Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 7, Number 4, 1 ʻApelila 1990 — Pacific Islanders convene on census [ARTICLE]

Pacific Islanders convene on census

As a first step towards fostering a spirit of cooperation and communication between their eommunities in America, Pacific Island community leaders in the U.S. held a two-day conference in Los Angeles Feb. 23-24. The conference theme was "1990: A Year to be Counted, Together We Make A Difference." The Pacific Island American Leadership Conference was co-sponsored by The Pacific Island American Leadership Forum and the U.S. Bureau of the Census. In a pre-conference statement, eoordinators said "It is time to change (our) imageas a silent, invisible and isolated minority to a vocal, progressive and active participant in the democratic process. The quest to gain recognition, influence and access is extremely important if Pacific Islander Americans are going to assume (our) rightful plaee in a democratic society." Leaders from Guamanian, Samoan, Tongan, Native hlawaiian. Fijian, Marshall Island, Palauan and Micronesian communities around the country participated in conference workshops and eaucuses. In general session following the ethnic eaucuses, 39 resolutions were adopted on topics of eoneem to Pacific islanders. Some resolution subjects: support for a ban on driftnet fishing in the South Pacific; formal organization of Pacific Islanders living in the U.S.; improving eeonomie and educational opportunities for Pacific Islanders; improving poliheal recognition and parity for Pacific Islanders; establishment of a Pacific Islander community center; establishment of a South Pacific nuclear free zone; aid to Amenean and Western Samoans affected by Hurricane Ofa; support for the OHA Blueprint for Native Hawaiian Entitlements; support for clarifying ceded land trust issues for revenue due to OHA; financial assistance to Pacific Islander busi-

ness; establishment of media standards for authentic portrayal of Pacific Islanders in films, theater productions and television broadcasts. The importance of the 1990 census to minorities in general and Pacific Islanders in particular was the focus of the conference. Senior Census Bureau officials spoke on the importance of eensus data in allocation of federal funds, redistricting, apportionment and the adverse effect of undercounting. Among the concerns of Pacific Islander eommunities is how to retain cultural identity in the United States, since the older generation is eoncerned with preserving their culture and the younger generation leans toward Americanization. Conference committee chair Pat H. Luee of the Office of Samoan Affairs in Los Angeles, said there is a large concentration of Pacific Islander groups in California, particularly southern California. She said the first aim of this year's conference was to encourage Pacific Islanders to participate in the census and not shy away from the counting. A second goal was to bring together Pacific Islander communities to leam to work with one another and establish eommon goals, especially where there are federal policies whieh affect them. A third aim was to inform community leaders what services federal agencies have to offer their people. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs was represented by: Trustee Moses Keale, government affairs officer Jalna Keala, eeonomie division officer Linda Colburn, and secretary Merlyn Akuna. Trustee Keale was keynote speaker at the second day luneheon. Keala and Colburn assisted the coordinating committee by developing workshop materials and by facilitating a workshop on ANA grant writ-

ing and caucus meeting. They also presented information on the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and its work on behalf of its native Hawaiian and Hawaiian beneficiaries. OHA government affairs officer Jalna Keala noted the Pacific Islanders do look to the Hawaiians, and more specifically now to OHA, for leadership examples as they seek to realize their own goals through the processes of government. The Office of Samoan Affairs employs a staff of seven in the San Francisco Bay area, 10 in Los Angeles, and three in San Diego. The Los Angeles program, said Luee, receives federal and loeal funds and sets up pilot programs to provide technieal assistance to help community groups leam to work within the U.S. system. The office's goal is to provide resources for Samoan community leaders and help them leam how to use available information, how to get funds and how to manage them. Other speakers at the conference includedpolitical leaders from the Congress who are native to the Pacific Islands. There were federal representatives from the Department of Education, the Food and Drug Administration, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Institute of Health and the Small Business Administration. Topics included discrimination, employment opportunities, small business and contracting, grants and proposal writing, effective grassroots organization, lobbying and fundraising. Conference coordinators hope there will be future events where Pacific Island community leaders will join together to promote their eommon goals and aspirations. Conference chair is Pat H. Luee, co-chairs are Cel Aguigui and Fred Trotter. The conference coordinating committee consisted of representatives from Samoa, Tonga, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of Palau and Hawai'i.