Testimony in Support and Appreciation of the Department of Ethnic Studies
Members of our community, students and staff, and colleagues in our field made their voices heard at a Board of Regents (BOR) meeting in September 2020 in support of the Department of Ethnic Studies (ES) here at UHM. These powerful testimonies successfully stopped the UH administration in its tracks as it was looking to address anticipated pandemic-induced budget deficits by cutting programs, and "stopping out" (a euphemism for "closing") our department. We highlight some excerpts here about the value of Ethnic Studies from our communities. Their testimony answers many frequently asked questions: what is ethnic studies? Why is it important? How does the department serve students, the university, our communities and the state of Hawaiʻi? The testimonies highlight our roots: the thirst of working-class peoples of Hawaiʻi to see their histories and their issues reflected in the university's curriculum. In ES, our students discover themselves and the multiple ways in which they can contribute to their communities. Service learning connects our classrooms with our communities and their issues. Our colleagues in the profession recognize the stellar and grounded scholarship produced by our department’s faculty. Community members recognize that we produce leaders dedicated to social justice. All those who testified in support of the department recognize the relevance of Ethnic Studies in today’s world. In the words of UHM alum Greg Pōmaikaʻi Gushiken, "Ethnic Studies, whether directly or indirectly, has produced a generation of community leaders in Hawaiʻi that have continued to shape what a future grounded in justice, aloha ʻāina, and love looks like."
When you click on an excerpted quote, it will take you to the full testimony given by the person to the BOR. The BOR testimony page carries all the testimonies that were submitted to the Regents to save several departments at UHM.
Dean Alegado's Testimony
One of Ethnic Studies founding faculty, Dean wrote this powerful testimony on September 15, 2020, shortly before he passed away.
Selected Testimonies for ES
Community member Danita Au underscores that the Ethnic Studies department at UHM arose from Hawaiʻi’s local and Kānaka communities.
Kerry (ʻIlima) Long in the Indigenous Politics program at UHM notes that Hawaiʻi’s marginalized people created the Ethnic Studies Program, and then the Department demanding that these voices be heard in higher education and beyond.
Jocelyn Grandinetti notes the importance of the ES curriculum in connecting her to the ʻāina and Native Hawaiian history and culture. This enabled her to grasp the significance of the place in which she has been raised.
Hawaiʻi Department of Education Social Science educator Pete Doktor affirms
Antoinette (Kunia) Freitas, faculty at Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies, recalls beloved ES faculty member Marion Kelly, our authority on land tenure and use in Hawaiʻi, as modeling what it means to be a "scholar of the people."
UHM alum Greg Pōmaikaʻi Gushiken points out how Ethnic Studies student leaders of years gone by are our kūpuna and community leaders of today.
ES Major Clarissa Mae Rago testifies that her commitment to working with public school youth is being nurtured by Ethnic Studies.
Ethnic Studies and Philippines Language and Literature courses have shaped me to truly strive to be a more community-oriented member and work more in youth outreach. These programs have given me a better insight into working with the youth in our public schools and help guide them into understanding that the University is rich in resources.
UC Berkeley Department of Ethnic Studies professor emerita Patricia Hilden observes the key academic qualities of ES at UHM.
Honolulu-born-and-raised UHM ES professor Laurel Mei-Singh recounts how the work of the department inspired her in her return to Hawaiʻi which led to a career with us.
After I went away to college, it became my goal to return to Hawaiʻi. Soon after college, I learned about the department of Ethnic Studies and their work since the 1970s for racial, economic, environmental, and gender justice and knew that it was the place where I wanted to work.
UHM alum Jacob Noa highlights the impact of Ethnic Studies courses in his education.
Merle Pak, involved in the early fight to save Ethnic Studies, tells us about the training students get in this department.
I was involved in the 1971 fight to save the Ethnic Studies Program, along with many students, faculty, and community members. The UH Manoa Ethnic Studies Program serves to create active, critical thinkers….by educating students about diversity, love of our various cultures, and appreciation of our history as a multi‐ ethnic community in the middle of the Pacific. [Please search for Merle Pak in the main testimony page]
Nitasha Sharma, Asian American studies and African American studies faculty at Northwestern University emphasizes the unique approach the department takes to the ethnic group groups in Hawaiʻi.