Podcasts about Pacific studies

For their weekly catch up with the Green Party, Oto spoke to Ricardo Menendez March about Health Minister Simeon Brown's major overhaul to New Zealand's public healthcare system, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's favorability falling below Labour Leader Chris Hipkins in the latest Taxpayers' union Curia poll and The Greens petition calling on the Government to extend visa-free travel to visitors from Pacific Island nations. He spoke to Dr Sarah Kapeli, A lecturer in the school of psychology at the University of Auckland, about a study she and a team of researchers did on the wellbeing of students from minority communities at the University of Auckland. And he speak to Dr Kerryn Galokale, a PHD Graduate in Pacific Studies at the University of Auckland, about the prevalence of Sorcery Related Violence in the Solomon Islands. Today, Sasha spoke with Chris Ogden, Associate Professor in Global Studies at the University of Auckland about the United States potential decision of leaving the United Nations and the implications this may have for global order. And, to kick off Green Desk for 2025, Producer Leilani speaks to Paul Geraets, New Zealand's most prolific rammed earth designer and builder, about the benefits and history of these sustainable houses, as well as his related upcoming event for EcoFest 2025 - a month-long celebration of our unique environment and sustainable living across Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland!

Alohalani Housman, an associate professor of the Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian & Pacific Studies and the Dean of Culture, Language and Performing Arts at BYU-Hawaii joins us in this special episode for the 70th anniversary of BYUH. She shares her experiences at BYUH as a student and how it helped her to fulfill the university's mission to "Enter to Learn, and Go Forth to Serve." 

A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists. In this vintage APEX episode, Host editor Swati Rayasam continues to highlight the podcast Continental Shifts created by bi-coastal educators Gabriel Anthony Tanglao and Estella Owoimaha- Church. They embark on a voyage in search of self, culture and the ancestors. Last time we featured the ConShifts podcast, Gabriel and Estella gave a quick introduction and talked about wayfinding in the context of their work. Tonight on the podcast they're talking about anti-blackness in the PI community with Courtney Savali Andrews and Jason Fennel. Just a quick note that both Courtney and Jason's audio quality isn't the best on this podcast. So it might get a little bumpy. Enjoy the show. Episode Transcripts – Anti-blackness in the PI Community with Courtney-Savali Andrews and Jason Finau Opening: [00:00:00] Apex Express Asian Pacific expression. Community and cultural coverage, music and calendar, new visions and voices, coming to you with an Asian Pacific Islander point of view. It's time to get on board the Apex Express.   Swati Rayasam: [00:00:35] Good evening everyone. You're listening to APEX express Thursday nights at 7:00 PM. My name is Swati Rayasam and I'm the special editor for this episode. Tonight, we're going to continue to highlight the podcast continental shifts created by bi-coastal educators Gabriel Anthony Tanglao and Estella Owemma Church who embark on a voyage in search of self, culture and the ancestors. Last time we featured the ConShifts podcast, Gabriel and Estella gave a quick introduction and talked about wayfinding in the context of their work. Tonight on the podcast they're talking about anti-blackness in the PI community with Courtney Savali Andrews and Jason Fennel. Just a quick note that both Courtney and Jason's audio quality isn't the best on this podcast. So it might get a little bumpy. Enjoy the show.   Courtney-Savali Andrews & intro music: [00:01:32] These issues are fluid, these questions are fluid. So I mean, I had to go and try get a PHD just to expand conversation with my family .   Gabriel A. Tanglao: [00:01:51] How do we uproot anti-blackness in API spaces? On today's episode, we explore this critical question with two incredible guests. Courtney and Jason share their stories, experiences, and reflections on ways our API communities can be more affirming of black identity and black humanity.   Estella Owoimaha-Church: [00:02:13] What up, what up? Tālofa lava, o lo'u igoa o Estella. My pronouns are she/her/hers, sis, and uso.   Gabriel A. Tanglao: [00:02:23] What's good, family? This is Gabriel, kumusta? Pronouns he/him.   Estella Owoimaha-Church: [00:02:29] I have the great pleasure tonight of introducing our guest today, Jason Finau and Courtney-Savali Andrews. Jason is a social worker with a focus on mental health and substance abuse based in San Francisco. Courtney is an assistant professor of musicology at Oberlin College in Ohio. But I also want to be very intentional about not centering professions above who we are and who we come from. So I'm going to go to Jason first. Jason, please share with us who you are, how you identify and who are your people.   Jason Finau: [00:02:58] Hi everyone. Estella, Gabriel, again, thank you so much for hosting us in this space. My name is Jason. I identify as black and Samoan. My father is a black American from Mississippi and my mother is from American Samoa, specifically in the village of Nua and Sektonga. As a military, brat kind of grew up back and forth between Hawaii and Southern California. So I have a very strong love for the ocean and where my peoples come from. So, very excited to be on your podcast.   Courtney-Savali Andrews: [00:03:27] [Speaking Samoan] Tālofa lava I am Courtney-Savali Andrews from Seattle, Washington. I identify as an African American Samoan. My father is from Seattle, born and raised in Seattle, from Opelika, Alabama. That's where his roots are, and my mother is from American Samoa from the villages of Nwoma Sitsona and Aminawe. And Jason and I are maternal cousins.   Estella Owoimaha-Church: [00:03:59] I did not know that. [Laughs] Good to know. Actually, just for some context, Jason and Courtney, you were one of my blessings in 2020. I received an email message about a space called Black + Blue in the Pacific, and it was a flier for a Zoom gathering with other black Pacifica peoples and I jumped on the call, not knowing what to expect, but it was only one of two times I can remember in my entire life feeling truly seen as black Samoan, and not having to separate those two or shrink any part of myself or who I am. So Jason, can you please share what the space is about and how it came to be?   Jason Finau: [00:04:42] Sure. That warms my heart that that was your reaction to participating in that space. So this was kind of born out of all of the protests against racial injustices across the country, especially with George Floyd and the other countless, unfortunately, countless deaths of black men and women at the hands of police brutality. And EPIC, which is the Empowering Pacific Island Communities, a nonprofit organization out in Long Beach reached out to me to kind of talk about how we can address anti-blackness within the Pacific Island communities in speaking with Tavae Samuelu, who is the executive director of EPIC and Teresa Siagatonu who is an amazing creative poet, artist, everything. We got together, started talking about like, well what was the real purpose for this group? Why are they reaching out to me specifically in the work that I do? And I think that part of that came from the fact that I am a licensed clinical social worker and that I do have a background in mental health and working in trauma, generational trauma and looking at how we as human beings look to take care of ourselves in a community that we as black human beings look to take care of ourselves in a community that doesn't value who we are and what that looks like for those of us who belongs to two different communities, one being the black and then the other being the Pacific Island community. And then even, you know, bringing that down even further to the, within the Pacific Island community, being in the Polynesian community and then being specifically in the Samoan community.   So in talking with that, the first person I thought about when they asked me to facilitate a group where we can gather other individuals who identified as being black and Pacific Islander, the first person I thought about co-facilitating this group with was my cousin Courtney-Savali Andrews. Just given the fact that she has done so much in research and education and understanding about PI cultures, with the work that she's done here in the States, as well as out in the Pacific, out in New Zealand and Samoa, and I'll let her talk more about that, but this is another part of the reasons why I thought about her instantly, and also because she and I have had these conversations about what it means to be black and Samoan, and to identify as both, and to sometimes have to navigate being one over the other in spaces, and even in spaces where It's a white space and having to figure out like which one are we like code switching between. So in thinking about this group and in thinking about this space, you know, one of the larger conversations that came out of those who engage in this group, that we have every second Tuesday of the month is that representation of seeing other folks who are also black and Pacific Islander who aren't related to us. And so these are the conversations that Courtney and I have had. I've had the same conversations with other first cousins who also happened to be black and Samoan, but I've never actually have met like one hand I can count on how many times I've met another person who identified as black and Pacific Islander. And so being able to host this space and to focus it, to start off that focus on anti-blackness and to talk about how we're all working to deal with what it means to say Black Lives Matter when someone who visually presents as Samoan or someone who visually presents as Tongan or any other of the Pacific Islands. Like, what does it mean for them to say Black Lives Matter, when those of us who identify as both black and Pacific Islanders aren't really feeling how that message is as substantial as they may be trying to, to come across.   Being able to gather in a space where we see other folks who look like us, who shared experiences that were so similar to what we have shared and what we have gone but also very different. And looking at how, you know, some folks grew up identifying primarily with the Samoan culture, whereas other folks grew up primarily identifying with the black culture and not being able to reconcile either one. So seeing that spectrum of experiences was able to provide us with an opportunity to grow for each other, to support each other, and to learn from each other. I was very thankful and grateful for having, for EPIC being able to step in and seeing that as an organization that does focus on empowering Pacific Island communities that they understood that when we look at the micro communities within that larger macro level of a PI community, looking at that individual black and PI cohort and understanding that that experience is different than the general experience. And so they wanted to make sure that we're facilitating those conversations, that we're holding safe spaces for those conversations, and that we're encouraging those conversations. So I really do appreciate them so much for that, and not taking it upon themselves to tell us how we should be engaging in these conversations, how we should be feeling, and asking us what we should be doing to get PIs to understand the impact of anti-blackness, within the, in the PI community for us personally.   Estella Owoimaha-Church: [00:09:29] And as you were talking, I was laughing at myself thinking, yeah, I can count on one hand too, aside from my brothers, the other black Samoans or Polys I know, and I had an experience in college as a freshman, Cal State Northridge, in my EOP cohort. I met another Leilani, Leilani is my middle name, I met another Leilani who happened to be half black, half Samoan, also from South LA. And we saw each other and ran to each other like we were long lost siblings or something [laughs] and we just knew, and it was the first time I had seen someone who looked like me that was not The Rock. [Jason laughs] Like, the only person to look to, that was yeah. I don't know, it wasn't enough to have, you know, The Rock as my only representation. I appreciate him, but definitely wasn't enough. And shout out to EPIC and Tavae, because I think I mentioned earlier, being in Black + Blue was, it was like the second time in my life. I can say that I felt seen and one of the first times I felt seen as Samoan was at 30. I happen to be in a workshop led by Tavae on organizing PI communities. That was the first time I met her, but I left her session like in tears because I felt a whole part of whatever was happening in the conversation, the festivities, I could be like my full self.   Gabriel A. Tanglao: [00:11:00] And those spaces are so important for us, right? To have that community, to be able to connect. So Jason, I appreciate you sharing that origin story of Black + Blue. And my question for Courtney actually, to bring in some of your experience into the space. Why was it important to create or forge a space such as this one with Black + Blue?   Courtney-Savali Andrews: [00:11:22] Well, I will say that I've had the privilege of a different experience having met several African American and African Pacific Islanders in Seattle through my experience in the US. And I mean, this goes all the way back to my childhood. I went to a predominantly, and this is going to sound pretty interesting, but in the 70s, I went to a predominantly Filipino-Italian parish that was budding a Samoan congregation and that particular congregation was connected to the Samoan congregational church that my mother was affiliated with. So, of course, this is family based, right? But growing up in that particular setting, I was affiliated with many cultural dance groups, particularly Polynesian dance troupes and such, and through those various communities I would run into many particularly Samoan and African American children. So that was something that was pretty normalized in my upbringing. On the other side of that, my father's family was very instrumental in various liberation movements, affiliations with the Black Panthers. And so I also grew up in a very black nationalist leaning family. So, I mean, I couldn't run away from just anything that had to do with considering identity politics and what it meant to be “both and” so the wrestle started really early with me. I also want to say that because I was indoctrinated in so many questions of what it meant to be whatever it is that I was at the time. Cause you know these issues are fluid and the questions are fluid. So that extended all the way throughout even my educational journey having pursued not just a musical degree, but also degrees in cultural studies. It was the only place that I could really wrestle and engage with literature that I was already introduced to as a child, but to, you know, have opportunities to deep dive into that literature, highlighting certain figures, engaging with the writers of these literature. So by the time I got to college, it was piano performance and Africana studies for me. In the arts, through my music through musical theater performance, my Polynesian dance background, it all just kind of jumbled up into this journey of always seeking spaces that allow for that type of inquiry.   So, after undergrad, this turns into a Fullbright study and then eventually a PHD in Music and Pacific and Samoan studies. In that journey, I did not think that the outcome would be as rich as it became. I did seek out one of my supervisors, who was Teresia Teaiwa. A very prominent poet, spoken word artist and scholar, and she was the founder of the Pacific Studies program at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. So I went to study underneath her. She actually is African American Banaban so from the Kiribati islands and amongst her like astounding output of work, she reached out to me and four other African American Pacific women historian artists, like we all share the same general identities to start an organization, or at least an affinity conversationalist group, called Black Atlantic, Blue Pacific. This was back in 2014 when she started the conversation with us again, I had an opportunity to now, across the world, connect with other African American Pacific peoples that were rooted in other spaces. So I was the one who was, you know, born and raised in the US But then we had Joy Enomoto an African American Hawaiian who's based in Hawaii. Ojeya Cruz, African American [?] and LV McKay, who is African American Maori based in Aotearoa. So we got together and started having very specific conversations around our responses to Black Lives Matter as it was gaining much momentum in 2015. And it was my supervisor Teresia, that said, “You have to open up about how you feel,” and particularly because I was so far away from what home was for me, she offered up a space for me to not only explore further what my response to the movement was, but also just my identity in tandem with the rest of them. So we actually began to create performance pieces along with scholarly writing about that particular moment and went to this festival of Pacific arts in 2016 which was in Guam and pretty much had a very ritualistic talk. It wasn'tinteractive, it was our space to share what our experience and stories were with an audience who did not have a chance to engage with us on it. It was us just claiming our space to say that we exist in the first place. And that was a very powerful moment for me and for the others. So to connect this back to four years later, when Jason reaches out about Black + Blue in the Pacific, the name of this group actually came from the publication that we put together for that 2016 FESPAC presentation. It really was a moment that I actually didn't think would extend out in the ways that it has, but it also felt like a duty to extend that conversation and Teresia Teaiwa has since passed, but it felt like, you know, this is what, this is the work that, that I've given you to do. So it just felt very natural to join with my cousin in this work and realize what this conversation could be across the water again, back home in the US.   Estella Owoimaha-Church: [00:18:09] Listening to you I was I don't want to say envious, but I didn't have that same experience growing up. And, you know, oftentimes I wonder where I would be in my identity crisis, which seems like it has lasted for so long, if I had shared in similar experience as a child. I grew up in predominantly black communities and all black apostolic school and I just, I didn't have other, I mean I ran up to the one girl I saw as a college freshman and squeezed her. So that tells you a lot, but I shared similar experiences as an undergrad or in college in majoring in black studies, majoring in theater, musical theater and that being the space where I got to at least express some of who I am or who I want it to be, but definitely trying to create what you experienced or had for my daughter now, trying to make sure that she gets to be as pro black and black and proud as she wants to be rocking her Angela Davis fro while also wearing her Puletasi, trying really hard to make sure that she has all of that. Growing up, I never felt like I was welcomed in Samoan or Poly spaces or fully in black spaces either. I felt like folks had to make a point to other me or erase part of my identity for their convenience. And it's only now that I am learning who my Samoan relatives are, what are our namesake or the villages that my family comes from and reconnecting with aunts and uncles and my grandparents through the powers of Facebook. But over the years, it's been a long like push and pull. And it's because our last names are, our names are very distinctive. And so when you put that name in there suddenly like, “Oh, I found all these relatives.” Like I didn't have to do the ancestry thing because you put the name in on Facebook and all of a sudden you find all your cousins and you're seeing childhood pictures where like your own kid can't tell who's who so I know we're related. You know what I mean? But anyway, like over the years it's been this like back and forth of me deleting relatives and then, you know, letting them come back because I don't know how to broach the conversation about their anti-blackness. I don't know what to tell them when they post something that is very racist and absolutely not okay. And I don't know what to do other than, you know, I'm just going to delete you and then maybe 2 years from now, I'll, as you as a friend, again, we could try this one more time. And I have one aunt in particular, a great aunt who there was just a misunderstanding. I didn't respond to a message right away after not seeing her since I was maybe 5 or 6. I can't remember. But in my 20s, I'm getting married, she's sending me messages and I didn't respond right away. And the response I got included her calling me the N word. And so then I'm like, “Oh, okay.” I was like, trying to open up and let you all back into my life. And here we are again. So I'm done. And so I spent a lot of time, like picking and choosing who I was going to let in or not and so I've started this journey at 30. I want to learn my language. I want to figure out who is in my family tree. Who are my people? Where do I come from? And be selective about who I choose to actually grow relationships with. Like I can still know who they are, where they come from, where I come from, what my roots are, and also make choices about who gets to be in my life. And I'm only just now realizing that at 32, as I try to learn my language and reclaim what is mine, what belongs to me. All of that aside, can you relate to any of that? And if so, is there an experience that you feel comfortable sharing?   Courtney-Savali Andrews: [00:22:00] I absolutely relate to that, to the extent, I mean, I had to go and try to get a PhD just to expand conversation with my family and I had to do it across the water. I got to a point where, just asking questions, about, you know, cultural matters, or even trying to navigate my way through a family event, while I've had many wonderful experiences, just trying to, again dig deep to understand why are we who we are, why are our family issues what they are those kinds of things, I would always hit a particular wall that was met with either like, “Why do you even care?” Or “Oh, that's not important.” But it was, this is not important for you. And I, you know, took that with a lot of like, “Well, what's that mean? I can learn anything.” And then again, that, that comes from this, like I said, black nationalist attitude of I am wholly wonderful, just in my skin as I am. Therefore, I'm smart. I'm, you know, all of those kinds of things. So it became a learning quest for me to say, not only am I going to go after learning as much as I can. I'm going to get the highest degree you could possibly get in it only to now reach a point. I mean, I'm 10 years into this program and it's been the one-two punch all the way through. And now I'm on the other side of this journey, realizing that even in that quest, this really doesn't change many of my conversations if I go back into my family, nor is it really looked upon as a notable achievement, which is to be questioned because it's like, I've done everything that I possibly can. But at the same time, it really does feel like this is the black experience as it connects to respectability politics. On another side of thing I suppose, try to aspire to be a race woman for the Pacific and specifically the Samoan identity. And that's just a really, really tall order. Right. All that to say, yes, I absolutely identify and realize that my conversation can only be had with those who are open to have it. I think that right now in this particular moment, we have more Pacific peoples and more people in our families that are willing to at least sit at the table and have conversation because they have new language around what they are wanting to know and what they would like to see for their own community. So that's really, really refreshing and inspiring.   Jason Finau: [00:24:46] I agree. I definitely [have] a lot of experience and feeling in feeling othered and feeling that my black identity was conveniently left out in a lot of conversations and a lot of learning lessons, I think, growing up. In contrast to Courtney's upbringing, I was born and raised on the Samoan side. It was everything Samoan related. My first language was Samoan. My mom stopped speaking Samoan to me at home because she recognized that I was struggling in school early on like in pre- k, kindergarten, first grade, because I couldn't keep up with the other students and they didn't have ESL for Samoan speaking kids. So, I think as a protective factor, my mother just started to distance me from the Samoan language in order to excel in school. And I think that a lot of having been able to grow up in a very large Samoan family and engaging in a lot of the traditional activities and cultural practices and doing the dances and going to a local [?] church. Having that has always been great but I think that seeing the way or listening to the way that other Samoans would refer to their own family members who were black and Pacific Islander or black and Samoan in those families, a lot of the times the language is just so derogatory, but they, that language never used to, or was never directed at me. And I think that part of that was because that people knew who my mother was and they knew who my grandparents were and I think I was insulated from a lot of that negative talk, negative behaviors against those who identified as black and then like the children that were products of those Samoan and black relationships. I reflect on that quite often because I think that when listening to a lot of the stories that I've been able to bear witness to in our black and PI group. You know, like I mentioned before that we are seeing like two different, two different upbringings, two different ways that people experience their lives as being black and Samoan. And for me, it was like, because I was wrapped in that Samoan culture, that black identity of mine was never really addressed or talked about. That then it made me feel like I just, I'm a Samoan boy. I don't identify as someone who was black. I didn't identify as someone who was black or was comfortable with identifying as someone who was black until my 20s. Late 20s, early 30s, you know when I introduced myself, it was always Samoan first black second, everything that I did, instead of joining the Black Student Union group, I joined all the Asian and Pacific Island groups at any school that I went to again, as I said, being a military brat, I went to a lot of schools growing up before college. And then in college a lot of different universities. And when I went to those programs, like in high school and junior high, I'd always be, I would always join the Asian Pacific Island groups because I didn't feel comfortable being a part of the black, any of the Black Student Unions or any black affinity groups, because again like I said my for me internally, I was Samoan and that's where I wanted to be. I didn't recognize for myself because I could see it in the mirror that I presented as someone like a black male and I think that part of the reason why I also steered more towards Asian and Pacific Island groups was because I wanted people to see me as this black guy walking into your Asian and Pacific Island group, who also is Samoan but you don't know that until I tell you. And that was for me to share and for me to just sit there for them to stare at me until I made that truth known. And that was my way of addressing that issue within the PI community. But it was also a way for me to run away from that black identity to hide from that black identity because I wasn't, I didn't want to be identified that way when I was in the API group. It's because I wanted to be identified as Samoan and not black, even though I presented. So in thinking about how a lot of those conversations went, I think one situation in particular really stuck out for me. And that's when I did a study abroad in New Zealand during undergrad and, you know, there's this whole thing about the term mea uli in Samoan to describe someone who is black and Samoan and that was the term that I remember using and being told. As a kid, growing up, my mom used it, didn't seem like there was an issue. All family members, everyone in the community is using it. So I just assumed that is exactly how it was. I never had the wherewithal to think about how to break down that word, mea uli, and think of it as like a black thing. So I was in New Zealand studying abroad and I met some students, some Samoan students in one of my classes. They invited me to their church, the local [?] church. I was like, oh great, I'll go to church while I'm here. Satisfy my mom. She's back home in Oceanside, California, telling me that I need to go to church, that I need to focus on my studies. So I do this. I go with them. And as they're introducing me to folks at their church, when I describe myself as mea uli I mean, you can hear a pin drop. It was like, these people were I don't know, embarrassed for me, embarrassed for themselves to hear me use that word to describe myself. It was just, I was, I don't think I've ever been more embarrassed about my identity than I was in that one moment, because then my friend had to pull me off to the side, just like “Oh, we don't use that word here.” Like she's like, schooling me on how derogatory that term was for those Samoans in New Zealand who identify as black and Samoan. And mind you, the friends that I was with, they were, they're both sides of the family are Samoan, and so this is a conversation that they're having with me as people who aren't, who don't identify as black and Samoan. And so then when I, I brought that back to my mom and I was just like, “Did you know this? Like, how could you let me go through life thinking this, saying this, using this word, only to come to this point in my adult life where now I'm being told that it's something derogatory.” That was a conversation that my mom and I had that we were forced to have. And I think for her, very apologetic on her end, I think she understood where I was coming from as far as like the embarrassment piece. But from her, from her perspective and her side of it, she didn't speak English when she first got to the United States either. She graduated from nursing school in American Samoa, had been in American Samoa that whole time, born and raised, came to the United States, California, didn't speak a lick of English, and was just trying to figure out her way through the whole navigating a prominently white society and trying to figure out English. And so I think language was one of the least of her worries, as far as that might have been because it's just like coupled on with a bunch of things. I mean, this is a Samoan woman who doesn't speak very much English, who is now in the military, in the Navy. So, in an occupation that is predominantly male, predominantly white and predominantly English speaking. And so, for her, there was a lot of things going on for herself that she had to protect herself from. And I think she tried to use some of those same tactics to protect me. But not understanding that there is now this added piece of blackness, this black identity that her child has to navigate along with that Samoan identity. And so, we've had some really great conversations around the choices that she had to make that she felt like in the moment were the right choices to keep me safe, to get me what I needed in order to graduate high school on time unlike a lot of our other family members, to go to college, you know, again, being the first one to have a bachelor's degree and the first one to have a master's degree, within our family tree. And so, a lot of the successes that I've had in life to be able to get to this point and have these conversations and to facilitate a group like black and PI, Black + Blue in the Pacific and to be on a podcast with all of you, were the sacrifices and choices that my mom had to make back.   I say all that because those, the choices that she had to make, she wasn't able to make them in an informed way that would have promoted my black identity along with my Samoan identity. And so having to navigate that on my own. I didn't grow up with my dad, so I don't have any connection. I didn't have any connection to the black side of my family. And so I didn't have, and then growing up in Hawaii and in Southern California, primary like San Diego, in the education piece, like the majority of my teachers were white, or in San Diego, a lot of them were Latin, Latinx, and then in Hawaii, a lot of them, they were either white or they were some type of Asian background like a lot of Chinese, a lot of Japanese teachers, but I didn't have any, I never had a Polynesian teacher, Pacific Islander teacher, and I never had a black teacher until I got to college, and then seeing that representation also had an impact on me. I think one of my most favorite sociology professors at California State University in San Marcos. Dr. Sharon Elise was just this most phenomenal, eye opening, unapologetically black woman. And it was just like the first time I was ever able to like be in the company of that type of presence and it was glorious. And I think it was part of the reason why I switched from pre med to social work. In thinking about, and going back to your original question about an experience of being othered or feeling like your black identity is erased in that company. Like I said, I walk confidently amongst and within Samoan communities, but not nearly as confidently as I do in black spaces. And even when I'm in those Samoan spaces, I'll walk into it, but then the first thing I'll do is share my last name. And then the moment I say my last name, then it's like, okay, now we can all breathe. I've been accepted. They know who I am because of who my family is based on the name that I provide. When I go into a black space, I don't have that. I don't have that convenience. I don't have that luxury. And so I think that's another reason why I was okay with allowing that black identity, my black identity to be ignored, to be silenced, to be othered because it was just easier. I think I had a lot more luxuries being on the Samoan side, than being on the black side. And now where I am today, both personally and professionally, a much, much more confident conversation can be had for myself, with myself about my identity. And then having those same conversations with my family and with my friends and in thinking about hard conversations with family members around anti-blackness, around the use of derogatory language, or around just the fact like, because we are half Samoan that we could never fully appreciate the Samoan culture and tradition. But I look at my cousins who are full Samoan, who barely speak the language, who barely graduated from high school or like are in situations where they aren't able to fully utilize an identity that can bring them the fullness or richness of their background. I'm like, all right, well, if you want to have conversations about someone who was half versus full, and then looking at those folks who are back on the island and what their perception of full Samoans are on the continental US and all of those things, like, there's so many layers between the thought processes of those who consider themselves Samoan or even just Pacific Islander, and what does that mean to them based on where they're from. And then you add that biological piece, then it's like, okay, well those who are on the continental US or outside of American Samoa or the independent nation of Samoa, what does that mean for them to be Samoan [unintelligible].   Gabriel A. Tanglao: [00:35:15] One of the things that you said that really resonated with me was when you were sharing the story of how your mother had, as you said, tactics to protect you as she navigated in these predominantly white spaces. That reminds me of a quote by Dr. Cornel West, who talked about having our cultural armor on. And when Courtney was sharing her story, I was thinking about how there's also educational armor and linguistic armor, and we put on layers of armor to protect ourselves in these white supremacist institutions and spaces. So both of you sharing your story and journey really was powerful for me, and also grounding it in the formative years of your educational journey and your race consciousness journey. One of the pivotal factors in my evolution and my race consciousness was being a part of the Black Student Union in my undergraduate school. And I'm Filipino, my mother's from Manila, my father's from Pampanga province. And it was actually the black community that embraced and raised my consciousness around my own liberation as an Asian person, as a Filipino person. So I'm a student in many ways, and my intellectual and spiritual evolution was really informed by the black liberation movement.   Swati Rayasam: [00:36:43] You are tuned in to APEX Express on 94.1 KPFA, 89.3 KPFB in Berkeley, 88.1 KFCF in Fresno and online at kpfa.org. Coming up is “March 4 Education” on the Anakbayan Long Beach May Day mixtape.   SONG   Swati Rayasam: [00:37:03] That was “Find my Way” by Rocky Rivera on her Nom de Guerre album. And before that was “March 4 Education” on the Anakbayan Long Beach May Day mixtape. And now back to the ConShifts podcast.   Gabriel A. Tanglao: [00:44:12] So this is all very powerful and grounds us back in the topic that we're trying to unpack. So I have a question for both of you on how do we begin to interrogate anti-blackness in Asian and Pacific Island communities, specifically among Polynesians, Asians, Micronesians. How might we uproot anti-blackness in the spaces that we find ourselves?   Courtney-Savali Andrews: [00:44:36] I think we need to start with identifying what blackness is in these conversations before we get to the anti part. Are we talking about skin? Are we talking about, you know, cultural expression? Are we talking about communities, black communities within our own respective nations? So one of the things that in thinking through this, today's conversation, you know, I was thinking that, you know, starting with identifying our indigenous black communities at home, you know, in pre-colonial times. And even as we have the development of the nation state, just seeing where people are in their understandings of those communities would be a wonderful place to start before we even get to the drama that is white supremacy in the US and how that monster manifests here and then spreads like a rash to the the rest of the colonial world. I would really start with like, what are we talking about in terms of black and blackness before we go into how people are responding in a way to be against it.   Jason Finau: [00:45:52] Yeah, that was solid Court. Definitely providing that definition of what blackness is in order to figure out exactly what anti-blackness is. Kind of adding to that is looking around at the various organizations that are out there. When we go back to the earlier examples of being in API spaces, but primarily seeing more Asian faces or Asian presenting faces, thinking about, and I'm just thinking about like our Black + Blue group, like, there are so many of us who identify as black and Pacific Islander or black and Asian. And yet the representation of those folks in spaces where nonprofit organizations, community organizations are trying to do more to advance the API agenda items to make sure that we get more access to resources for our specific communities, whether that's education, healthcare, employment resources, all of that. When we look at those organizations who are pushing that for our community, you just see such a lack of black and brown faces who are part of those conversations. And I would have to say that for those organizations and for the people who will participate in any of those activities that they promote. To look around and not see one person who presents as black and may identify as black and PI seems kind of problematic to me because, you know, I used to think that growing up in the 80s and 90s that outside of my cousins, there were no other black and PI people. I'm learning now as I get older and again with our Black + Blue group, that there are so many of us, I mean, there are folks who are older than I am. There are a number of people around the same age. And then there's so many young kids. And so for none of those folks to feel, and that is another, that was a common theme, from our group was that a lot of the folks just didn't feel comfortable in PI spaces to be if they were black in and Hawaiians might be comfortable in the Hawaiian space to speak up and say anything or in whatever Pacific Island space that they also belong to is that they just didn't feel comfortable or seen enough to be a part of those. I think you know, once we identify what blackness is within our within the broader API community, we can also look at well, you know, why aren't there more people like us, those of us who do identify as black and PI, why aren't more of us involved in these conversations, being asked to be a part of these conversations, and helping to drive a lot of the messages and a lot of the agendas around garnering resources for our community.   Gabriel A. Tanglao: [00:48:18] One of the pieces that's really present for me, when you started asking the question on how we define blackness before we begin the conversation around anti-blackness reminded me of Steve Biko learning about the black consciousness movement in South Africa and the anti apartheid movement. I had the opportunity to travel to South Africa for global learning fellowship and started to learn more about the anti apartheid movement. But when Steve Biko discussed black consciousness as an attitude of mind and a way of life, it got me thinking in one direction while at the same time in this conversation that we're having here, when we talk about colorism with post colonial society, the Philippines being one of them, how does colorism show up? I'm wrestling that. So I just appreciate you bringing that question into the space.   Estella Owoimaha-Church: [00:49:05] So Black + Blue, it's an affinity space for black Polys and I need to just say thank you for providing the space. It has been therapeutic and healing and again, everything I knew I needed and had no idea where to find. So I appreciate it so much. So I'm wondering, I guess, how do we create similar spaces for other folks? Or is there a need to like, does Black + Blue just exist for us? And is that enough? Or do we need to start thinking about doing more to create similar spaces for other folks? And I'll leave that to whoever wants to respond before my final question.   Courtney-Savali Andrews: [00:49:45] I'll just jump in and say that I think that, you know, any opportunity for folks to gather to create and wrestle through dialogue is absolutely necessary at this particular point in time with social media and a fairly new cancel culture that exists. It's really a detriment to having people understand how to connect and even connect through disagreement. So I think that there should always be space made for people to have tough conversations, along with the celebratory ones. So I'm always all for it.   Jason Finau: [00:50:23] Yeah, I would agree. I think if I've learned anything out of being able to facilitate the Black + Blue group that there is just such a desire for it and unknown and even an unknown desire. I think people, you know, didn't realize they needed it until they had it. And I think it feels unique now it being a black and Blue space, Black + Blue Pacific space. But I can see that need kind of going outside of us. How do we take the conversations that we're having with each other, the learning and the unlearning, the unpacking of experiences, the unpacking of feelings and emotions and thoughts about what we've all been through to share that with the broader Pacific Island community in a way that can steer some people away from some of the negative, behaviors that we find that can be associated in speaking of people who identify as black or African American? But I can see that as not just for those who identify as black and Pacific Islander, but also for parents of children who are black and Pacific Islander, and for the youth. So like right now our Black + Blue group is geared towards the adult population of those who identify as black and PI. But then also thinking about like the younger generation, those who are in high school or in middle school or junior high school, who are also maybe going through the same things that we all went through at that point and needing a safe space to have those conversations and kind of process those things. Because they may have a parent who may not understand, you know, if they only have their Pacific Island parent, or they're primarily identifying with their black side because they don't feel comfortable with the Pacific Island side, whatever their journey is being able to provide that for them, but then also providing a space for parents to understand where their kids may be coming from, to hear from experiences and learn and potentially provide their kids with the resources to navigate very complex ideas. One's identity journey is not simple. It is not easy. It is not quick. And so it's hard. And that is not something, I mean, and I don't expect every parent, regardless of what their children's ethnic background is, to understand what that means like for their kids. But to be able to have a space where they can talk it out with other parents. But I also see that for our Latinx and PI community. I see that for our Asian and PI community, those who identify as both being Asian and Pacific Islander. For me, that just comes from a personal experience because my mom is one of nine. And I think out of the nine, three of the kids had children with other Samoan partners, and the rest had either a black partner, has a Mexican partner, has a partner who identifies as Chinese and Japanese, and has another partner who is white. But I have cousins who are in this space, and so we can all share in the fact that, although we may not all physically identify or people may not be able to physically recognize us as Samoans, that is what we all share in common. So having that for them as well. And then, you know, right now we're in COVID. So it's been a blessing and a curse to be in this pandemic, but I think the blessing part was that we were able to connect with so many people in our group who are from across the states and even across the waters. Once we're able to move past this pandemic and go back to congregating in person, being able to have groups within your respective cities to be able to go and talk in person, whether it's in Seattle, Los Angeles, New York, you know, folks out in Hawaii and like in Aotearoa. Who wants to continue engaging with other folks that they feel comfortable identifying or who they also identify with. Do I think that there is a need? Absolutely. And I can see it just across the board whether people know it or not, I think once we put it in front of them, that is where they'll see like, “Yeah, we need that.”   Courtney-Savali Andrews: [00:53:57] I just wanted to also highlight, you know, a point of significance for me with this group and hopefully one that would serve as a model for other organizations and groups that may develop after this, is modeled off of cultural studies, which is the process of actually remembering and relearning things that we've things and peoples that we've forgotten and with Black + Blue in the Pacific, it's really important to me to also include, and keep the Melanesian, the black Pacific voice in that conversation to model for other peoples of color to reach out to black peoples at home, or regionally to understand and again, remember those particular cultural networks that existed in pre colonial times and even sometimes well into colonial times, as current as you know, the 1970s black liberation movements to highlight Asian and Pacific and, and, and, and other peoples that were non black, but very instrumental in that fight for liberation as a whole, but starting with black liberation first. So, I think this is a really good time in an effort towards uprooting anti-blackness to highlight just how old our relationships with black peoples and black peoples in relationship with Asians and Pacific peoples, South Asians, Southeast Asians, it just goes on and on, to say that we've been in community positively before, so we can do it again.   Estella Owoimaha-Church: [00:55:52] That is the most perfect way to wrap up the episode in reminding us to remember, and reminding us that all of our liberation is definitely tied to black liberation that they're inextricably linked together. Thank you, Courtney. Thank you, Jason. Fa'a fatai te le lava thank you for listening.   Gabriel A. Tanglao: [00:56:13] Salamat thank you for listening.   Estella Owoimaha-Church: [00:56:14] We want to thank our special guests, Jason and Courtney, one more time for rapping with us tonight. We appreciate you both for being here and really helping us continue to build the groundwork for Continental Shifts Podcast.   Gabriel A. Tanglao: [00:56:24] Continental Shift Podcast can be found on Podbean, Apple, Spotify, Google, and Stitcher.   Estella Owoimaha-Church: [00:56:30] Be sure to like and subscribe on YouTube for archive footage and grab some merch on our website.   Gabriel A. Tanglao: [00:56:36] Join our mailing list for updates at conshiftspodcast.com. That's C-O-N-S-H-I-F-T-S podcast dot com and follow us at con underscore shifts on all social media platforms.   Estella Owoimaha-Church: [00:56:52] Dope educators wayfinding the past, present, and future.   Gabriel A. Tanglao: [00:56:56] Keep rocking with us fam, we're gonna make continental shifts through dialogue, with love, all together.   Estella Owoimaha-Church: [00:57:02] Fa'fetai, thanks again. Tōfā, deuces.   Gabriel A. Tanglao: [00:57:04] Peace, one love.   Swati Rayasam: [00:57:07] Please check out our website, kpfa.org backslash program backslash apex express. To find out more about the show tonight and to find out how you can take direct action. We thank all of you listeners out there. Keep resisting, keep organizing, keep creating and sharing your visions with the world. Your voices are important. Apex Axpress is produced by Miko Lee, along with Paige Chung, Jalena Keene-Lee, Preeti Mangala Shekar, Anuj Vaida, Kiki Rivera, Nate Tan, Hien Ngyuen, Cheryl Truong, and me Swati Rayasam. Thank you so much to the team at KPFA for their support and have a great night. The post APEX Express – 1.30.25 Continental Shifts: Anti Blackness in the PI Community appeared first on KPFA.

Mokotron is a Ngāti Hine music producer based in Tāmaki Auckland, who is part of a Māori electronic music scene that has become a creative force. The man behind Mokotron is Tiopira McDowell - by day a lecturer in Māori Studies, and co-head of the Māori and Pacific Studies at Auckland Uni, and by night, an artist who has gained a reputation for getting the clubs heaving with a sound that's distinctly Aotearoa. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists. Host editor Swati Rayasam continues to highlight the podcast Continental Shifts created by bi-coastal educators Gabriel Anthony Tanglao and Estella Owemma Church. They embark on a voyage in search of self, culture and the ancestors. Last time we featured the ConShifts podcast, Gabriel and Estella gave a quick introduction and talked about wayfinding in the context of their work. Tonight on the podcast they're talking about anti-blackness in the PI community with Courtney Savali Andrews and Jason Fennel. Just a quick note that both Courtney and Jason's audio quality isn't the best on this podcast. So it might get a little bumpy. Enjoy the show. Episode Transcripts – Anti-blackness in the PI Community with Courtney-Savali Andrews and Jason Finau Opening: [00:00:00] Apex Express Asian Pacific expression. Community and cultural coverage, music and calendar, new visions and voices, coming to you with an Asian Pacific Islander point of view. It's time to get on board the Apex Express.   Swati Rayasam: [00:00:35] Good evening everyone. You're listening to APEX express Thursday nights at 7:00 PM. My name is Swati Rayasam and I'm the special editor for this episode. Tonight, we're going to continue to highlight the podcast continental shifts created by bi-coastal educators Gabriel Anthony Tanglao and Estella Owemma Church who embark on a voyage in search of self, culture and the ancestors. Last time we featured the ConShifts podcast, Gabriel and Estella gave a quick introduction and talked about wayfinding in the context of their work. Tonight on the podcast they're talking about anti-blackness in the PI community with Courtney Savali Andrews and Jason Fennel. Just a quick note that both Courtney and Jason's audio quality isn't the best on this podcast. So it might get a little bumpy. Enjoy the show.   Courtney-Savali Andrews & intro music: [00:01:32] These issues are fluid, these questions are fluid. So I mean, I had to go and try get a PHD just to expand conversation with my family .   Gabriel A. Tanglao: [00:01:51] How do we uproot anti-blackness in API spaces? On today's episode, we explore this critical question with two incredible guests. Courtney and Jason share their stories, experiences, and reflections on ways our API communities can be more affirming of black identity and black humanity.   Estella Owoimaha-Church: [00:02:13] What up, what up? Tālofa lava, o lo'u igoa o Estella. My pronouns are she/her/hers, sis, and uso.   Gabriel A. Tanglao: [00:02:23] What's good, family? This is Gabriel, kumusta? Pronouns he/him.   Estella Owoimaha-Church: [00:02:29] I have the great pleasure tonight of introducing our guest today, Jason Finau and Courtney-Savali Andrews. Jason is a social worker with a focus on mental health and substance abuse based in San Francisco. Courtney is an assistant professor of musicology at Oberlin College in Ohio. But I also want to be very intentional about not centering professions above who we are and who we come from. So I'm going to go to Jason first. Jason, please share with us who you are, how you identify and who are your people.   Jason Finau: [00:02:58] Hi everyone. Estella, Gabriel, again, thank you so much for hosting us in this space. My name is Jason. I identify as black and Samoan. My father is a black American from Mississippi and my mother is from American Samoa, specifically in the village of Nua and Sektonga. As a military, brat kind of grew up back and forth between Hawaii and Southern California. So I have a very strong love for the ocean and where my peoples come from. So, very excited to be on your podcast.   Courtney-Savali Andrews: [00:03:27] [Speaking Samoan] Tālofa lava I am Courtney-Savali Andrews from Seattle, Washington. I identify as an African American Samoan. My father is from Seattle, born and raised in Seattle, from Opelika, Alabama. That's where his roots are, and my mother is from American Samoa from the villages of Nwoma Sitsona and Aminawe. And Jason and I are maternal cousins.   Estella Owoimaha-Church: [00:03:59] I did not know that. [Laughs] Good to know. Actually, just for some context, Jason and Courtney, you were one of my blessings in 2020. I received an email message about a space called Black + Blue in the Pacific, and it was a flier for a Zoom gathering with other black Pacifica peoples and I jumped on the call, not knowing what to expect, but it was only one of two times I can remember in my entire life feeling truly seen as black Samoan, and not having to separate those two or shrink any part of myself or who I am. So Jason, can you please share what the space is about and how it came to be?   Jason Finau: [00:04:42] Sure. That warms my heart that that was your reaction to participating in that space. So this was kind of born out of all of the protests against racial injustices across the country, especially with George Floyd and the other countless, unfortunately, countless deaths of black men and women at the hands of police brutality. And EPIC, which is the Empowering Pacific Island Communities, a nonprofit organization out in Long Beach reached out to me to kind of talk about how we can address anti-blackness within the Pacific Island communities in speaking with Tavae Samuelu, who is the executive director of EPIC and Teresa Siagatonu who is an amazing creative poet, artist, everything. We got together, started talking about like, well what was the real purpose for this group? Why are they reaching out to me specifically in the work that I do? And I think that part of that came from the fact that I am a licensed clinical social worker and that I do have a background in mental health and working in trauma, generational trauma and looking at how we as human beings look to take care of ourselves in a community that we as black human beings look to take care of ourselves in a community that doesn't value who we are and what that looks like for those of us who belongs to two different communities, one being the black and then the other being the Pacific Island community. And then even, you know, bringing that down even further to the, within the Pacific Island community, being in the Polynesian community and then being specifically in the Samoan community.   So in talking with that, the first person I thought about when they asked me to facilitate a group where we can gather other individuals who identified as being black and Pacific Islander, the first person I thought about co-facilitating this group with was my cousin Courtney-Savali Andrews. Just given the fact that she has done so much in research and education and understanding about PI cultures, with the work that she's done here in the States, as well as out in the Pacific, out in New Zealand and Samoa, and I'll let her talk more about that, but this is another part of the reasons why I thought about her instantly, and also because she and I have had these conversations about what it means to be black and Samoan, and to identify as both, and to sometimes have to navigate being one over the other in spaces, and even in spaces where It's a white space and having to figure out like which one are we like code switching between. So in thinking about this group and in thinking about this space, you know, one of the larger conversations that came out of those who engage in this group, that we have every second Tuesday of the month is that representation of seeing other folks who are also black and Pacific Islander who aren't related to us. And so these are the conversations that Courtney and I have had. I've had the same conversations with other first cousins who also happened to be black and Samoan, but I've never actually have met like one hand I can count on how many times I've met another person who identified as black and Pacific Islander. And so being able to host this space and to focus it, to start off that focus on anti-blackness and to talk about how we're all working to deal with what it means to say Black Lives Matter when someone who visually presents as Samoan or someone who visually presents as Tongan or any other of the Pacific Islands. Like, what does it mean for them to say Black Lives Matter, when those of us who identify as both black and Pacific Islanders aren't really feeling how that message is as substantial as they may be trying to, to come across.   Being able to gather in a space where we see other folks who look like us, who shared experiences that were so similar to what we have shared and what we have gone but also very different. And looking at how, you know, some folks grew up identifying primarily with the Samoan culture, whereas other folks grew up primarily identifying with the black culture and not being able to reconcile either one. So seeing that spectrum of experiences was able to provide us with an opportunity to grow for each other, to support each other, and to learn from each other. I was very thankful and grateful for having, for EPIC being able to step in and seeing that as an organization that does focus on empowering Pacific Island communities that they understood that when we look at the micro communities within that larger macro level of a PI community, looking at that individual black and PI cohort and understanding that that experience is different than the general experience. And so they wanted to make sure that we're facilitating those conversations, that we're holding safe spaces for those conversations, and that we're encouraging those conversations. So I really do appreciate them so much for that, and not taking it upon themselves to tell us how we should be engaging in these conversations, how we should be feeling, and asking us what we should be doing to get PIs to understand the impact of anti-blackness, within the, in the PI community for us personally.   Estella Owoimaha-Church: [00:09:29] And as you were talking, I was laughing at myself thinking, yeah, I can count on one hand too, aside from my brothers, the other black Samoans or Polys I know, and I had an experience in college as a freshman, Cal State Northridge, in my EOP cohort. I met another Leilani, Leilani is my middle name, I met another Leilani who happened to be half black, half Samoan, also from South LA. And we saw each other and ran to each other like we were long lost siblings or something [laughs] and we just knew, and it was the first time I had seen someone who looked like me that was not The Rock. [Jason laughs] Like, the only person to look to, that was yeah. I don't know, it wasn't enough to have, you know, The Rock as my only representation. I appreciate him, but definitely wasn't enough. And shout out to EPIC and Tavae, because I think I mentioned earlier, being in Black + Blue was, it was like the second time in my life. I can say that I felt seen and one of the first times I felt seen as Samoan was at 30. I happen to be in a workshop led by Tavae on organizing PI communities. That was the first time I met her, but I left her session like in tears because I felt a whole part of whatever was happening in the conversation, the festivities, I could be like my full self.   Gabriel A. Tanglao: [00:11:00] And those spaces are so important for us, right? To have that community, to be able to connect. So Jason, I appreciate you sharing that origin story of Black + Blue. And my question for Courtney actually, to bring in some of your experience into the space. Why was it important to create or forge a space such as this one with Black + Blue?   Courtney-Savali Andrews: [00:11:22] Well, I will say that I've had the privilege of a different experience having met several African American and African Pacific Islanders in Seattle through my experience in the US. And I mean, this goes all the way back to my childhood. I went to a predominantly, and this is going to sound pretty interesting, but in the 70s, I went to a predominantly Filipino-Italian parish that was budding a Samoan congregation and that particular congregation was connected to the Samoan congregational church that my mother was affiliated with. So, of course, this is family based, right? But growing up in that particular setting, I was affiliated with many cultural dance groups, particularly Polynesian dance troupes and such, and through those various communities I would run into many particularly Samoan and African American children. So that was something that was pretty normalized in my upbringing. On the other side of that, my father's family was very instrumental in various liberation movements, affiliations with the Black Panthers. And so I also grew up in a very black nationalist leaning family. So, I mean, I couldn't run away from just anything that had to do with considering identity politics and what it meant to be “both and” so the wrestle started really early with me. I also want to say that because I was indoctrinated in so many questions of what it meant to be whatever it is that I was at the time. Cause you know these issues are fluid and the questions are fluid. So that extended all the way throughout even my educational journey having pursued not just a musical degree, but also degrees in cultural studies. It was the only place that I could really wrestle and engage with literature that I was already introduced to as a child, but to, you know, have opportunities to deep dive into that literature, highlighting certain figures, engaging with the writers of these literature. So by the time I got to college, it was piano performance and Africana studies for me. In the arts, through my music through musical theater performance, my Polynesian dance background, it all just kind of jumbled up into this journey of always seeking spaces that allow for that type of inquiry.   So, after undergrad, this turns into a Fullbright study and then eventually a PHD in Music and Pacific and Samoan studies. In that journey, I did not think that the outcome would be as rich as it became. I did seek out one of my supervisors, who was Teresia Teaiwa. A very prominent poet, spoken word artist and scholar, and she was the founder of the Pacific Studies program at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. So I went to study underneath her. She actually is African American Banaban so from the Kiribati islands and amongst her like astounding output of work, she reached out to me and four other African American Pacific women historian artists, like we all share the same general identities to start an organization, or at least an affinity conversationalist group, called Black Atlantic, Blue Pacific. This was back in 2014 when she started the conversation with us again, I had an opportunity to now, across the world, connect with other African American Pacific peoples that were rooted in other spaces. So I was the one who was, you know, born and raised in the US But then we had Joy Enomoto an African American Hawaiian who's based in Hawaii. Ojeya Cruz, African American [?] and LV McKay, who is African American Maori based in Aotearoa. So we got together and started having very specific conversations around our responses to Black Lives Matter as it was gaining much momentum in 2015. And it was my supervisor Teresia, that said, “You have to open up about how you feel,” and particularly because I was so far away from what home was for me, she offered up a space for me to not only explore further what my response to the movement was, but also just my identity in tandem with the rest of them. So we actually began to create performance pieces along with scholarly writing about that particular moment and went to this festival of Pacific arts in 2016 which was in Guam and pretty much had a very ritualistic talk. It wasn'tinteractive, it was our space to share what our experience and stories were with an audience who did not have a chance to engage with us on it. It was us just claiming our space to say that we exist in the first place. And that was a very powerful moment for me and for the others. So to connect this back to four years later, when Jason reaches out about Black + Blue in the Pacific, the name of this group actually came from the publication that we put together for that 2016 FESPAC presentation. It really was a moment that I actually didn't think would extend out in the ways that it has, but it also felt like a duty to extend that conversation and Teresia Teaiwa has since passed, but it felt like, you know, this is what, this is the work that, that I've given you to do. So it just felt very natural to join with my cousin in this work and realize what this conversation could be across the water again, back home in the US.   Estella Owoimaha-Church: [00:18:09] Listening to you I was I don't want to say envious, but I didn't have that same experience growing up. And, you know, oftentimes I wonder where I would be in my identity crisis, which seems like it has lasted for so long, if I had shared in similar experience as a child. I grew up in predominantly black communities and all black apostolic school and I just, I didn't have other, I mean I ran up to the one girl I saw as a college freshman and squeezed her. So that tells you a lot, but I shared similar experiences as an undergrad or in college in majoring in black studies, majoring in theater, musical theater and that being the space where I got to at least express some of who I am or who I want it to be, but definitely trying to create what you experienced or had for my daughter now, trying to make sure that she gets to be as pro black and black and proud as she wants to be rocking her Angela Davis fro while also wearing her Puletasi, trying really hard to make sure that she has all of that. Growing up, I never felt like I was welcomed in Samoan or Poly spaces or fully in black spaces either. I felt like folks had to make a point to other me or erase part of my identity for their convenience. And it's only now that I am learning who my Samoan relatives are, what are our namesake or the villages that my family comes from and reconnecting with aunts and uncles and my grandparents through the powers of Facebook. But over the years, it's been a long like push and pull. And it's because our last names are, our names are very distinctive. And so when you put that name in there suddenly like, “Oh, I found all these relatives.” Like I didn't have to do the ancestry thing because you put the name in on Facebook and all of a sudden you find all your cousins and you're seeing childhood pictures where like your own kid can't tell who's who so I know we're related. You know what I mean? But anyway, like over the years it's been this like back and forth of me deleting relatives and then, you know, letting them come back because I don't know how to broach the conversation about their anti-blackness. I don't know what to tell them when they post something that is very racist and absolutely not okay. And I don't know what to do other than, you know, I'm just going to delete you and then maybe 2 years from now, I'll, as you as a friend, again, we could try this one more time. And I have one aunt in particular, a great aunt who there was just a misunderstanding. I didn't respond to a message right away after not seeing her since I was maybe 5 or 6. I can't remember. But in my 20s, I'm getting married, she's sending me messages and I didn't respond right away. And the response I got included her calling me the N word. And so then I'm like, “Oh, okay.” I was like, trying to open up and let you all back into my life. And here we are again. So I'm done. And so I spent a lot of time, like picking and choosing who I was going to let in or not and so I've started this journey at 30. I want to learn my language. I want to figure out who is in my family tree. Who are my people? Where do I come from? And be selective about who I choose to actually grow relationships with. Like I can still know who they are, where they come from, where I come from, what my roots are, and also make choices about who gets to be in my life. And I'm only just now realizing that at 32, as I try to learn my language and reclaim what is mine, what belongs to me. All of that aside, can you relate to any of that? And if so, is there an experience that you feel comfortable sharing?   Courtney-Savali Andrews: [00:22:00] I absolutely relate to that, to the extent, I mean, I had to go and try to get a PhD just to expand conversation with my family and I had to do it across the water. I got to a point where, just asking questions, about, you know, cultural matters, or even trying to navigate my way through a family event, while I've had many wonderful experiences, just trying to, again dig deep to understand why are we who we are, why are our family issues what they are those kinds of things, I would always hit a particular wall that was met with either like, “Why do you even care?” Or “Oh, that's not important.” But it was, this is not important for you. And I, you know, took that with a lot of like, “Well, what's that mean? I can learn anything.” And then again, that, that comes from this, like I said, black nationalist attitude of I am wholly wonderful, just in my skin as I am. Therefore, I'm smart. I'm, you know, all of those kinds of things. So it became a learning quest for me to say, not only am I going to go after learning as much as I can. I'm going to get the highest degree you could possibly get in it only to now reach a point. I mean, I'm 10 years into this program and it's been the one-two punch all the way through. And now I'm on the other side of this journey, realizing that even in that quest, this really doesn't change many of my conversations if I go back into my family, nor is it really looked upon as a notable achievement, which is to be questioned because it's like, I've done everything that I possibly can. But at the same time, it really does feel like this is the black experience as it connects to respectability politics. On another side of thing I suppose, try to aspire to be a race woman for the Pacific and specifically the Samoan identity. And that's just a really, really tall order. Right. All that to say, yes, I absolutely identify and realize that my conversation can only be had with those who are open to have it. I think that right now in this particular moment, we have more Pacific peoples and more people in our families that are willing to at least sit at the table and have conversation because they have new language around what they are wanting to know and what they would like to see for their own community. So that's really, really refreshing and inspiring.   Jason Finau: [00:24:46] I agree. I definitely [have] a lot of experience and feeling in feeling othered and feeling that my black identity was conveniently left out in a lot of conversations and a lot of learning lessons, I think, growing up. In contrast to Courtney's upbringing, I was born and raised on the Samoan side. It was everything Samoan related. My first language was Samoan. My mom stopped speaking Samoan to me at home because she recognized that I was struggling in school early on like in pre- k, kindergarten, first grade, because I couldn't keep up with the other students and they didn't have ESL for Samoan speaking kids. So, I think as a protective factor, my mother just started to distance me from the Samoan language in order to excel in school. And I think that a lot of having been able to grow up in a very large Samoan family and engaging in a lot of the traditional activities and cultural practices and doing the dances and going to a local [?] church. Having that has always been great but I think that seeing the way or listening to the way that other Samoans would refer to their own family members who were black and Pacific Islander or black and Samoan in those families, a lot of the times the language is just so derogatory, but they, that language never used to, or was never directed at me. And I think that part of that was because that people knew who my mother was and they knew who my grandparents were and I think I was insulated from a lot of that negative talk, negative behaviors against those who identified as black and then like the children that were products of those Samoan and black relationships. I reflect on that quite often because I think that when listening to a lot of the stories that I've been able to bear witness to in our black and PI group. You know, like I mentioned before that we are seeing like two different, two different upbringings, two different ways that people experience their lives as being black and Samoan. And for me, it was like, because I was wrapped in that Samoan culture, that black identity of mine was never really addressed or talked about. That then it made me feel like I just, I'm a Samoan boy. I don't identify as someone who was black. I didn't identify as someone who was black or was comfortable with identifying as someone who was black until my 20s. Late 20s, early 30s, you know when I introduced myself, it was always Samoan first black second, everything that I did, instead of joining the Black Student Union group, I joined all the Asian and Pacific Island groups at any school that I went to again, as I said, being a military brat, I went to a lot of schools growing up before college. And then in college a lot of different universities. And when I went to those programs, like in high school and junior high, I'd always be, I would always join the Asian Pacific Island groups because I didn't feel comfortable being a part of the black, any of the Black Student Unions or any black affinity groups, because again like I said my for me internally, I was Samoan and that's where I wanted to be. I didn't recognize for myself because I could see it in the mirror that I presented as someone like a black male and I think that part of the reason why I also steered more towards Asian and Pacific Island groups was because I wanted people to see me as this black guy walking into your Asian and Pacific Island group, who also is Samoan but you don't know that until I tell you. And that was for me to share and for me to just sit there for them to stare at me until I made that truth known. And that was my way of addressing that issue within the PI community. But it was also a way for me to run away from that black identity to hide from that black identity because I wasn't, I didn't want to be identified that way when I was in the API group. It's because I wanted to be identified as Samoan and not black, even though I presented. So in thinking about how a lot of those conversations went, I think one situation in particular really stuck out for me. And that's when I did a study abroad in New Zealand during undergrad and, you know, there's this whole thing about the term mea uli in Samoan to describe someone who is black and Samoan and that was the term that I remember using and being told. As a kid, growing up, my mom used it, didn't seem like there was an issue. All family members, everyone in the community is using it. So I just assumed that is exactly how it was. I never had the wherewithal to think about how to break down that word, mea uli, and think of it as like a black thing. So I was in New Zealand studying abroad and I met some students, some Samoan students in one of my classes. They invited me to their church, the local [?] church. I was like, oh great, I'll go to church while I'm here. Satisfy my mom. She's back home in Oceanside, California, telling me that I need to go to church, that I need to focus on my studies. So I do this. I go with them. And as they're introducing me to folks at their church, when I describe myself as mea uli I mean, you can hear a pin drop. It was like, these people were I don't know, embarrassed for me, embarrassed for themselves to hear me use that word to describe myself. It was just, I was, I don't think I've ever been more embarrassed about my identity than I was in that one moment, because then my friend had to pull me off to the side, just like “Oh, we don't use that word here.” Like she's like, schooling me on how derogatory that term was for those Samoans in New Zealand who identify as black and Samoan. And mind you, the friends that I was with, they were, they're both sides of the family are Samoan, and so this is a conversation that they're having with me as people who aren't, who don't identify as black and Samoan. And so then when I, I brought that back to my mom and I was just like, “Did you know this? Like, how could you let me go through life thinking this, saying this, using this word, only to come to this point in my adult life where now I'm being told that it's something derogatory.” That was a conversation that my mom and I had that we were forced to have. And I think for her, very apologetic on her end, I think she understood where I was coming from as far as like the embarrassment piece. But from her, from her perspective and her side of it, she didn't speak English when she first got to the United States either. She graduated from nursing school in American Samoa, had been in American Samoa that whole time, born and raised, came to the United States, California, didn't speak a lick of English, and was just trying to figure out her way through the whole navigating a prominently white society and trying to figure out English. And so I think language was one of the least of her worries, as far as that might have been because it's just like coupled on with a bunch of things. I mean, this is a Samoan woman who doesn't speak very much English, who is now in the military, in the Navy. So, in an occupation that is predominantly male, predominantly white and predominantly English speaking. And so, for her, there was a lot of things going on for herself that she had to protect herself from. And I think she tried to use some of those same tactics to protect me. But not understanding that there is now this added piece of blackness, this black identity that her child has to navigate along with that Samoan identity. And so, we've had some really great conversations around the choices that she had to make that she felt like in the moment were the right choices to keep me safe, to get me what I needed in order to graduate high school on time unlike a lot of our other family members, to go to college, you know, again, being the first one to have a bachelor's degree and the first one to have a master's degree, within our family tree. And so, a lot of the successes that I've had in life to be able to get to this point and have these conversations and to facilitate a group like black and PI, Black + Blue in the Pacific and to be on a podcast with all of you, were the sacrifices and choices that my mom had to make back.   I say all that because those, the choices that she had to make, she wasn't able to make them in an informed way that would have promoted my black identity along with my Samoan identity. And so having to navigate that on my own. I didn't grow up with my dad, so I don't have any connection. I didn't have any connection to the black side of my family. And so I didn't have, and then growing up in Hawaii and in Southern California, primary like San Diego, in the education piece, like the majority of my teachers were white, or in San Diego, a lot of them were Latin, Latinx, and then in Hawaii, a lot of them, they were either white or they were some type of Asian background like a lot of Chinese, a lot of Japanese teachers, but I didn't have any, I never had a Polynesian teacher, Pacific Islander teacher, and I never had a black teacher until I got to college, and then seeing that representation also had an impact on me. I think one of my most favorite sociology professors at California State University in San Marcos. Dr. Sharon Elise was just this most phenomenal, eye opening, unapologetically black woman. And it was just like the first time I was ever able to like be in the company of that type of presence and it was glorious. And I think it was part of the reason why I switched from pre med to social work. In thinking about, and going back to your original question about an experience of being othered or feeling like your black identity is erased in that company. Like I said, I walk confidently amongst and within Samoan communities, but not nearly as confidently as I do in black spaces. And even when I'm in those Samoan spaces, I'll walk into it, but then the first thing I'll do is share my last name. And then the moment I say my last name, then it's like, okay, now we can all breathe. I've been accepted. They know who I am because of who my family is based on the name that I provide. When I go into a black space, I don't have that. I don't have that convenience. I don't have that luxury. And so I think that's another reason why I was okay with allowing that black identity, my black identity to be ignored, to be silenced, to be othered because it was just easier. I think I had a lot more luxuries being on the Samoan side, than being on the black side. And now where I am today, both personally and professionally, a much, much more confident conversation can be had for myself, with myself about my identity. And then having those same conversations with my family and with my friends and in thinking about hard conversations with family members around anti-blackness, around the use of derogatory language, or around just the fact like, because we are half Samoan that we could never fully appreciate the Samoan culture and tradition. But I look at my cousins who are full Samoan, who barely speak the language, who barely graduated from high school or like are in situations where they aren't able to fully utilize an identity that can bring them the fullness or richness of their background. I'm like, all right, well, if you want to have conversations about someone who was half versus full, and then looking at those folks who are back on the island and what their perception of full Samoans are on the continental US and all of those things, like, there's so many layers between the thought processes of those who consider themselves Samoan or even just Pacific Islander, and what does that mean to them based on where they're from. And then you add that biological piece, then it's like, okay, well those who are on the continental US or outside of American Samoa or the independent nation of Samoa, what does that mean for them to be Samoan [unintelligible].   Gabriel A. Tanglao: [00:35:15] One of the things that you said that really resonated with me was when you were sharing the story of how your mother had, as you said, tactics to protect you as she navigated in these predominantly white spaces. That reminds me of a quote by Dr. Cornel West, who talked about having our cultural armor on. And when Courtney was sharing her story, I was thinking about how there's also educational armor and linguistic armor, and we put on layers of armor to protect ourselves in these white supremacist institutions and spaces. So both of you sharing your story and journey really was powerful for me, and also grounding it in the formative years of your educational journey and your race consciousness journey. One of the pivotal factors in my evolution and my race consciousness was being a part of the Black Student Union in my undergraduate school. And I'm Filipino, my mother's from Manila, my father's from Pampanga province. And it was actually the black community that embraced and raised my consciousness around my own liberation as an Asian person, as a Filipino person. So I'm a student in many ways, and my intellectual and spiritual evolution was really informed by the black liberation movement.   Swati Rayasam: [00:36:43] You are tuned in to APEX Express on 94.1 KPFA, 89.3 KPFB in Berkeley, 88.1 KFCF in Fresno and online at kpfa.org. Coming up is “March 4 Education” on the Anakbayan Long Beach May Day mixtape.   SONG   Swati Rayasam: [00:37:03] That was “Find my Way” by Rocky Rivera on her Nom de Guerre album. And before that was “March 4 Education” on the Anakbayan Long Beach May Day mixtape. And now back to the ConShifts podcast.   Gabriel A. Tanglao: [00:44:12] So this is all very powerful and grounds us back in the topic that we're trying to unpack. So I have a question for both of you on how do we begin to interrogate anti-blackness in Asian and Pacific Island communities, specifically among Polynesians, Asians, Micronesians. How might we uproot anti-blackness in the spaces that we find ourselves?   Courtney-Savali Andrews: [00:44:36] I think we need to start with identifying what blackness is in these conversations before we get to the anti part. Are we talking about skin? Are we talking about, you know, cultural expression? Are we talking about communities, black communities within our own respective nations? So one of the things that in thinking through this, today's conversation, you know, I was thinking that, you know, starting with identifying our indigenous black communities at home, you know, in pre-colonial times. And even as we have the development of the nation state, just seeing where people are in their understandings of those communities would be a wonderful place to start before we even get to the drama that is white supremacy in the US and how that monster manifests here and then spreads like a rash to the the rest of the colonial world. I would really start with like, what are we talking about in terms of black and blackness before we go into how people are responding in a way to be against it.   Jason Finau: [00:45:52] Yeah, that was solid Court. Definitely providing that definition of what blackness is in order to figure out exactly what anti-blackness is. Kind of adding to that is looking around at the various organizations that are out there. When we go back to the earlier examples of being in API spaces, but primarily seeing more Asian faces or Asian presenting faces, thinking about, and I'm just thinking about like our Black + Blue group, like, there are so many of us who identify as black and Pacific Islander or black and Asian. And yet the representation of those folks in spaces where nonprofit organizations, community organizations are trying to do more to advance the API agenda items to make sure that we get more access to resources for our specific communities, whether that's education, healthcare, employment resources, all of that. When we look at those organizations who are pushing that for our community, you just see such a lack of black and brown faces who are part of those conversations. And I would have to say that for those organizations and for the people who will participate in any of those activities that they promote. To look around and not see one person who presents as black and may identify as black and PI seems kind of problematic to me because, you know, I used to think that growing up in the 80s and 90s that outside of my cousins, there were no other black and PI people. I'm learning now as I get older and again with our Black + Blue group, that there are so many of us, I mean, there are folks who are older than I am. There are a number of people around the same age. And then there's so many young kids. And so for none of those folks to feel, and that is another, that was a common theme, from our group was that a lot of the folks just didn't feel comfortable in PI spaces to be if they were black in and Hawaiians might be comfortable in the Hawaiian space to speak up and say anything or in whatever Pacific Island space that they also belong to is that they just didn't feel comfortable or seen enough to be a part of those. I think you know, once we identify what blackness is within our within the broader API community, we can also look at well, you know, why aren't there more people like us, those of us who do identify as black and PI, why aren't more of us involved in these conversations, being asked to be a part of these conversations, and helping to drive a lot of the messages and a lot of the agendas around garnering resources for our community.   Gabriel A. Tanglao: [00:48:18] One of the pieces that's really present for me, when you started asking the question on how we define blackness before we begin the conversation around anti-blackness reminded me of Steve Biko learning about the black consciousness movement in South Africa and the anti apartheid movement. I had the opportunity to travel to South Africa for global learning fellowship and started to learn more about the anti apartheid movement. But when Steve Biko discussed black consciousness as an attitude of mind and a way of life, it got me thinking in one direction while at the same time in this conversation that we're having here, when we talk about colorism with post colonial society, the Philippines being one of them, how does colorism show up? I'm wrestling that. So I just appreciate you bringing that question into the space.   Estella Owoimaha-Church: [00:49:05] So Black + Blue, it's an affinity space for black Polys and I need to just say thank you for providing the space. It has been therapeutic and healing and again, everything I knew I needed and had no idea where to find. So I appreciate it so much. So I'm wondering, I guess, how do we create similar spaces for other folks? Or is there a need to like, does Black + Blue just exist for us? And is that enough? Or do we need to start thinking about doing more to create similar spaces for other folks? And I'll leave that to whoever wants to respond before my final question.   Courtney-Savali Andrews: [00:49:45] I'll just jump in and say that I think that, you know, any opportunity for folks to gather to create and wrestle through dialogue is absolutely necessary at this particular point in time with social media and a fairly new cancel culture that exists. It's really a detriment to having people understand how to connect and even connect through disagreement. So I think that there should always be space made for people to have tough conversations, along with the celebratory ones. So I'm always all for it.   Jason Finau: [00:50:23] Yeah, I would agree. I think if I've learned anything out of being able to facilitate the Black + Blue group that there is just such a desire for it and unknown and even an unknown desire. I think people, you know, didn't realize they needed it until they had it. And I think it feels unique now it being a black and Blue space, Black + Blue Pacific space. But I can see that need kind of going outside of us. How do we take the conversations that we're having with each other, the learning and the unlearning, the unpacking of experiences, the unpacking of feelings and emotions and thoughts about what we've all been through to share that with the broader Pacific Island community in a way that can steer some people away from some of the negative, behaviors that we find that can be associated in speaking of people who identify as black or African American? But I can see that as not just for those who identify as black and Pacific Islander, but also for parents of children who are black and Pacific Islander, and for the youth. So like right now our Black + Blue group is geared towards the adult population of those who identify as black and PI. But then also thinking about like the younger generation, those who are in high school or in middle school or junior high school, who are also maybe going through the same things that we all went through at that point and needing a safe space to have those conversations and kind of process those things. Because they may have a parent who may not understand, you know, if they only have their Pacific Island parent, or they're primarily identifying with their black side because they don't feel comfortable with the Pacific Island side, whatever their journey is being able to provide that for them, but then also providing a space for parents to understand where their kids may be coming from, to hear from experiences and learn and potentially provide their kids with the resources to navigate very complex ideas. One's identity journey is not simple. It is not easy. It is not quick. And so it's hard. And that is not something, I mean, and I don't expect every parent, regardless of what their children's ethnic background is, to understand what that means like for their kids. But to be able to have a space where they can talk it out with other parents. But I also see that for our Latinx and PI community. I see that for our Asian and PI community, those who identify as both being Asian and Pacific Islander. For me, that just comes from a personal experience because my mom is one of nine. And I think out of the nine, three of the kids had children with other Samoan partners, and the rest had either a black partner, has a Mexican partner, has a partner who identifies as Chinese and Japanese, and has another partner who is white. But I have cousins who are in this space, and so we can all share in the fact that, although we may not all physically identify or people may not be able to physically recognize us as Samoans, that is what we all share in common. So having that for them as well. And then, you know, right now we're in COVID. So it's been a blessing and a curse to be in this pandemic, but I think the blessing part was that we were able to connect with so many people in our group who are from across the states and even across the waters. Once we're able to move past this pandemic and go back to congregating in person, being able to have groups within your respective cities to be able to go and talk in person, whether it's in Seattle, Los Angeles, New York, you know, folks out in Hawaii and like in Aotearoa. Who wants to continue engaging with other folks that they feel comfortable identifying or who they also identify with. Do I think that there is a need? Absolutely. And I can see it just across the board whether people know it or not, I think once we put it in front of them, that is where they'll see like, “Yeah, we need that.”   Courtney-Savali Andrews: [00:53:57] I just wanted to also highlight, you know, a point of significance for me with this group and hopefully one that would serve as a model for other organizations and groups that may develop after this, is modeled off of cultural studies, which is the process of actually remembering and relearning things that we've things and peoples that we've forgotten and with Black + Blue in the Pacific, it's really important to me to also include, and keep the Melanesian, the black Pacific voice in that conversation to model for other peoples of color to reach out to black peoples at home, or regionally to understand and again, remember those particular cultural networks that existed in pre colonial times and even sometimes well into colonial times, as current as you know, the 1970s black liberation movements to highlight Asian and Pacific and, and, and, and other peoples that were non black, but very instrumental in that fight for liberation as a whole, but starting with black liberation first. So, I think this is a really good time in an effort towards uprooting anti-blackness to highlight just how old our relationships with black peoples and black peoples in relationship with Asians and Pacific peoples, South Asians, Southeast Asians, it just goes on and on, to say that we've been in community positively before, so we can do it again.   Estella Owoimaha-Church: [00:55:52] That is the most perfect way to wrap up the episode in reminding us to remember, and reminding us that all of our liberation is definitely tied to black liberation that they're inextricably linked together. Thank you, Courtney. Thank you, Jason. Fa'a fatai te le lava thank you for listening.   Gabriel A. Tanglao: [00:56:13] Salamat thank you for listening.   Estella Owoimaha-Church: [00:56:14] We want to thank our special guests, Jason and Courtney, one more time for rapping with us tonight. We appreciate you both for being here and really helping us continue to build the groundwork for Continental Shifts Podcast.   Gabriel A. Tanglao: [00:56:24] Continental Shift Podcast can be found on Podbean, Apple, Spotify, Google, and Stitcher.   Estella Owoimaha-Church: [00:56:30] Be sure to like and subscribe on YouTube for archive footage and grab some merch on our website.   Gabriel A. Tanglao: [00:56:36] Join our mailing list for updates at conshiftspodcast.com. That's C-O-N-S-H-I-F-T-S podcast dot com and follow us at con underscore shifts on all social media platforms.   Estella Owoimaha-Church: [00:56:52] Dope educators wayfinding the past, present, and future.   Gabriel A. Tanglao: [00:56:56] Keep rocking with us fam, we're gonna make continental shifts through dialogue, with love, all together.   Estella Owoimaha-Church: [00:57:02] Fa'fetai, thanks again. Tōfā, deuces.   Gabriel A. Tanglao: [00:57:04] Peace, one love.   Swati Rayasam: [00:57:07] Please check out our website, kpfa.org backslash program backslash apex express. To find out more about the show tonight and to find out how you can take direct action. We thank all of you listeners out there. Keep resisting, keep organizing, keep creating and sharing your visions with the world. Your voices are important. Apex Axpress is produced by Miko Lee, along with Paige Chung, Jalena Keene-Lee, Preeti Mangala Shekar, Anuj Vaida, Kiki Rivera, Nate Tan, Hien Ngyuen, Cheryl Truong, and me Swati Rayasam. Thank you so much to the team at KPFA for their support and have a great night. The post APEX Express – 4.11.24 – ConShifts Anti-blackness in the PI Community appeared first on KPFA.

