In an article from Huffington Post, I read about the manaʻo or the thoughts on capitalism from Kalani Young. Heʻs a Native Hawaiian researcher studying at University of Washington. He said, and I quote, “Hawaiians have been, in a sense, sold out to this day by capitalism.” I can agree with him because when businesses or stores are being built on our land like Walmart, Walgreens, Target etc. and theyʻre making money, the share doesnʻt get equally distributed. This ties to poverty because people arenʻt making enough money to support themselves and their ʻohana. Therefore, all of my new grown knowledge about the role of Capitalism in Hawaiʻi has pushed me even harder and motivated me even more to tackle these issues.
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The main aspect of U.S imperialism in Hawaiʻi was the illegal seizure of lands aka, the Overthrow. And of course, this event is counted as the root to many of the problems today in Hawaiʻi, my topic, poverty being a huge one. From the Overthrow, people lost their homes, faith and culture. With Hawaiians trying to adapt to the white menʻs living, things fell apart. As Iʻve mentioned in one of my older vlogs, when looking at statistics, it is shown that Native Hawaiians are amongst the largest group of people struggling with Poverty in Hawaiʻi. Itʻs disheartening that we have to struggle in our own lands, making this issue even more noteworthy. In conclusion, from what Iʻve learned about Imperialism and Globalization, Iʻve realized how important it is to let the indigenous people have their rights. Just because a group is not as modernized as another, it doesnʻt mean that something is wrong with that particular group.
Some examples of how colonization and globalization are creating problems in my island or community would be… how companies are building and taking up space with their huge structures of apartments, condos, hotels that the locals canʻt afford. Therefore, with not enough affordable housing being constructed, more people canʻt find shelter, making them fall into poverty. I can personally connect to this problem because I know how much weight some of my family members have to pull just to make ends meet with their overpriced house or apartment. In conclusion, in my learning of colonization and globalization, Iʻve realized that itʻs important for all voices to be heard and considered. It should be a team effort and people should cooperate to avoid problems like Iʻve mentioned.
The topic of Poverty was chosen by my group because we feel itʻs a big problem here in Hawaiʻi. Some examples in my own island and community are the housings, homeless and just those in general who need government assistance. Personally, I can connect to this issue because I know many people who are suffering in poverty and I have friends and family who are homeless. In fact, if you look at the statistics, many of these people are native Hawaiians. I believe that itʻs a big deal that we have to struggle on our own land. By bringing this topic to the light and trying to resolve it, we can make Hawaiʻi better. I have faith in myself to make a difference. If not in the world, then in my island, which is a great start. Therefore, through this Kahiau Project, I think Iʻll learn leadership, organization, compassion, kindness and effectiveness.
During Winter Break, my group and I decided to do individual research. Our research is based on the observations we took of the contrasting poverty conditions in areas that we live in or had visited. For my personal research, I compared where I live (Mililani) to where I visited the most frequently (Waiʻanae). In Mililani, homelessness isnʻt as evident as it is in Waiʻanae. For example, there are a lot of beaches on the West Side that contain many homeless. Whereas in Mililani, there are much more homes that are modern and that arenʻt the cheapest. I drew my own conclusion that the environment definitely affects poverty rates.
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