Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 27, Number 10, 1 October 2010 — AT THE HEAD OF THE PARTY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]
AT THE HEAD OF THE PARTY
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hen the dust settles in November and the winners of the midterm election M are announced, voters will be awaitM^B m ing the fulfillment of the energized Ē m promises made throughout the eamm m paigns, including resolution to the m m issues plagu-
^Bf ing the Native Hawaiian people. With the economy in distress, Hawai'i's puhlie high schools ranked the third worst in the nation, according to a 2009 U.S. News and World Report ranking, and staggering numbers of able workers without jobs, both the Democratic and Republican parties have brought forth brawny proposals needed to swing the state into a brighter future. Standing at the hub of this significant election - whieh will decide a slew of races from the governor's seat to Hawai'i's seats in Congress - are Democratic Party of Hawai'i Chairman Dante Carpenter and Hawai'i Republican Party Chairman Jonah-Kūhiō Ka'auwai. Separated by their differing political views and values, these two born-and-raised Hawai'i boys are united in opinion when it comes to supporting Native Hawaiian rights. "Jonah Ka'auwai and I, we warmly embrace eaeh other when we see eaeh other and we always wish eaeh other well because we know that candidates on both sides are working for the betterment of the
people of Hawai'i," says Carpenter. "We are looking forward to a more enlightened community irrespective of ethnicity. However, as we know Hawaiians have been downtrodden even though this is their point of beginning and ending, so we want to be sure that conditions are conducive to Hawaiians." As Hawaiians, Carpenter and Ka'auwai have taken the lead to ensure that their culture is preserved, their home is protected and the rights of the Hawaiian people are recognized. They both are confident that such goals are possible with the right leaders who have the vision, the ability and the fortitude to move this state forward. However, before there ean be a future, there's a past and the present. Here's a closer look at these two dynamic Hawaiian leaders and what they bring to their parties.
Dante Carpenter, a former OHA Trustee and former Mayor of Hawai'i County, grew up when speaking Hawaiian was discouraged, when Hawaiian churches were the only plaee for kids to learn the language through song, when the school system wasn't unified statewide. "The state's educational system was built to better distribute educational opportunities, but to some extent there's still a lot of folks who live in the rural areas who don't get the quality education,"
says Carpenter. "To me that's one of the continuing challenges in the Department of Education. Maybe this is where private organizations need to step in and support charter schools that are supportive of Hawaiians. So children have opportunities to add on to what's being provided in the schools so they ean succeed in life. "We need to take a bigger role to ensure that ehildren have opportunities." As a youth, Carpenter watched from his home at Damon Tract as the Honolulu International Airport was built. After the Pearl Harbor attack, he and his family moved to Kalihi. The second eldest of five children of parents who worked full time, Carpenter recalls a modest upbringing. In 1954, he graduated fromRoosevelt High School and went on to receive his bachelor of science in marine meehanieal engineering from the United States Merchant Marine Academy in New York. His education and military training brought him back home and landed him a career as an engineer for C. Brewer & Co. Ltd. In Ka'ū on the Big Island. "Ilivedin Ka'ū for 13 years and raised my family there," adds Carpenter. "There were many Hawaiians
who lived in that community and I was able to learn even more about the culture and the history." Carpenter recalls the small-town experience as the spark of his interest in politics. There he served on everything from the PTA, founded the Hawaiian Civic Club of Ka'ū and served as its first president. "I was up to my eyeballs in everything I could do to help the community," says Carpenter about his time in Ka'ū. "I worked to get fair and equal representation for the people of that dynamic community." "I wanted to make sure to the degree as a parent and responsible adult I could play a role in providing my kids a better future," he adds. "That still is my responsibility for my kids and my grandkids." With more than four decades of active service in the
community, including as Hawai'i County Councilman and state Senator, Carpenter says that his goals remain the same, whieh are to improve the lot oflife of everyone in the community regardless of race. He adds: "However, in my heart of hearts I am Hawaiian and I want to be sure that we do not lose the culture. That is so important and should transcend everyone living in Hawai'i irrespective of their ethnic background." As Democratic Party Chairman, Carpenter confirms an overall support of the Akaka bill, more charter schools and rehabilitating Hawai'i's prisoners by keeping them close to family in Hawai'i, rather than housing them in facilities on the U.S. continent. "We need to bring people back to where they belong rather than just ,4 locking them up," adds Carpenter, who served as Chairman of the i ^ Senate Heahh and Judiciary committees. "Because we are Islanders you can't just distribute them anyplace else. When you take them - away from Hawai'i you take them away from their family. That j doesn't help things. That's not what 'ohana is." The Hawai'i Democratic Party platformstates: "Native Hawaiians are indigenous peoples of Hawai'i and deserve a just relationship B with the state and federal governments. We support recognition by Congress of native Hawaiians as indigenous people as provided by the U.S. Constitution. We are committed to the support of native Hawaiian agencies, organizations and programs that increase the quality of life for kanaka maoli." Carpenter confirms, adding, "I don't hear anything from the Democratic Party or the Democratic community that doesn't support Native Hawaiian issues. When it comes to the Native Hawaiian community there is no antagonism." He concludes, "I think No. 1 if nothing else, Hawaiians need to get together and realize that we're all part of the problem and the solution. It's not someone else's kuleana. It's like politics, everyone has to be involved. It's a continuum and a responsibility of living." Jonah Ka'auwai has a resume that earned him nods of approval last year when he was elected as the Hawai'i Republican Party Chairman. His energized approach to politics and uplifting ideas has caught the attention of many and created momentum in attracting the support of younger generations. "There's a lot of youth and young Hawaiians in the Republican Party SEE CHAIRMEN ON PAGE 20
GUBERNATQRIAL DEBATE Democrat Neil Abercrombie and Republican Duke Aiona will face off in a gubernatorial debate presented by the 0ffice of Hawaiian Affairs on Tuesday, 0ct. 12 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The forum will broadcast live on 0016 from the Hawai'i Convention Center. For updates, visit www.oha.org.