Lamont Lindstrom is an Emeritus Professor and former Chair of Anthropology, at the University of Tulsa, where he also served as Associate Dean of the Henry Kendall College of Arts and Sciences. Lindstrom has taught courses in sociolinguistics and anthropology at Rhodes College, Memphis, the University of Papua New Guinea, and UC Berkeley. Lamont has long-term research interests in Vanuatu and other Melanesian countries and has written several books on these subjects, his latest book “Tanna Times: Islanders in the World” was published in 2021. He is also the author of the fascinating book about the phenomenon of Cargo Cults entitled, “Cargo Cult: Strange Stories of Desire from Melanesia and Beyond” Professor Lindstrom has had many visiting fellowships throughout his academic career including at the East-West Center in Honolulu, The Center for Pacific Islands Studies at The University of Hawaii, and The MacMillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies at Canterbury University. In this fascinating and educational conversation, Professor Lindstrom explains some of the common misconceptions of "Cargo Cults" and describes the cultural landscape of Pacific island communities throughout the 20th century up until today. Throughout the discussion, Rachel points out the commonalities and differences between "Cargo Cults" and modern religious movements through an anthropological lens provided by Lamont. Before You Go: Rachel explains the inherent vulnerability of isolated communities that seek meaning in nearly everything and warns of the dangers of magical thinking. You can download Lamont's book "Tanna Times" for free here: https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/42982 All of Rachel's free informational PDF documents are available here: www.rachelbernsteintherapy.com/pdf.html All of Rachel's video lectures are available for purchase here: rachelbernsteintherapy.com/videos.html To help support the show monthly and get bonus episodes, shirts, and tote bags, please visit: www.patreon.com/indoctrination Prefer to support the IndoctriNation show with a one-time donation? Use this link: www.paypal.me/indoctrination Connect with us on Social Media: Twitter: twitter.com/_indoctrination Facebook: www.facebook.com/indoctrinationpodcast Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@indoctrinationpodcast Instagram: www.instagram.com/indoctrinationpodcast/ YouTube: www.youtube.com/rachelbernsteinlmft You can always help the show for free by leaving a rating on Spotify or a review on Apple/ iTunes. It really helps the visibility of the show!

