HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	223
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

recognizing the department of ethnic studies at the university of hawai‘i at mĀnoa.

WHEREAS, it is an honor for the House of Representatives to recognize programs and institutions that have put the State of Hawai‘i at the forefront of academic and cultural conversations surrounding issues relating to social justice and race relations; and

WHEREAS, the DEPARTMENT OF ETHNIC STUDIES at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa emerged as a response and outgrowth of the tumultuous civil rights, anti-war, ethnic empowerment, and students' rights sentiments of the 1960s; and

WHEREAS, officially established in 1970, the DEPARTMENT OF ETHNIC STUDIES was designed to focus on race and ethnicity in the State of Hawai‘i, United States, and Pacific for students to think critically about society and pop culture and embrace multiculturalism; and

WHEREAS, ethnic studies in Hawai‘i allowed for student and faculty engagement in land struggles at Kalama Valley, Waiāhole-Waikāne, Kaho‘olawe, and Chinatown during the 1960s and became a beacon for learning, research, and community service connected to Hawai‘i's multiethnic population; and

WHEREAS, the DEPARTMENT OF ETHNIC STUDIES offers a major, Bachelor of Arts degree, and certificate in ethnic studies, as well as a combined Bachelor's and Master's degree in ethnic studies and education; the undergraduate program strives to address local, regional, national, and global problems by taking an ‘āina-based and ocean-based approach to its four focal areas of migration, social justice, oceanic connections, and engagement; and

WHEREAS, scholars within the DEPARTMENT OF ETHNIC STUDIES hone in on the intersectionality of race, ethnicity, indigeneity, class, gender, and sexuality in Hawai‘i and analyze inequalities through a social justice lens to guide teachings in an ever-changing political and social landscape; and

WHEREAS, the DEPARTMENT OF ETHNIC STUDIES thrived under the directorship of Franklin Odo, who believed ethnic studies were critical in exploring race relations and how they impact the lives of working-class people; and

WHEREAS, born and raised in Hawai‘i and a proud graduate of Kaimukī High School and the Asian Studies programs at Princeton University and Harvard University, Franklin Odo lobbied the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa for additional positions within the department and higher pay and encouraged professors to obtain academic credentials expected of any university faculty; and

WHEREAS, balancing academics and activism was of chief importance to Franklin Odo; one of his main philosophies was to take the theories discussed in the classroom and apply them to benefit the larger community, not just to teach the community but to learn from them as well, and always find a way to include a focus on Native Hawaiians; and

WHEREAS, the success of the DEPARTMENT OF ETHNIC STUDIES is also due to its faculty members, Roderick N. Labrador, Davianna Pōmaika‘i McGregor, Ethan Caldwell, Monisha Das Gupta, Ulla Hasager, Richard C. Rath, Ty P. Kāwika Tengen, Ibrahim G. Aoude, Noel Kent, and Jonathan Y. Okamura, who continue to carry on the responsibilities and legacy of this critically important program every day; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawai‘i, Regular Session of 2023, that this body hereby recognizes the DEPARTMENT OF ETHNIC STUDIES at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, commends its outstanding efforts and strides in ethnic studies, and extends its warmest aloha and best wishes for continued success in all future endeavors.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Department of Ethnic Studies, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa