04/29/2021
Coach | Keynote Speaker | Miss Hawaii USA.. and now, successful Lobbyist
Meet Our Founder:
In June 2020, in wake of the Black Lives Matter Movement and after learning that Hawaii was one of only four states at the time that had yet to recognize June 19th, the official end of slavery, I founded Hawaii for Juneteenth - a coalition now comprised of over 50 local elected officials, businesses, advocacy groups, nonprofits and more working to urge the Hawaii State Legislature to pass legislation that would make Juneteenth an official State Holiday.
The coalition began with an advocacy letter, which my team and I then sent out in effort to rally community support. I worked with the Maui County Council to pass a resolution, forever recognizing Juneteenth in the County of Maui. Read the resolution here. From there, I contacted two state legislators: State Representative John Mizuno and State Senator Glenn Wakai. Mizuno and Wakai both agreed to draft legislation for the upcoming 2021 legislative session. Their companion bills would later be labeled HB 1308 and SB939.
It was a long uphill battle but with the support of our coalition partners and the large number of private citizens who joined in the fight, we were able to get SB 939 past the Senate and House. Currently we are awaiting the results of a conference committee and a signature from the Governor.
Establishing Juneteenth as a Day of Remembrance in Hawaii is about bringing much needed recognition to minority communities and the experiences that have lead to the racial inequities we see today.