Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 38, Number 1, 1 Ianuali 2021 — A Conversation with Neighborhood Board Member Daniel Ka'anana [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

A Conversation with Neighborhood Board Member Daniel Ka'anana

By Aliantha Lim, OHA Community Outreach Advocate There is a growing realization within our lāhui that Native Hawaiians need to have a voice in government. For O'ahu residents, one way to do that is by becoming active on their loeal neighborhood board. All 435 neighborhood board seats on O'ahu are up for election and online voting will happen between April 26 and May 21. For those interested in running for a seat, applications are now being accepted online. Anyone who is a resident of that neighborhood, and at least 18 years

old, is eligible to run. This is an excellent opportunity for Native Hawaiians to heeome involved in loeal leadership. Daniel Ka'anana is one such example. A Kāne'ohe Neighborhood Board member, Ka'anana, 30, graduated from Kamehameha Schools Kapālama and UH Mānoa, and is a commercial pilot for Lāna'i Air. I recently reached out to him

to talk about his neighborhood board experiences and the upcoming eleehon. Why are neighhorhood boards important? "Neighborhood boards hrst started as a way of increasing community involvement in the civic-political process at a grassroots level. Thirty-three boards are scattered across O'ahu, eaeh representing a section of the island similar to an ahupua'a. Board members are volunteers who are elected by the communities they represent." Why did you get involved? "I was tired of seeing friends and family heeome yet another statistic in our community, whieh has been torn apart by trauma for far too long. As young Native Hawaiians, the odds are significantly stacked against us to lose. We are in a system that has consistently led to our people topping the charts in all the wrong areas - poverty, incarceration, teen pregnancies, poor heahh. No one else is going to save us. Only we ean change our outcome and create a better future for ourselves."

What advice wouldyou give to other young Hawaiiam about getting involved? "If you're looking for a plaee to ignite change in our lāhui, start here. Neighborhood boards allow you to build your experience in the community, and give you a platform from whieh to speak and advocate as a leader and decision-maker. "One thing happening across the island is that many of our boards are going through a transition period and looking for the next generation of leaders - our youth! We need young blood. Our world is quickly changing and we need fresh and innovative new perspectives at the table. "While the neighborhood board does require a commitment, if you're willing to put in the work and always honor the trust of your community, you ean do it. It isn't a fulltime job, and the massive impact you ean have on your community only underlines how important it is that you run for these positions. Until we hold the power to choose our destiny, we ean never truly win." To learn more about running for your neighborhood board go to www.honolulu.gov/nco/nbelections.html ■

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Daniel Ka'anana ■ Photo: Courtesy