Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 7, 1 July 2010 — White House hosts historic Native Hawaiian briefing [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

White House hosts historic Native Hawaiian briefing

By Sarah Peters n what is believed to be a historic first, White House officials appointed by President Ohama met with a large contingent of Native Hawaiians and members of the D.C.-area Hawai'i community at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building for a special briefing on Native Hawaiian issues.

Hosted by The White House Office of Public Engagement, White House Liaison to the Asian Pacific Island community, the June 4 meeting allowed Obama Administration officials to present Administration initiatives and discuss issues of eoneem to the Hawaiian community. The briefing, organized through the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Ke Ali'i Maka'āinana Hawaiian Civic Club, coincided with a June

6 celebration of the Kamehameha the Great Lei-Draping Ceremony and quarterly meeting of the Mainland Council of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs. "It is the mission of Ke Ali'i Maka'āinana Hawaiian Civic Club to work for the betterment of Native Hawaiians in Hawai'i nei and on the continent. That advocacy comes through "he alo a he alo" (face-to-face) discussions with decision makers, policy brokers, legislators,

staff, friends and foe," said Darlene Kehaulani Butts, an organizer of the meeting and President of Ke Ali'i Maka'āinana Hawaiian Civic Club of Washington, D.C. "The leadership of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs and Pelekikena (presidents) from the 13 Hawaiian Civic Clubs of the Mainland Council witnessed a first step in fortifying these relationships See BRIEFING on pagE 09

BRIEFING

Continued from page 05 - education, our most powerful advocacy tool. We are encouraged by today's meeting and look to mālamalama the advocacy process as we move forward. Our community extends a fond mahalo to Kalpen Modi, Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, under the leadership of Director Christine Tchen, for opening the door to Native Hawaiian inclusion in the White House community outreach efforts." The panelists at the briefing, hosted by Miti Sathe, White House Office of Public Engagement Liaison to the Asian Pacific Island Community, included Kimberly Teehee, Senior Policy Advisor for Native American Affairs with the White House Domestic Policy Council; Kimo Kaloi, Director of the U.S. Interior Department's Office of Hawaiian Relations, and Kiran Ahuja, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders within the U.S. Department of Education. Also present was Jodi Gillette, White House Deputy Associate Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, Tribal Govemments. The panelists discussed the Administration's role in developing the legislative language in H.R. 23 14, whieh establishes a process leading to federal recognition for Native Hawaiians. As Sathe, the host, reaffirmed at the briefing, President Obama is ready to sign the legislation following Senate approval. Another key focus of the briefing was President Obama's October 2009 signing of Executive Order 13515, re-establishing the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The initiative works to improve opportunities and the quality of life for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders through increased access and participation in federal programs. It was emphasized that prior recommendations and reports of the initiative would be a focus for implementation. Through the initiative, White House officials encourage the inclusion of Native Hawaiians for federal government management positions. Increased representation of Native Hawaiians in federal government positions was a topic of eaeh panelist. The White House hopes to have more events that will eonhnue this dialogue between the Administration and Native Hawaiians, including web chats, in the

near future. Eighty-eight members of the Native Hawaiian and Hawai'i community attended the briefing, including the Chairperson and CEO of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs; the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs President; the Board of the Mainland Council Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, club Presidents and Directors; the President of the Hawai'i State Society; members of the Kamehameha Schools Alumni Asso-ciation-East Coast Chapter; Kamehameha Publishing; students from Kamehameha Schools; members of the University of Hawai'i Alumni Association-National Capitol Region; the Hawai'i Daughters Guild; members of the Asian Pacific Islander American Heahh Forum; representatives from 'Aha Pūnana Leo; and D.C. loeal Hālau O 'Aulani. Also present from Hawai'i

were members of Hālau Hula Nā Po'e Ao Hiwa and Hālau o Kawaipuilani. "We are tmly grateful to this Administration for their outreach to our community, as shown not just by hosting this briefing, but by their continuing inclusion of Native Hawaiians in the larger dialogue about improving heahh outcomes, improving education, reaching higher employment levels and supporting small business, among other things," said Tim Johnson, OHA Washington, D.C., Bureau Chief. "OHA looks forward to continued partnering with the White House, federal agencies and the Hawaiian and Hawai'i communities to ensure that Native Hawaiian concems are addressed." ■ Sarah Peters is an intern in OHA's Washington, D.C., bureau.

OHA Chief Operating Officer Stanton Enomoto and OHA Washington, D.C., Bureau Chief Tim Johnson, right, were among the OHA representatives atthe White House briefing. - Photos: Courtesy of Gini Moore

Attendees also included Kimo Kaloi, Director of the U.S. lnterior Department's Office of Hawaiian Relations, Kimberly īeehee, the White House Domestic Policy Council's Senior Policy Advisor for Native American Affairs, and Kiran Ahuja, Executive Director of the White House lnitiative on Asian Americans and Pacific lslanders within the U.S. Education Deūartment.