Keli’i Akina, Ph.D., a former OHA trustee candidate and now the new CEO of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, will present “E Hana Kakou: The Advancement of Native Hawaiians and All Residents of the Aloha State,” at the Conservative Forum for Hawaii on Sunday, June 2, at 2 p.m. at the Naniloa Hotel Crown Room in Hilo.
Keli‘i Akina, Ph.D., a former OHA trustee candidate and now the new CEO of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, will present “E Hana Kakou: The Advancement of Native Hawaiians and All Residents of the Aloha State,” at the Conservative Forum for Hawaii on Sunday, June 2, at 2 p.m. at the Naniloa Hotel Crown Room in Hilo.
In an April newspaper article, Akina wrote: “The Grassroot Institute is a strong advocate for the constitutional rights and liberties of all people, including Native Hawaiians, and promotes the value of ‘E hana kakou’ — all people in Hawaii working together for a better economy, government and society. Hawaiians are rejecting an effort to impose a narrow political agenda on their community, choosing instead to affirm the aloha spirit as the basis for society.”
“The lack of support by Hawaiians (to enroll a registry of Native Hawaiians willing to constitute a sovereign nation) is a strong indicator that the leadership of OHA and the Native Hawaiian Roll Commission do not represent the will of the Hawaiian population,” said Akina. “The roll efforts are an attempt to impose a narrow political agenda upon a constituency which values the benefits of United States citizenship as well as the Hawaiian tradition of inclusiveness. Clearly, this is not government ‘of the people by the people and for the people,’ nor does it promote the aloha spirit throughout society.”
Akina is a recognized scholar, educator, public policy spokesperson and community leader, with decades-long experience leading nonprofit organizations, and is an expert in East-West philosophy. He has taught at universities in China and the United States, and continues as an adjunct instructor at Hawaii Pacific University and the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research institute dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, the free market and limited, accountable government throughout Hawaii and the Asia-Pacific region.
Also addressing the forum will be Richard Rowland, former Grassroot Institute CEO and founder, speaking briefly on individual freedom in a speech titled “Up or Down — The Power of You; Two by Two.” All are invited to this free presentation.
For event information, please contact Conservative Forum for Hawaii President Walter Moe at 966-5420 or email forumhawaii@gmail.com. Visit www.conforhawaii.com.
For questions about Grassroot Institute contact Grassroot Institute Executive Director Tim Lussier at 808-591-9193 or email tim@grassrootinstitute.org. Visit www.grassrootinstitute.org.