA. KWO: Do our lawmakers in D.C. understand the importance of indigenous identity or do you have to provide education on the very concept? Johnson: Yes, that's the linehpin, because whenever the discussion begins to devolve into an argument over the race issue, the Constitution and the courts have been very clear: There is a responsibility that the federal government bears to the indigenous people is based on the fact that they were here first and that they exercised sovereignty over land that is now part of the United States. KWO: How will you carry out your mission of advocacy on behalf of the Akaka Bill? Johnson: Part of my responsibility is to educate the staff of eongressional members, because if they think there is some controversy here to eall into question the judgment of their congressman, then of course they are going to be hesitant. I intend

to start with staff members of Committees that will be hearing the bill at issue, so that that they are educated and will know how important it is to Hawai'i. Another pieee is that there are so many new members in Congress who are not familiar with the Akaka Bill. The (House) Natural Resources conunittee alone has about 10 out of 40 new members. KWO: You first eame to Capitol Hill under an administration that opposed the Akaka Bill and many other measures helpful to native peoples. How did your boss, Congressman Faleomavaega, a minority Democrat back then, eope with the frustrations of partisanship? Johnson: He was in the minority, but had friends everywhere. He also had this amazing Polynesian way of being open to collaboration. Eni would speak and everyone would be smiling, because he was gracious and nonconfrontational and he had this way of defusing the issue. Members of Hawai'i's delegation have the same way. They won't demean others' contributions. It is a

niee break from the standard of any number of examples of contentiousness. But even on a bad day, one thing that inspired me on the Hill is realizing that 99 percent of people there want to do good. Now there is a more progressive agenda with Obama, though some people are disappointed in not seeing sweeping change. To me, the president has a Hawaiian sensibility in the way he conducts himself and opens the door for bipartisanship. KWO: Do you agree that Native Hawaiian inlluenee has expanded in Washington, D.C„ due to the Akaka Bill, a Hawaiian-born president and other matters? Johnson: Well, aside from all the Internet chatter about Obama and his shaka (laughs), it is certainly true that the OHA D.C. bureau has eome a long way from where we were at square one when we opened in 2003. Mueh credit goes to my predecessor. She went from knocking on doors with, 'Hello, my name is Martha Ross,' to building a strong collaborative network with Native American

and Asian-Pacific American groups. So you have these groups consistently coming out in support for Native Hawaiian issues and putting out resolutions in support of Native Hawaiian self-determination. These groups also inHuenee their state delegations. KWO: Can you summarize why it's important for OHA to have a physical presence in the nation's Capitol. Johnson: There are decisions being made at federal level every day that will have direct impact on the quality of education, jobs, heahh care and even the perpetuation of culture. It's not going to be on your radar screen if you are here in Hawai'i, but it will impact you. Bridging eommunications and cultural gaps is important. One reason my niom had heakh complications was her difficulty in finding culturally sensitive medical care, so she chose not to see a doctor. It goes back to what my unele told me, no matter how insular we are, we should not accept the feeling of being marginalized. ■

Former tennis pro Tim Johnson set aside his tennis whites to start a career in puhlie service to better serve his family and Native Hawaiians.

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