Tagaloatele Peggy Fairbairn Dunlop is an Emeritus Professor at Aukland University of Technology and was the institute's founding teacher of Pacific Studies. Tagaloatele has been an academic for more than 35 years, with research spanning across development, gender equality and youth equity. Among her long list of professional achievements, Tagaloatele was one of the commissioners on Samoa's national inquiry into family violence in 2017. 

Professor Katerina Teaiwa and Itinterunga Rae Banteiti join Priya to discuss the colonial history of phosphate mining on Banaba and the fight by Banabans for reparations and an end to extraction. This conversation, recorded in September 2023, occurs in the context of a recent push by Australian mining company Centrex, which has sought to conduct phosphate prospecting activities on the island under the greenwashing premise of “rehabilitation.” This week, you will hear the second part of Priya's two-part conversation with Katerina and Rae - listen back part one here.Katerina is an interdisciplinary scholar, artist and award winning teacher of Banaban, I-Kiribati and African American heritage born and raised in Fiji. She is Professor of Pacific Studies in the School of Culture, History and Language, College of Asia and the Pacific at the Australian National University, and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Rae is of Banaban and Kiribati origins and was raised and educated in Fiji. Rae's environment and social justice work are linked to Kiribati people's histories and the extent of environmental degradation caused by extensive mining. You can find the petition started by the Banaban community on Rabi Island, Fiji, which demands a defence of Banaban rights and the prevention of any further mining of the island, below. There are also links to further information about the impacts of mining on Banaban people and their tireless campaigning to protect and restore Banaba.You can find the petition started by the Banaban community on Rabi Island, Fiji, which demands a defence of Banaban rights and the prevention of any further mining of the island, below. There are also links to further information about the impacts of mining on Banaban people and their tireless campaigning to protect and restore Banaba.Sign the Petition: STOP CENTREX MINING ON BANABA, DEFEND BANABAN RIGHTS, AND CHALLENGE THE RABI ADMINISTRATORArt Exhibit Brings Banaban Human Rights Struggles to Global Stage [article]Forced Displacement, Banaba, and the Right to Life with Dignity [article]Why you must see Project Banaba – an Exhibition by Katerina Teaiwa [article]We are the Fiery Canoe Foundation [video]

Professor Katerina Teaiwa and Itinterunga Rae Banteiti join Priya to discuss the colonial history of phosphate mining on Banaba and the fight by Banabans for reparations and an end to extraction. This conversation, recorded in September 2023, occurs in the context of a recent push by Australian mining company Centrex, which has sought to conduct phosphate prospecting activities on the island under the greenwashing premise of “rehabilitation.” This week, you will hear the first of Priya's two-part conversation with Katerina and Rae - stay tuned next week to catch the rest.Katerina is an interdisciplinary scholar, artist and award winning teacher of Banaban, I-Kiribati and African American heritage born and raised in Fiji. She is Professor of Pacific Studies in the School of Culture, History and Language, College of Asia and the Pacific at the Australian National University, and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Rae is of Banaban and Kiribati origins and was raised and educated in Fiji. Rae's environment and social justice work are linked to Kiribati people's histories and the extent of environmental degradation caused by extensive mining.You can find the petition started by the Banaban community on Rabi Island, Fiji, which demands a defence of Banaban rights and the prevention of any further mining of the island, below. There are also links to further information about the impacts of mining on Banaban people and their tireless campaigning to protect and restore Banaba.Sign the Petition: STOP CENTREX MINING ON BANABA, DEFEND BANABAN RIGHTS, AND CHALLENGE THE RABI ADMINISTRATORArt Exhibit Brings Banaban Human Rights Struggles to Global Stage [article]Forced Displacement, Banaba, and the Right to Life with Dignity [article]Why you must see Project Banaba – an Exhibition by Katerina Teaiwa [article]We are the Fiery Canoe Foundation [video]

