The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is holding a free series of events on April 1–4 in an effort to provide tools to help the campus navigate the divisive conflicts from around the world impacting our communities.
“We are proud to announce campus programming to help us strengthen our pilina – relationships, connections – even through conflict and difference,” said UH President David Lassner and UH Mānoa Provost Michael Bruno in a joining message to the UH Mānoa campus on March 27. “In particular, two themes that we hope can bring people together will be the focus of programming this semester: safety and speech.”
The series is titled E Hoʻomalu Mai—request protection and peace and comes from Hawaiian musician Uncle Harry Kunihi Mitchell who composed Mele o Kahoʻolawe, for Hawaiʻi’s uninhabited island that once housed extreme conflict and violence and is now a leading light of aloha and mālama ʻāina (care for the land).
“There are always approaches to sharing diametrically opposed views in respectful ways,” said Lassner and Bruno. “And part of our kuleana as an institution of higher education is to help our entire community learn how to communicate without unnecessarily hurting others, which is more effective communication, and also how to respond in the face of disagreement, even hurtful disagreement, without either escalation or damage to one’s self. These are skills that will serve us all well in the world beyond our campus.”
The workshops are grounded and inspired by the campus’ commitment to becoming a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning and Native Hawaiian principles in the university’s strategic plan, along with UH Mānoa’s designation as a center for Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation. The Campus Climate Committee invites faculty, staff and students to participate.
Speaker series
Calling People In, Not Calling People Out
Monday, April 1, 2:30–4 p.m., online.
I ka ʻōlelo nō ke ola, i ka ʻōlelo nō ka make (Words can heal; words can destroy).
Panelists include:
- Jillian Freitas, Ka Malu a Waʻahila
- Andrew Black, Department of Public Safety
- Camaron Miyamoto, LGBTQ+ Center
- Laura Lyons, Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Excellence
- Niya McAdoo, Sister Circle
- Jennifer Rose, Office of Equity Assurance
Moderated by: Kamakani Albano and Kaiwipunikauikawēkiu Lipe
Teaching in Troubled Times: A conversation for faculty, by faculty
Thursday, April 4, Noon–1:15 p.m., Kuykendall 106 (Events Room)
A kind of laboratory for faculty and students to explore matters with contending points of view that may or not appear to be resolvable.
Panelists include:
- Kath Sands, American studies
- Lia Keawe, Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies
- Colin Moore, Communication and Information, Matsunaga Institute for Peace
- Kathy Ferguson, Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies and Political Science
Moderator: Hazel Gedikli, Center for Teaching Excellence
Pilina circle
Wednesday, April 10, 2–4:30 p.m.
Participants can share stories, listen deeply and find connections, especially around the theme of safety. Pre-register here.
Related UH News stories
- Journey to expand Native Hawaiian Place of Learning begins for cohort, March 25, 2024
- Rebuilding pilina: 2nd annual summit advocates racial healing, January 23, 2024
- UH Mānoa work to tackle racism takes national spotlight, September 8, 2020
