Island Values

Trysen “TK” Kaneshige’s Many Art Forms Vibrate Positivity Across the 808 Jodie Chiemi Ching “WHEREAS, hard-working, determined, passionate, and talented are words that describe Trysen ‘TK’ Kaneshige, in his journey towards an auspicious career in the creative arts as a local Kaua‘i boy with a simple, but in no way small, dream …” reads the....

Some of the Most Valuable Life Lessons Were Learned in the Pineapple Fields of Wahiawä Dan Nakasone Special to The Hawai‘i Herald “You have to learn the value of a dollar,” Dad would tell me. Other kids in Wahiawä and the surrounding area likely heard a similar “lecture.” It was the mid-’60s. I was 15....

Jodie Chiemi Ching Commentary Because I am a writer for The Hawai‘i Herald and an Okinawan performing artist, people might think that I’m the type of mother who forces my two sons, 14-year-old Gavin and 12-year-old Cameron, to attend or participate in Japanese and Okinawan cultural activities. Actually, I rarely do. I try to encourage....

Visitors to the Hawai‘i State Library in downtown Honolulu are now greeted by the newly installed monument honoring the late Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first woman of color — and the first Asian American woman — to serve in the United States Congress. The Maui-born lawmaker’s decades in public service won her accolades as a....

Hawaii Foodbank President Ron Mizutani Comes Full Circle Jodie Chiemi Ching This past April’s devastating floods forced residents of Kaua‘i’s North Shore to once again muster their inner strength and power through the crisis. It was almost a repeat of September 1992, when Hurricane ‘Iniki, a category 4 storm, came ashore on the Garden Island,....

Kevin Y. Kawamoto Special to The Hawai‘i Herald The University of Hawai‘i’s Center for Oral History on the Mänoa campus is open for business once again, and longtime Ethnic Studies Professor Davianna Pömaika‘ºi McGregor has stepped up to serve as the center’s new director. McGregor was among the early supporters of the Ethnic Studies Oral....

An Immigrant’s Dream is Realized Frances Kakugawa and Karleen Chinen Editor’s note: As most of you know, Frances Kakugawa, The Hawai‘i Herald’s “Dear Frances” columnist, was born in Kapoho on Hawai‘i Island, where she spent her early childhood. The eruption of Kïlauea Volcano in 1955 forced her family to relocate to nearby Pähoa, where they....

Hui O Laulima to Retrace Its Journey from “Auxiliary” to “We Can Do It! They were just supposed to help their husbands entertain visiting dignitaries from Okinawa by serving ocha (tea) and snacks, help the men organize dinners, and sit beside their husbands and smile . . . But something happened along the way. If....

What Can Happen When the People Put Their Heads and Hearts Together Gregg K. Kakesako Special to The Hawai‘i Herald “We built it!” It took Hawai‘i businessman Duane Kurisu just six months and one day to develop Kahauiki Village — a public-private housing project that is fulfilling his dream “to build a community,” not just....

James Koshiba Special to The Hawai‘i Herald Editor’s note: With the inauguration of Gov. David Ige earlier this week, we thought it a fitting time to share this thoughtful essay on Island values by James Koshiba....