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us: "Office of Hawaiian Affairs"
Neil Abercrombie
Duke Aiona
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CHAIRMEN Continued from page 15 now," adds Ka'auwai. "We have a lot of younger families, 30- and 40-somethings, where in the past the average age was in the 60s." At just 37 years old, the Kaua'i native says, "What I bring to the Republiean Party is a fresh perspeetive being a Hawaiian, being born and raised here in Hawai'i and certainly a sensitivity to the people here. And I'm very involved in the Christian community." A proud father and a former small-business owner, Ka'auwai ean relate to the struggles many Hawai'i families, including Native Hawaiians, are facing in regards to the economy and education. "Our party is a defender of education and that's one of our top priorities," he says. "Education setting the stage so everyone has the same opportunity to succeed." Ka'auwai's own education began in the puhlie school sector
on Kaua'i. In the seventh grade he had the opportunity to attend Kamehameha Schools and moved to O'ahu. He graduated from Kamehameha in 1990 and took his studies to Boston College, where he double majored in philosophy and business/marketing. "I am very grateful for the education that Kamehameha Schools has provided me as a Hawaiian, but we know that it cannot educate every single Hawaiian under its umbrella, so we need to use the puhlie education system, whether it's through charter schools or school vouchers," adds Ka'auwai. "We're already paying $13,000 to $15,000 a year per student in the puhlie education system, then why not let the parents choose where they want to send their child. So vouchers are an option, charter schools are an option." After college, Ka'auwai found his way back to the Islands and found his calling managing correctional industries for the Hawai'i Department of Puhlie Safety. "I worked in the prison system
directly with the inmates and ran a division where we employed inmates while they were incarcerated giving them vocation rehabilitation," he adds. "With the majority of the guys incarcerated being Hawaiian, I wasn't only able to fulfill my calling as far as my faith goes by helping out some of the forgotten, but I was also able to help Hawaiians." Native Hawaiians make up only about 20 percent of the total population of the state, yet statistics in a House bill last year say that 45 percent of the state's inmate populahon is Native Hawaiian. After dedicating years in the correctional industries, Ka'auwai served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona, who is now running for govemor against Democrat Neil Abercrombie. And his passion for politics grew from there. "The Akaka bill has the support of our administration and it's something that Governor Lingle and Lt. Gov. Aiona have championed. We believe in Hawaiian recognition
and reconciliation. Our Lieutenant Governor, who is now running for Governor, will eonhnue to ehampion that going forward." On the issue of ceded lands, Ka'auwai points out the support given by their administration having worked with OHA to settle the issues, only to have it rejected by the Legislature. "Having it rejected was a slap in the face to the Hawaiian people. I hold the Legislature liahle for that failure." And with the economy taking hits fromall directions, Ka'auwai is eonfident that the Republican platformto diversify the economy will increase not only the quantity, but the quality of jobs available within the state. "We need to have Hawaiian families not only dependent on the labor-based jobs but also on the intellectual property-based jobs as well," he adds. "I also think property ownership for Hawaiians is a big thing. They need to have a connection to the 'āina without government intervention." Ka'auwai acknowledges his faith,
his small-town upbringing and the Hawaiian values he learned as a child as the inner voice that shapes him on a daily basis. Raised in a large Hawaiian family - his dad has 16 siblings and he's the youngest of dozens of grandchildren - Ka'auwai brings to his role as Republican Party Chair the importance of 'ohana and caring for one another. "As a Hawaiian I believe our plan will help the Hawaiian people prosper," he adds. "We are looking to do our part and we believe that with a balanced system we'll see politics iron out the wrinkles that we haven't been able to iron out under a single-party rule. "We believe in equality of opportunity and providing everyone, including Native Hawaiians the same opportunity to succeed." ■ Meīissa Moniz is a Contributing WriterforKa Wai. Oīa. Aformer Assoei.aie Edi.tor at MidWeek, she has chosen a new careerpath as afii!I-ti.me mom to spend more quali.ty ti.me with her husband and two young daughters.
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