Support Black Organizations Today and Every Day in Hawaiʻi Nei!
Today marks the first day of Black History Month in Hawai’i Nei! This annual observance honors the triumphs, accomplishments, contributions, struggles, and sacrifices of the Black community.
To kick off this celebration, we’re highlighting Black organizations in Hawai’i who are doing great work across the archipelago. Mahalo for all you do!
Photo Courtesy of AALA
African American Lawyers Association of Hawaiʻi
"The purpose of the AALA is to promote the advancement of human rights and justice, and to increase the role of Black Americans in the legal community. AALA’s core mission is to encourage Black lawyers in Hawaiʻi and to focus on the issues that affect the Black community. AALA does this work to promote the advancement of human rights and justice."
Please note that the AALA’s website is currently under construction.
Photo Courtesy of AAOMA
African Americans on On Maui Association
"The primary mission of the African Americans On Maui Association (AAOMA) is to enlighten and inform the community and the people of the State of Hawai`i, nation and the world about the history, culture, contributions and experiences of people of African descent in the United States and Hawaii. The AAOMA education mission is to foster and teach all persons about the history, arts and culture, including all ethnicities in the state of Hawaii."
Still from “Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power”
Honolulu African American Film Festival
"The Honolulu African American Film Festival takes place every February at the Doris Duke Theatre at the Honolulu Museum of Art, Honolulu's only art house theater and premier platform for independent and international film in Hawai‘i. Our mission is to celebrate African American cinema and the African cultural Diaspora. Our film festival is a month-long event that showcases a diverse collection of films from around the world - all reinforcing positive images and dispelling negative stereotypes."
Photo Courtesy of NAACP
NAACP Hawaiʻi Branch
"Founded Feb. 12. 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest, largest and most widely recognized grassroots-based civil rights organization. Its more than half-million members and supporters throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, campaigning for equal opportunity and conducting voter mobilization."
Photo Courtesy of The Pōpolo Project
The Pōpolo Project
"The Pōpolo Project is a Hawai‘i-based nonprofit organization that redefines what it means to be Black in Hawai‘i and in the world through cultivating radical reconnection to ourselves, our community, our ancestors, and the land, changing what we commonly think of as Local and highlighting the vivid, complex diversity of Blackness."
Photo Courtesy of UH Mānoa
The Black Student Association at UH Mānoa
"The Black Student Association (BSA) was established in 2016 in response to the lack of representation for Black students, faculty, and staff at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM). Since its inception, the BSA has successfully advocated for the return of the African American specialist position in Ethnic Studies, hosted the first Black graduation celebration in over twenty years, hosted Black History month events, and more. The goals of the student-led organization are to: increase awareness and understanding of African American issues, history and culture, promote unity among African American students, engage and connect with topics surrounding Blackness in Hawaiʻi, and promote and preserve Black studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa."