 Acknowledgement of Country// Headlines// Fighting for Banaba Part 3//Last week, Priya caught up with Professor Katerina Teaiwa and Itinterunga Rae Banteiti to discuss the colonial history of phosphate mining on Banaba and the fight by Banabans for reparations and an end to extraction. This conversation occurs in the context of a recent push by Australian mining company Centrex, which has sought to conduct phosphate prospecting activities on the island under the greenwashing premise of “rehabilitation.” This week, you will hear third segment a three-part interview with Katerina and Rae - listen back to parts 1 and 2 here.// Katerina is an interdisciplinary scholar, artist and award winning teacher of Banaban, I-Kiribati and African American heritage born and raised in Fiji. She is Professor of Pacific Studies in the School of Culture, History and Language, College of Asia and the Pacific at the Australian National University, and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Rae is of Banaban and Kiribati origins and was raised and educated in Fiji. Rae's environment and social justice work are linked to Kiribati people's histories and the extent of environmental degradation caused by extensive mining.// You can find the petition started by the Banaban community on Rabi Island, Fiji, which demands a defence of Banaban rights and the prevention of any further mining of the island, below. There are also links to further information about the impacts of mining on Banaban people and their tireless campaigning to protect and restore Banaba.// Sign the Petition: STOP CENTREX MINING ON BANABA, DEFEND BANABAN RIGHTS, AND CHALLENGE THE RABI ADMINISTRATORArt Exhibit Brings Banaban Human Rights Struggles to Global Stage [article]Forced Displacement, Banaba, and the Right to Life with Dignity [article]Why you must see Project Banaba – an Exhibition by Katerina Teaiwa [article]We are the Fiery Canoe Foundation [video] Driving the Nazis out of Melbourne//Ellie from Campaign Against Racism and Fascism joined us to talk about an upcoming protest event that CARF is holding to drive the nazis out of so-called Melbourne! A few weeks ago, we had fellow CARF member Jasmine on to discuss this upcoming rally, but since then we've seen some successful anti-fascist resistance to attempted neo-nazi intimidation of a fundraiser event last Friday at Cafe Gummo in Thornbury. Today, Ellie will continue the discussion about the importance of broad-based anti-fascist resistance, let us know about the speak-out held this past Tuesday at Gummo, and remind listeners about details of the protest coming up this Saturday the 23rd of September, meeting at 2PM at the IGA in Sunshine West.// Dementia Action Week 2023//Maree McCabe AM, CEO and Board Member of Dementia Australia, joined us today for Dementia Action Week 2023, which runs from 18-24 September and includes World Alzheimer's Day on Thursday 21 September, to talk about stigma, discrimination, and lack of awareness of dementia. A recognised leader in the health and aged care, Maree brings more than twenty years' experience across the health, mental health and aged care sectors. If you live with dementia or are the family member, friend or carer of someone who does and would like further information or advice about dementia, you can call the National Dementia Helpline on 1800 100 500 for free support 24/7. // National Union of Students on the Housing Australia Future Fund//The National Union of Students supported putting pressure on the federal government to introduce a rent cap to address housing stress experienced by students. Recently, however, the Greens backflipped on withholding support for the Housing Australia Future Fund after getting a commitment for extra spending on social housing from the Labor government, reducing the pressure to introduce a rent cap. To discuss how this contributes to the housing stress faced by students, impacts federal housing policy and influences their campaigning in the future we were joined by National Union of Students' Education Officer Xavier Dupe. During the interview, Xavier mentioned the NUS Education Office's ‘Get A Room' campaign to fix the rental crisis - find out more here.// Building Community with Resident Frequency Recording Studio//Earlier this week, Spike caught up with Izzy Brown to congratulate her on the launch of the latest grassroots community project she has been involved in called the Resident Frequency Recording studio. Located at the old men's shed at 253 Hoddle St Collingwood, the Resident Frequency Recording Studio is an important local community controlled resource that should be celebrated, and Izzy spoke to us about its launch on Sunday September 17th, the importance of building free, safe and inclusive community spaces, and shared the local community's hopes to develop autonomous skillshare and mentoring programs from the Collingwood public housing estate site.//

 Acknowledgement of Country// Headlines// Science Owes Us An Apology Part 2Professor Glenn McLaren lectures in Philosophy, Media and Society at Swinburne University, and in Science Week 2017 wrote the article "Science Owes Us an Apology" that discussed how science has been separated from the humanities, and the impact this has had on critical thought. Spike sat down with Glenn for a two part conversation where he was asked who science owes an apology to, what it owes an apology for and what needs to happen for society to develop the wisdom required to overcome crises like climate change. We played part two of the discussion during today's show, and you can listen back to part one here. You can find more articles from Glenn on his Substack.// Fighting for BanabaEarlier this week, Priya caught up with Professor Katerina Teaiwa and Itinterunga Rae Banteiti to discuss the colonial history of phosphate mining on Banaba and the fight by Banabans for reparations and an end to extraction. This conversation occurs in the context of a recent push by Australian mining company Centrex, which has sought to conduct phosphate prospecting activities on the island under the greenwashing premise of “rehabilitation.” This week, you will hear the first two segments of a three-part interview with Katerina and Rae - stay tuned next week to catch the final part of this conversation.// Katerina is an interdisciplinary scholar, artist and award winning teacher of Banaban, I-Kiribati and African American heritage born and raised in Fiji. She is Professor of Pacific Studies in the School of Culture, History and Language, College of Asia and the Pacific, and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Rae is of Banaban and Kiribati origins and was raised and educated in Fiji. Rae's environment and social justice work are linked to Kiribati people's histories and the extent of environmental degradation caused by extensive mining.// You can find the petition started by the Banaban community on Rabi Island, Fiji, which demands a defence of Banaban rights and the prevention of any further mining of the island, below. There are also links to further information about the impacts of mining on Banaban people and their tireless campaigning to protect and restore Banaba.//Sign the Petition: STOP CENTREX MINING ON BANABA, DEFEND BANABAN RIGHTS, AND CHALLENGE THE RABI ADMINISTRATORArt Exhibit Brings Banaban Human Rights Struggles to Global Stage [article]Forced Displacement, Banaba, and the Right to Life with Dignity [article]Why you must see Project Banaba – an Exhibition by Katerina Teaiwa [article]We are the Fiery Canoe Foundation [video] LGBTQA+SB Crisis Support AccessListeners, please be aware that this discussion contains mention of suicide. If you need support, you can call LifeLine on 13 11 14. For First Nations specific support, call 13Yarn on 13 92 76, and for LGBTIQA+ support you can call QLife on 1800 184 527.// Katherine Johnson joined us to discuss the recent report: “Understanding LGBTQA+SB suicidal behaviour and improving support: insight from intersectional lived experience.” This report is a collaboration between researchers Katherine Johnson, Nicholas Hill, Vanessa Lee-Ah Mat, and partners specialising in LGBTQIA+ community support and lived experience of suicide; Switchboard Australia and Roses in the Ocean.// Songs//Love Like Water - Leah Flanagan//

Would you believe that the theory of bulls*** has become a genuine area of study? It's called "bullsh**ology", and it all kicked off when American philosopher Professor Harry Frankfurt published his book 'On Bullshit'. A bevvy of scholars followed suit, including our own Distinguished Professor Steven Ratuva, director of the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies at the University of Canterbury. He'll be presenting a free public lecture on bullsh**ology at the university next Wednesday at 7pm, he talks to Jesse.

Muliagatele Vavao Fetui is an educator who has spent his life passing down his knowledge of the Samoan language and culture. At the age of 78 he's added another feather to his cap by graduating with his PhD in Pacific Studies.

Ata and I have just published a paper on Tongan Coloniality which this episode provides a brief introduction to as well as a bit of background behind this research project.  Prior to successfully publishing this paper we were getting blocked within academia when making attempts to discuss Indigenous issues from a Tonga context in relation to global perspectives. Questions of Tongan Indigeneity have regularly been raised due to the dominant idea and definition of Indigeneity based on minoritized people within ancestral homelands, predominantly in settler-colonial nations. Tonga also has a popular narrative of ‘never being colonised' so this project initially confronted the scholarly audience in Pacific Studies, Pacific Anthropology, and Indigenous Studies in order to be able to eventually do the work we want to and have the conversations we'd like to in that arena. However, this episode is aimed at a broader and more public audience in mind. We explain why we are challenging popular assumptions and ideas directly by drawing from Tongan scholars and scholars of Tonga and the Oceanian region, while making links to ‘Global South Third World' perspectives. Topics include coercion into British protectorate status, the role of Christianity, capitalism, and nation-state formation. We end with a teaser on Tongan Indigeneity from Ata's current doctoral research and insights of how critical consciousness is a long-standing tradition in Tonga. Terms: ASAO (Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania), Cognitive Dissonance (a concept from the field of psychology to identify the mental stress of paradox or contradictions, by altering how one processes information to make a contradiction fit within the consistency or belief one is socialised or accustomed to already, despite evidence from new information that is contrary to it), TRA (Tongan Research Association, formerly the Tonga History Association), Bad Faith (Lewis Gordon draws from Sartre's concept of ‘bad faith' and applies it to anti-blackness such as the bad faith practiced in the modern fears of Black consciousness; we apply it in this podcast in the principle of avoiding personal torment by ignoring evidence that reveals a reality contrary to a cherished belief; related to cognitive dissonance), Wansolwara (Tok Pisin, Bislama, Pijin for the Salt Water Continent of Oceania), Tåsi (Sea or Ocean in Chamorro, the Indigenous language of Guåhan/Guam), Moana (Big or Deep Ocean, Oceania in eastern Oceanic languages from the ‘Polynesian' region), ‘Uta (plantation or commonly interpreted as ‘the bush' in lea faka-Tonga), Kolo (town, city, or dense settlement in lea faka-Tonga), Motu (island, at times in reference to ‘outer island(s)' in lea faka-Tonga), tu‘a (later in time, periphery, outer/outside/marginal, or else in reference to lower ranking people currently also conflated with 17th century British notions of class and interpreted as ‘commoner').

The scene is set for fraught negotiations at the COP27 climate conference in Egypt over who should pay for climate damage. Rich countries ar The scene is set for fraught negotiations at the COP27 climate conference in Egypt over who should pay for climate damage. Rich countries are slowly acknowledging they should contribute for the loss and damage to developing countries, including in the Pacific, who are already being walloped by climate change. University of Canterbury Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies research manager Doctor Christina Tausa recently returned from a two-week research trip to Samoa where she interviewed at least 20 families about the impact of climate change and the adaptations they are making. She spoke to Mani Dunlop. e slowly acknowledging they should contribute for the loss and damage to developing countries, including in the Pacific, who are already being walloped by climate change. University of Canterbury Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies research manager Doctor Christina Tausa recently returned from a two-week research trip to Samoa where she interviewed at least 20 families about the impact of climate change and the adaptations they are making. She spoke to Mani Dunlop.

Dr. Jemaima Tiatia is an Associate Professor of Maori and Pacific Studies and is Pro Vice-Chancellor at the University of Auckland. For more WesWes Network podcasts tap here: https://bit.ly/3he6X1E --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/backofthe135/message

US lifts sanctions to increase internet access in Iran Jennifer Brody, U.S. Policy and Advocacy Manager at Access Now, discusses protests in Iran and internet blackouts amid historic unrest as well as U.S. government assistance   Revitalizing US Foreign Service Michael Polt, Ambassador-in-Residence at Arizona State University, details a new set of blueprints that he helped develop for revitalizing and modernizing the U.S. diplomatic service   US-Pacific Island Country Summit Michael Walsh, affiliate at the Center for Australian, New Zealand and Pacific Studies at Georgetown University, discusses the summit in Washington with leaders from Pacific Island nations and the strategic importance of the region

Kimberly Almeida - Director of Programs, Levi Strauss Foundation Kim is a corporate philanthropy, CSR and international development professional. She joined the Levi Strauss Foundation in 2012 and leads the Foundation's learning and analysis efforts across its three giving areas. Previously, she oversaw the design and implementation of Levi Strauss & Co.'s Worker Well-being initiative, which aims to improve apparel workers' lives through partnerships with the Company's vendors and community organizations. Kim led efforts to measure the impact of WWB in partnership with the Sustainability and Health Initiative for NetPositive Enterprise at Harvard University. Prior to joining the Levi Strauss Foundation she was Global Research Manager at UL Responsible Sourcing where she was responsible for following new developments in the CSR field and advising UL's clients on how to manage specific labor challenges in their supply chains. Kim has also conducted extensive research on the business case for responsible labor and managed grantmaking programs throughout Latin America for Nokia and the International Youth Foundation. Kim received a Master of Pacific International Affairs from University of California, San Diego's School of International Relations and Pacific Studies and a BA in anthropology from George Washington University. Born and raised in Guatemala, she is fluent in Spanish and German and proficient in Portuguese. She lives in the Bay Area with her husband and son. Eileen McNeely, PhD, MS, RN, Executive Director, SHINE, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Eileen McNeely is Founder and Executive Director of SHINE, the sustainability and health initiative at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where she is pioneering understanding of corporate social and health impacts and the role of business in advancing global well-being. Dr. McNeely has extensive experience in the areas of environmental epidemiology, occupational and community health, health promotion, health services management and policy, and clinical practice as a nurse practitioner. Her experience spans numerous industries. She started and runs the Harvard Flight Attendant Health Study, the largest cohort study of flight attendants. She is a former intern at the Occupational Health and Safety Administration in Washington D.C., evaluating the impact of regulations on the chemical industry. She has consulted both nationally and internationally on the impact of work on wellbeing and has authored many publications on this topic. Dr. McNeely's research is currently focused on work as a platform to improve well-being, putting people and health at the center of corporate sustainability and business culture. Using a rigorous and applied academic approach she aims to shine a light on worker health and well-being in the business context, and engages companies to understand the impact of workplace culture and practices on well-being. Her research is driven by combining mental, physical and psychosocial well-being metrics with business metrics such as retention, absenteeism, productivity, and performance to guide businesses to better understand the impact of the workplace culture on health. Her work with companies aims to redesign how business integrates well-being from an ever-changing programmatic style to an integrated systems approach.

Good to be here with good friend, Roi Burnett. Roi has an honours degree in Geography and has recently submitted her masters in Pacific Studies. Her research interests are the betterment of life for her I-Kiribati people in New Zealand and in Kiribati. We talk about indigenous research methodologies, feminism and the politics of volunteering. I have a lot of time for this amazing woman. Enjoy 

The 51st Pacific Islands Forum is now underway in the Fijian capital Suva.Drama has already unfolded with the Kiribati Government pulling out, while China's role in the Pacific is expected to be a hot topic.Professor Steven Ratuva is the MacMillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies director at Canterbury University and joined Kate Hawkesby.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Pacific Islands Forum has rocky beginnings in Suva this morning as Kiribati withdraws with immediate effect.  It is the Forum's 51st meeting and the the first time the nations' leaders will meet face to face since the pandemic. The Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says Kiribati's decision to leave the Pacific Islands Forum isn't necessarily about wider security issues within the region. Global interdisciplinary scholar, Distinguished Professor Steve Ratuva is the Director of the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies at the University of Canterbury talks to Kathryn about the issues up for talanoa.

Pacific Studies lecturer of Samoan language, Lemoa Henry Fesulua‘i, phones up to kōrero about his work in language maintenance. Whakarongo mai nei! 

Leaked documents have revealed Beijing is proposing a region-wide deal with 10 countries, covering police training, biometrics like fingerprints, new trade arrangements and scholarships. The New Zealand government is being criticised for letting its relationships with Pacific islands drift, as China tries to boost its influence in the region. In a letter to 21 Pacific leaders, the president of the Federated States of Micronesia David Panuelo said the Common Development Vision threatens "to bring a new Cold War era at best and a World War at worst". Reports of China's latest proposal for the Pacific come just days after the United States formed an economic alliance of a dozen Asia-Pacific nations, aimed at countering Beijing's dominance in the region. China's foreign minister Wang Yi is in the Solomon Islands, where he is expected to sign a security pact. Global interdisciplinary scholar Steven Ratuva is the Director of the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies at the University of Canterbury. He says the geopolitical gaming already started, with Australia's new Foreign Minister, Penny Wong already in the Pacific to push back. Professor Ratuva says New Zealand and the US need to do the same.

The triennial report on the state of the environment in Aotearoa has changed the framework for how it reports its findings. It looks more at mātauranga Māori and exploring the connection between the environment and people. Joe spoke to Professor Amanda Black, Director at Bioprotection Aotearoa and Rutherford Discovery Fellow, as well as Dr. Dan Hikuroa, Senior Lecturer, Te Wānanga o Waipapa, Waipapa Taumata Rau (School of Māori Studies and Pacific Studies, at the University of Auckland on the matter.

SHOWNOTES This special episode of the show focuses on the history and evolution of the field of international education; the current state of student exchanges between China and the U.S.; and also the important role of leadership and mentoring in the field. Today's guest, Peggy Blumenthal, has been at the forefront of the field, helping shape numerous programs and guiding generations of international education professionals in their work. Peggy currently serves as the Senior Counselor to the President of the Institute of International Education (IIE), and previously served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Institute. Before joining IIE, Peggy served as Assistant Director of Stanford University's Overseas Studies and then as Coordinator of Graduate Services/Fellowships for the University of Hawaii's Center for Asian and Pacific Studies. An expert on educational exchanges between the US and China, her earlier work focused on the development of U.S.-China exchanges as a staff member of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and the Asia Society's China Council. Episode Themes: Peggy's personal journey of studying abroad in East Asia; her profound (and some funny!) moments of cultural immersion; and how this led to a lifelong dedication to a global career and in particular U.S.-China relations. Key historical episodes in the field of international education, including the lesser-known Boxer Indemnity Scholarship Program of the early 1900s. Families' aspirations for a global education and student flows between the U.S. and China. The escalating refugee crisis in Ukraine and the role of organizations like IIE in supporting scholars and students from different world regions The importance of mentoring and key leadership advice for women as they grow in their careers. Links to resources from this episode IIE's Scholar Rescue Fund IIE's Emergency Student Fund Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange Be sure to check out these other resources! My book: America Calling: A Foreign Student in a Country of Possibility Newsletter sign-up: www.rajikabhandari.com Twitter: @rajikabhandari LinkedIn: @rajikabhandari Facebook: @authorrajikabhandari Instagram: @rajika_bhandari

In this talk, Melani Anae, Associate Professor in Pacific Studies at the University of Auckland discusses aspects of her recent book, The Platform: the radical legacy of the Polynesian Panthers. In the book she writes, ‘Fifty years ago the Polynesian Panther Party began to shine a light on racism and oppressive systems, and we made small changes. But these small changes were and are so much greater than the sum of their parts; they are writ large by the liberating education some of us are still involved in and the snowballing effect it has.' The book is both deeply personal and highly political and recalls the radical activism of Auckland's Polynesian Panthers. In solidarity with the US Black Panther Party, the Polynesian Panthers were founded in response to the racist treatment of Pacific Islanders in the era of the Dawn Raids. Central to the group's philosophy was a three-point ‘platform' of peaceful resistance, Pacific empowerment and educating New Zealand about persistent and systemic racism. These monthly Public History Talks are a collaboration between the National Library of New Zealand and Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Recorded live at the National Library of New Zealand, 6 August 2021. Download a transcript of this talk: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/files/pdfs/melani-anae-transcript.pdf

We're speaking today with Mia Hubbard, vice president of programs at MAZON, a Jewish response to hunger, which is a national advocacy organization working to end hunger among people of all phase and backgrounds in the United States and in Israel. This is the fifth and final episode in our series partnership with MAZON. This time we will focus on the organization's work to increase access to nutritious foods in the charitable food network. Interview Summary   Now let me start off with this question so I understand that MAZON has for quite a long time provided partnership grants to state and local organizations fighting hunger in their communities, but in 2018 MAZON refocused this grant making in states specifically with the highest rates of food insecurity. Can you please speak about this pivot that the organization made? How was it decided? And what's been the impact of this decision?   So our grant making for the first 25 years or so really focused on advocacy and on the need for strong government response to hunger with this understanding that charity has an important role to play, but it is not set up to address this issue. And it's really government food programs that have the capacity and the reach and the ability to address this issue at the scale that's needed. So in our early years, we focused on prompting the anti-hunger field to understand the need for advocacy and policy change directed at improving government programs. And we did that through our early years of grant making. So we're known for funding anti-hunger advocacy organizations, helping them to seed and grow and supporting their work. And helping to establish this country's network of state level anti-hunger organizations that were doing advocacy at both the state and national level.   And then in 2018, we really decided we wanted to take a step back and re-examine our grant making and see if there were some new opportunities for MAZON to uniquely contribute to the field. And by that time the nation had a very strong anti-hunger advocacy infrastructure in place. And a really solid group of organizations working at the national level on developing drawn government food policies and programs. And a broad network of state-based organizations doing the same at the state level. So one of the things that became clear is that there still were some states that had relatively weak advocacy capacity. There wasn't as much advocacy engagement taking place in those states and not surprisingly, these were also some of the most food insecure states. We decided at the time we would target our grant making to just a handful of the top food insecure states where advocacy capacity could be grown and created what we the Emerging Advocacy Fund, which is providing three-year funding to organizations in these food insecure states to create the capacity. And really what it means is to hire staff, to be able to do the advocacy work that needs to be done in those states. And we call it the EAF program. So our EAF partnerships are largely concentrated in the Southeast, and we have some partners in the Midwest and some other parts of the country. But primarily in the Southeast and you know it turns out that these are states that tend to be deeply conservative. They tend to be states that are politically and socially hostile, in some instances, to public benefit programs like SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program. So unfortunately these are also the same states that are likely to benefit the most from these programs. Participation among those who are SNAP eligible in these states tend to lag behind the national average. So folks aren't getting the resources they need to be able to feed themselves, and the state is leaving precious hunger fighting resources in DC, rather than having that money being circulated in their local economy, as people are using their SNAP dollars to buy food. The goal of the EAF program is really to help close that capacity gap and to enable organizations to hire staff who can do the advocacy to really make the case for these programs and supports.   I think we saw in the last 18 months, the economic fallout from COVID generated a really large surge in hunger. These organizations and these advocates, were in a great position to be able to educate their congressional representatives about how COVID was impacting food insecurity in their state. They were able to contribute to national advocacy that helped generate all of the support and funding that came out of federal relief packages, and then to work with their governors and state officials to encourage them to take advantage of all the federal waivers and flexibilities, and options that states had available to them during those early months of COVID to get resources quickly into the hands of food insecure people. And so we didn't predict that COVID was going to happen, but these grants turned out to be timely investments and enabled advocates in states that were already struggling with high levels of food insecurity be able to better respond to the needs during COVID.   Mia can we talk about one of MAZON's priority areas in particular - your concentration on strengthening food security and also food sovereignty in Indian country. So why have you chosen to invest so much in this issue and where and how do you think your organization can have the greatest impact?   You know MAZON is known for our focus on advocating for equal access to food for populations that have been historically ignored in policy arena. So we advocate on a lot of different populations including active duty military, single mothers, Americans in Puerto Rico, and also in indigenous communities. Our work in Indian country is focused on food sovereignty in recognition of the fact that tribes are sovereign nations and our work should be contributing to the ability of those nations to regain autonomy over their food systems and for tribes to be able to feed their own citizens. So we have learned very quickly in our work in Indian country that US food programs, government food programs are an important part of the food safety net. But we also know that the US has a long and troubled history in Indian country and that government food programs have been used as a tool of colonization. So we are working to advocate for improvements in these programs, but we're also working for a day when they are less needed. And where tribes can have greater control over these programs and how they operate, that's why MAZON joined the native farm bill coalition back in 2017 to be able to advocate and join over 170 tribes, to be able to advocate on behalf of tribal nations that were interested in being able to administer these programs on their own. We were the first actually non-native organization to be a part of the coalition. We're very excited about our role is as a non-native ally in this field, we weren't able to get that provision in the farm bill, but there were some other successes and in fact, there were 63 tribal specific provisions in the bill, which is the largest number in the history of the farm bill.   So we're very excited about the work that we're doing alongside our partners in Indian country. If you'll indulge me I just want to mention their names. It's the indigenous food and agriculture initiative, Intertribal Agriculture Council and the Native Food and Nutrition Resource Alliance. We are doing advocacy alongside these partners and we're also funding them, really in recognition of the fact that government and foundation funding really isn't going to native communities and causes. Less than half of 1% of foundation dollars go to Indian country. So we're really excited to be able to support their ongoing advocacy and policy work.   That's really is important work. So let's talk about other important work that you're doing. And I know that MAZON recently announced new partnership grants in Puerto Rico signaling that the organization is interested in addressing equity for those facing hunger in the territories. So why was this an important decision, particularly at this time? And what do you hope to achieve through this?   So Puerto Rico is a very exciting addition to our emerging advocacy fund. And we're currently supporting three partners there on the island. These grants are part of MAZON larger advocacy effort around food security in Puerto Rico. It's one of our top public policy areas and priorities where we're really trying to advocate for equal access to federal food programs for Puerto Rico. So as you may know Puerto Ricans are US citizens, but they don't have the same kind of access to federal programs that are intended to help vulnerable Americans and in the case of Puerto Rico, they are specifically barred from the SNAP program. I mean in the 1980s, the Reagan administration removed Puerto Rico from the SNAP program and created a separate program called the Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP), which is a block granted limited funded program, which provides food assistance to the island in lieu of SNAP. But because it is block granted and has limited funding, most SNAP participants receive much lower benefits than they would if they were participating in SNAP. And so this is an area where we are particularly concerned about the inequity that's built right into the structure of the program. And even before COVID over half of Puerto Rican children lived in poverty about one third of adults were food insecure.   We know the island has been struck with multiple natural disasters, hurricanes earthquakes. It has a very fragile economic situation. And so there's a lot of work to be done in Puerto Rico on a number of issues. We're very excited to be working with our three partners on the ground to support advocacy for and by Puerto Rican people. Think it's very important for mainland advocates like MAZON to be allies, but we really want to make sure that federal food programs and policies are shaped by the needs and experiences of Puerto Rican's. Similar to the work in Indian country. There's this colonial kind of relationship that we have with Puerto Rico. And I think it's created a false narrative that Puerto Rican people are passive beneficiaries of aid right that they are reliant on US federal support. And I guess the reality that we're seeing in the work that we're doing with our partners is that Puerto Rican advocates and leaders have their own vision for how they want to achieve food security for their island. And so we're just really proud to be able to invest in their capacity and their ability to determine their own future around food security.   The investment in these populations in need is very impressive. And you find an area where you could really make a difference. Let me ask you one final question about one time quick reaction fund grants that MAZON and gives for rapid response initiatives, things that might just come up on the spur of the moment. So why is this an important tactic in addressing hunger in the way the world now addresses hunger and why is being nimble so important? Can you give us an example or two of this?   Our quick reaction fund, we call it our QRF fund, is something that's really, I think new for the anti-hunger advocacy field. You know, you see these kinds of rapid response funds exist in other areas whether it's you know racial justice or immigrant rights, we were excited to bring this expedited access to financial resources, to the fight against hunger. And I think it's an important tool in the toolbox for MAZON and for the field because even though government food programs have historically had bi-partisan support, we've seen in the last 10, 15, 20 years that they have come under increasing attack and being able to respond strategically to that requires the ability of advocates to be able to move quickly and nimbly, particularly in their state capitals. So whether it's doing an ad buy in a key media market to influence the vote of a lawmaker in a given state or organizing a campaign quickly to get a group of folks with lived experience up to the Capitol for a hearing or for a day of action, those are the kinds of things that the quick reaction fund is intended to be able to enable our partners in the field to do. Last March right before COVID hit the Kentucky state legislature for example, was quickly moving on a bill that would have put lifetime bans on some public assistance programs in the state including SNAP. And we were approached by our partners in the Kentucky equal justice center to do a quick response to this piece of legislation that was moving pretty rapidly through their legislature. And they mounted a digital campaign aimed at the lawmakers who were sponsoring this bill. They raised a lot of visibility about the bill and about the harm that it would cause for folks who were struggling with hunger and poverty, and they were successful in being able to strike down this law. And it was a very timely victory of course, because a month later COVID hit and a lot of Kentuckyians turned to these very programs to get through those early months of COVID and the surge in hunger that we saw.   Bio   Mia Hubbard is the vice president of programs at MAZON. She provides leadership and direction for MAZON's advocacy, grantmaking, and strategic program efforts to reduce and eliminate hunger and expand low-income communities' access to healthy food in the United States and Israel. Since Mia joined the organization in 1993, MAZON has established itself as a leading advocate, funder, and capacity builder in the field of hunger as well as a critical source of expertise, leadership, and inspiration for advocacy and public policy solutions to hunger. Mia has served on several boards of directors, including most recently as the international program committee chair for an international association of food and nutrition programs serving people living with HIV/AIDS. Mia holds an M.A. in International Relations and Public Policy from the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies at UC San Diego and a B.A. in International Relations from Stanford University.    

For the United Nations Disarmament Week 24-30 October we bring you discussions about the AUKUS military pact between Australia, the US and UK announced on 16 September, the threats posed to the region and the nuclear submarines that are the centrepiece of this deal. Thanks to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) for sharing these recordings from an open forum 'Lets talk about subs' held on 12 October featuring speakers Dimity Hawkins AM - Co-founder of ICAN, Professor Marianne Hanson - Associate Professor of International Relations at the University of Queensland and Co-chair of ICAN, Professor Steven Ratuva - Director of the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies at the University of Canterbury, Aotearoa & Reverend James Bhagwan - General Secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches. There are two upcoming meetings that we encourage you to join.Broad national coalition campaigning against Nuclear Submarines and AUKUS: Sunday 7 November 2-4 pmThe Independent and Peaceful Australia Network invites you to a meeting of interested organisations and individuals to discuss the potential formation of a broad national coalition campaigning against Nuclear Submarines and AUKUS.  You can register here to attend.Raucous Anti-AUKUS Caucus II: Thursday 4 November 7pmJoin Renegade Activists for the next Raucous Anti-AUKUS Caucus action gathering - with Emma Shortis, David Brophy, Jacob Grech, featuring campaign reports and action planning.  Register here.

In Everything Ancient Was Once New: Indigenous Persistence from Hawai‘i to Kahiki (U Hawaii Press, 2021), Emalani Case draws on her own life experiences to explore the politics and ethics of being Native Hawaiian today. Drawing on her own experiences as an activist on the Big Island of Hawai‘i, as well as her academic work on the Hawaiian concept of 'kahiki', Emalani describes the friction between settler regimes of recognition which value primordiality and indigenous modes of creativity which value novel expressions of autonomy and authenticity.  In today's podcast Emalani Case and NBN host Alex Golub discuss Emalani's teacher Teresia Teaiwa and the Pacific Studies program at Victoria University, Wellington. Emalani, a Native Hawaiian teaching in Aotearoa/New Zealand, describes the complexities of being indigenous on another indigenous group's land. She also discusses her activism opposing the University of Hawai‘i's attempts to construct a telescope on the summit of the mountain Mauna Kea, and the concept of 'kahiki', a Hawaiian word which refers to the ancestral homeland of Hawaiian people but has deeper levels of meaning which Emalani explains to Alex. Associate professor of anthropology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/anthropology

In Everything Ancient Was Once New: Indigenous Persistence from Hawai‘i to Kahiki (U Hawaii Press, 2021), Emalani Case draws on her own life experiences to explore the politics and ethics of being Native Hawaiian today. Drawing on her own experiences as an activist on the Big Island of Hawai‘i, as well as her academic work on the Hawaiian concept of 'kahiki', Emalani describes the friction between settler regimes of recognition which value primordiality and indigenous modes of creativity which value novel expressions of autonomy and authenticity.  In today's podcast Emalani Case and NBN host Alex Golub discuss Emalani's teacher Teresia Teaiwa and the Pacific Studies program at Victoria University, Wellington. Emalani, a Native Hawaiian teaching in Aotearoa/New Zealand, describes the complexities of being indigenous on another indigenous group's land. She also discusses her activism opposing the University of Hawai‘i's attempts to construct a telescope on the summit of the mountain Mauna Kea, and the concept of 'kahiki', a Hawaiian word which refers to the ancestral homeland of Hawaiian people but has deeper levels of meaning which Emalani explains to Alex. Associate professor of anthropology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

In Everything Ancient Was Once New: Indigenous Persistence from Hawai‘i to Kahiki (U Hawaii Press, 2021), Emalani Case draws on her own life experiences to explore the politics and ethics of being Native Hawaiian today. Drawing on her own experiences as an activist on the Big Island of Hawai‘i, as well as her academic work on the Hawaiian concept of 'kahiki', Emalani describes the friction between settler regimes of recognition which value primordiality and indigenous modes of creativity which value novel expressions of autonomy and authenticity.  In today's podcast Emalani Case and NBN host Alex Golub discuss Emalani's teacher Teresia Teaiwa and the Pacific Studies program at Victoria University, Wellington. Emalani, a Native Hawaiian teaching in Aotearoa/New Zealand, describes the complexities of being indigenous on another indigenous group's land. She also discusses her activism opposing the University of Hawai‘i's attempts to construct a telescope on the summit of the mountain Mauna Kea, and the concept of 'kahiki', a Hawaiian word which refers to the ancestral homeland of Hawaiian people but has deeper levels of meaning which Emalani explains to Alex. Associate professor of anthropology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

In Everything Ancient Was Once New: Indigenous Persistence from Hawai‘i to Kahiki (U Hawaii Press, 2021), Emalani Case draws on her own life experiences to explore the politics and ethics of being Native Hawaiian today. Drawing on her own experiences as an activist on the Big Island of Hawai‘i, as well as her academic work on the Hawaiian concept of 'kahiki', Emalani describes the friction between settler regimes of recognition which value primordiality and indigenous modes of creativity which value novel expressions of autonomy and authenticity.  In today's podcast Emalani Case and NBN host Alex Golub discuss Emalani's teacher Teresia Teaiwa and the Pacific Studies program at Victoria University, Wellington. Emalani, a Native Hawaiian teaching in Aotearoa/New Zealand, describes the complexities of being indigenous on another indigenous group's land. She also discusses her activism opposing the University of Hawai‘i's attempts to construct a telescope on the summit of the mountain Mauna Kea, and the concept of 'kahiki', a Hawaiian word which refers to the ancestral homeland of Hawaiian people but has deeper levels of meaning which Emalani explains to Alex. Associate professor of anthropology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In Everything Ancient Was Once New: Indigenous Persistence from Hawaiʻi to Kahiki (U Hawaii Press, 2021), Emalani Case explores Indigenous persistence through the concept of Kahiki, a term that is at once both an ancestral homeland for Kānaka Maoli (Hawaiians) and the knowledge that there is life to be found beyond Hawaiʻi's shores. It is therefore both a symbol of ancestral connection and the potential that comes with remembering and acting upon that connection. Tracing physical, historical, intellectual, and spiritual journeys to and from Kahiki, Emalani frames it as a place of refuge and sanctuary, a place where ancient knowledge can constantly be made anew. It is in Kahiki, she argues, and in the sanctuary it creates, that today's Kānaka Maoli can find safety and reprieve from the continued onslaught of settler colonial violence, while also confronting some of the often uncomfortable and challenging realities of being Indigenous in Hawaiʻi, in the Pacific, and in the world. In writing that is both personal and theoretical, Emalani weaves the past and the present together, reflecting on ancient concepts and their continued relevance in movements to protect lands, waters, and oceans; to fight for social justice; to reexamine our responsibilities and obligations to each other across the Pacific region; and to open space for continued dialogue on what it means to be Indigenous both when at home and when away. Combining personal narrative and reflection with research and critical analysis, Everything Ancient Was Once New journeys to and from Kahiki, the sanctuary for reflection, deep learning, and continued dreaming with the past, in the present, and far into the future. Emalani Case is a Kanaka Maoli Lecturer in Pacific Studies at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand Holger Droessler is an Assistant Professor of History at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. His research focuses on the intersection of empire and labor in the Pacific. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

In Everything Ancient Was Once New: Indigenous Persistence from Hawaiʻi to Kahiki (U Hawaii Press, 2021), Emalani Case explores Indigenous persistence through the concept of Kahiki, a term that is at once both an ancestral homeland for Kānaka Maoli (Hawaiians) and the knowledge that there is life to be found beyond Hawaiʻi's shores. It is therefore both a symbol of ancestral connection and the potential that comes with remembering and acting upon that connection. Tracing physical, historical, intellectual, and spiritual journeys to and from Kahiki, Emalani frames it as a place of refuge and sanctuary, a place where ancient knowledge can constantly be made anew. It is in Kahiki, she argues, and in the sanctuary it creates, that today's Kānaka Maoli can find safety and reprieve from the continued onslaught of settler colonial violence, while also confronting some of the often uncomfortable and challenging realities of being Indigenous in Hawaiʻi, in the Pacific, and in the world. In writing that is both personal and theoretical, Emalani weaves the past and the present together, reflecting on ancient concepts and their continued relevance in movements to protect lands, waters, and oceans; to fight for social justice; to reexamine our responsibilities and obligations to each other across the Pacific region; and to open space for continued dialogue on what it means to be Indigenous both when at home and when away. Combining personal narrative and reflection with research and critical analysis, Everything Ancient Was Once New journeys to and from Kahiki, the sanctuary for reflection, deep learning, and continued dreaming with the past, in the present, and far into the future. Emalani Case is a Kanaka Maoli Lecturer in Pacific Studies at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand Holger Droessler is an Assistant Professor of History at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. His research focuses on the intersection of empire and labor in the Pacific. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

In Everything Ancient Was Once New: Indigenous Persistence from Hawaiʻi to Kahiki (U Hawaii Press, 2021), Emalani Case explores Indigenous persistence through the concept of Kahiki, a term that is at once both an ancestral homeland for Kānaka Maoli (Hawaiians) and the knowledge that there is life to be found beyond Hawaiʻi's shores. It is therefore both a symbol of ancestral connection and the potential that comes with remembering and acting upon that connection. Tracing physical, historical, intellectual, and spiritual journeys to and from Kahiki, Emalani frames it as a place of refuge and sanctuary, a place where ancient knowledge can constantly be made anew. It is in Kahiki, she argues, and in the sanctuary it creates, that today's Kānaka Maoli can find safety and reprieve from the continued onslaught of settler colonial violence, while also confronting some of the often uncomfortable and challenging realities of being Indigenous in Hawaiʻi, in the Pacific, and in the world. In writing that is both personal and theoretical, Emalani weaves the past and the present together, reflecting on ancient concepts and their continued relevance in movements to protect lands, waters, and oceans; to fight for social justice; to reexamine our responsibilities and obligations to each other across the Pacific region; and to open space for continued dialogue on what it means to be Indigenous both when at home and when away. Combining personal narrative and reflection with research and critical analysis, Everything Ancient Was Once New journeys to and from Kahiki, the sanctuary for reflection, deep learning, and continued dreaming with the past, in the present, and far into the future. Emalani Case is a Kanaka Maoli Lecturer in Pacific Studies at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand Holger Droessler is an Assistant Professor of History at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. His research focuses on the intersection of empire and labor in the Pacific. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In Everything Ancient Was Once New: Indigenous Persistence from Hawaiʻi to Kahiki (U Hawaii Press, 2021), Emalani Case explores Indigenous persistence through the concept of Kahiki, a term that is at once both an ancestral homeland for Kānaka Maoli (Hawaiians) and the knowledge that there is life to be found beyond Hawaiʻi's shores. It is therefore both a symbol of ancestral connection and the potential that comes with remembering and acting upon that connection. Tracing physical, historical, intellectual, and spiritual journeys to and from Kahiki, Emalani frames it as a place of refuge and sanctuary, a place where ancient knowledge can constantly be made anew. It is in Kahiki, she argues, and in the sanctuary it creates, that today's Kānaka Maoli can find safety and reprieve from the continued onslaught of settler colonial violence, while also confronting some of the often uncomfortable and challenging realities of being Indigenous in Hawaiʻi, in the Pacific, and in the world. In writing that is both personal and theoretical, Emalani weaves the past and the present together, reflecting on ancient concepts and their continued relevance in movements to protect lands, waters, and oceans; to fight for social justice; to reexamine our responsibilities and obligations to each other across the Pacific region; and to open space for continued dialogue on what it means to be Indigenous both when at home and when away. Combining personal narrative and reflection with research and critical analysis, Everything Ancient Was Once New journeys to and from Kahiki, the sanctuary for reflection, deep learning, and continued dreaming with the past, in the present, and far into the future. Emalani Case is a Kanaka Maoli Lecturer in Pacific Studies at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand Holger Droessler is an Assistant Professor of History at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. His research focuses on the intersection of empire and labor in the Pacific. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

In Everything Ancient Was Once New: Indigenous Persistence from Hawaiʻi to Kahiki (U Hawaii Press, 2021), Emalani Case explores Indigenous persistence through the concept of Kahiki, a term that is at once both an ancestral homeland for Kānaka Maoli (Hawaiians) and the knowledge that there is life to be found beyond Hawaiʻi's shores. It is therefore both a symbol of ancestral connection and the potential that comes with remembering and acting upon that connection. Tracing physical, historical, intellectual, and spiritual journeys to and from Kahiki, Emalani frames it as a place of refuge and sanctuary, a place where ancient knowledge can constantly be made anew. It is in Kahiki, she argues, and in the sanctuary it creates, that today's Kānaka Maoli can find safety and reprieve from the continued onslaught of settler colonial violence, while also confronting some of the often uncomfortable and challenging realities of being Indigenous in Hawaiʻi, in the Pacific, and in the world. In writing that is both personal and theoretical, Emalani weaves the past and the present together, reflecting on ancient concepts and their continued relevance in movements to protect lands, waters, and oceans; to fight for social justice; to reexamine our responsibilities and obligations to each other across the Pacific region; and to open space for continued dialogue on what it means to be Indigenous both when at home and when away. Combining personal narrative and reflection with research and critical analysis, Everything Ancient Was Once New journeys to and from Kahiki, the sanctuary for reflection, deep learning, and continued dreaming with the past, in the present, and far into the future. Emalani Case is a Kanaka Maoli Lecturer in Pacific Studies at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand Holger Droessler is an Assistant Professor of History at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. His research focuses on the intersection of empire and labor in the Pacific. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/anthropology

In Everything Ancient Was Once New: Indigenous Persistence from Hawaiʻi to Kahiki (U Hawaii Press, 2021), Emalani Case explores Indigenous persistence through the concept of Kahiki, a term that is at once both an ancestral homeland for Kānaka Maoli (Hawaiians) and the knowledge that there is life to be found beyond Hawaiʻi's shores. It is therefore both a symbol of ancestral connection and the potential that comes with remembering and acting upon that connection. Tracing physical, historical, intellectual, and spiritual journeys to and from Kahiki, Emalani frames it as a place of refuge and sanctuary, a place where ancient knowledge can constantly be made anew. It is in Kahiki, she argues, and in the sanctuary it creates, that today's Kānaka Maoli can find safety and reprieve from the continued onslaught of settler colonial violence, while also confronting some of the often uncomfortable and challenging realities of being Indigenous in Hawaiʻi, in the Pacific, and in the world. In writing that is both personal and theoretical, Emalani weaves the past and the present together, reflecting on ancient concepts and their continued relevance in movements to protect lands, waters, and oceans; to fight for social justice; to reexamine our responsibilities and obligations to each other across the Pacific region; and to open space for continued dialogue on what it means to be Indigenous both when at home and when away. Combining personal narrative and reflection with research and critical analysis, Everything Ancient Was Once New journeys to and from Kahiki, the sanctuary for reflection, deep learning, and continued dreaming with the past, in the present, and far into the future. Emalani Case is a Kanaka Maoli Lecturer in Pacific Studies at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand Holger Droessler is an Assistant Professor of History at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. His research focuses on the intersection of empire and labor in the Pacific. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/native-american-studies

An activist, writer and dancer from Waimea, Hawaiʻi, Emalani Case is deeply engaged in issues of indigenous rights and representation, dietary colonialism, and environmental and social justice. Her current research focuses on Hawaiian articulations of identity and nationalism, sovereignty, and decolonising indigenous minds and bodies. She is a lecturer in Pacific Studies at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand/Aoteoroa.Read more about her here: people.wgtn.ac.nz/emalani.caseRead about the event we attended together in February 2020: Talanoa Mao, New Zealand Festival of the Arts: www.festival.nz/events/all/talano…mau-we-need-talk/SHOW NOTES:Recorded February 2020 in Wellington, New Zealand:Emalani shares the Samoan concept of Va:openrepository.aut.ac.nz/handle/10292/366She references the work of:Epeli Hau`ofa (1939-2009)creativetalanoa.com/2012/06/07/insp…t-epeli-hauofa/Bryan Kamaoli Kuwada, “We Live in the Future. Come Join Us”hehiale.com/2015/04/03/we-live-…uture-come-join-us/dlnr.hawaii.gov/mk/files/2017/02/…m-exhibit-J-9.pdfAnd talks about the importance of the Kalo/Taro Plantwww.farmtokeiki.org/taro-kalo/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit livablefutures.substack.com

Dr Evelyn Imelda Coxon, was awarded the CNZM (Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit) for services to Pacific and tertiary education, as part of the Queens Birthday Honours list 2021.           Dr Eve Coxon has been involved in Pacific education for almost 40 years and is recognised regionally and internationally.  During her time at Auckland University, Dr Coxon has established undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Pacific education and Pacific Studies.  She has supervised 45 PhD or Masters' theses, the majority authored by Pacific students. She was founding director of the Research Unit in Pacific Education and played a key role in the development of the Rethinking Pacific Education Initiative for Pacific Peoples which has, for more than twenty years, fostered new generations of regional Pacific education leaders. She has undertaken research in a range of Pacific countries, contributed to academic programmes at Pacific universities and authored numerous books, journal articles, book chapters and research reports, mostly in collaboration with Pacific colleagues. She has been appointed to many advisory positions by governments across the region, such as Education Sector Support Advisor to the Tongan Ministry of Education, Policy Advisor to the Samoan Ministry of Education, and New Zealand Representative on the Fiji Education Commission. She has been President of the Oceania Comparative Education Society and since 2016 has held leadership positions on the World Council of Comparative Education Societies. Dr Coxon continues in an honorary position at Auckland University actively supporting students, Pacific education research and researchers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Episode 73, “The True Ally Amongst Friends”, Blenheim Partners' Gregory Robinson speaks to April Palmerlee, Chief Executive Officer of the American Chamber of Commerce Australia (AmCham).April transports us to Washington, D.C., into the world of American politics and foreign policy, with insights to figures including President George W. Bush, Secretary Colin Powell and Dr Henry Kissinger. We are taken across borders, from her time advocating for women's issues on the ground during the War on Terror in Afghanistan to fostering United States business and investment relationships with Australia. From the innovative American entrepreneurial mindset to the challenges limiting greater business investment in Australia, April brings to light the endless possibilities available to Australia through its strong and unique alliance with the United States.With a quarter of all foreign direct investment in Australia coming from the United States, AmCham is one of the most significant international business organisations in Australia, promoting two-way trade and investment and standing up for business for over 60 years. April is also a Director of The Centre for Independent Studies and Georgetown University's Centre for Australian, New Zealand and Pacific Studies and Founder of Pink Skirt Productions, an organisation that established easily accessible ultra-marathon races. She previously held roles at the University of Sydney's United States Studies Centre, the Lowy Institute for International Policy, the Council of Foreign Relations, the United States Department of State, and worked closely with renowned couturier Oscar de la Renta.

Luamanuvae Luafataali'i Sa'iliemanu Lilomaiava-Doktor (Sa'ili) is a Professor of Hawaiian and Pacific Studies at the University of Hawaii West Oahu.  Her research interests focus on Pacific migration, development, transnationalism, diaspora and the interactive relationships of these with culture and place.  She locates the indigenous reference explicitly in fa'a-Samoa as in concepts of Vā / social relational space, and Malaga / travel back and forth within the local and global dialectics of development processes in Oceania.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Levi Tavita is a PhD student of the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand who is doing his research on Samoan Politics at the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies.  His topic is power relations and political continuity in Samoa: a study of cultural hegemony in a developing democracy. He has a multidisciplinary working background, taking on roles in both Samoa and New Zealand’s public service; worked as editor for a bilingual newspaper; served as a teacher; his current role as publisher of educational material highlight his preoccupation with languages and their facilitation for the service of minority learners. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Samoan politics is still in a confusing state. The recently elected FAST party held a swearing in ceremony in a large marquee tent erected on the Parliament grounds on Tuesday. This was after the caretaker Prime Minister, Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi of HRPP barred his rivals from entering parliament. Whether this ad-hoc ceremony will be recognised as legal and official remains to be seen. FAST said the caretaker government's actions were tantamount to a coup. Tuila'epa, in turn, called the FAST Party MPs treasonous and promised action. Associate Professor of Pacific Studies at University of Auckland Professor Damon Salesa spoke to Susie Ferguson.

Samoan politics is still in a confusing state. The recently elected FAST party held a swearing in ceremony in a large marquee tent erected on the Parliament grounds on Tuesday. This was after the caretaker Prime Minister, Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi of HRPP barred his rivals from entering parliament. Whether this ad-hoc ceremony will be recognised as legal and official remains to be seen. FAST said the caretaker government's actions were tantamount to a coup. Tuila'epa, in turn, called the FAST Party MPs treasonous and promised action. Associate Professor of Pacific Studies at University of Auckland Professor Damon Salesa spoke to Susie Ferguson.

The Corrections Minister, Kelvin Davis, is calling for an urgent overhaul of the way women prisoners are treated. Judge David McNaughton found last month that Mihi Bassett and two other inmates had been treated inhumanely in Auckland Women's Prison. At Bassett's sentencing today he said she had suffered enough and would not get extra time on her sentence for arson at the prison in 2019. Professor Tracey McIntosh is co-head of Te Wananga o Waipapa School of Maori Studies and Pacific Studies at University of Auckland.

The Alternative to Violence Project (abbreviated as AVP) is a training program that enables participants to deal with conflict and violence in new and creative ways.    Dr Esther Tumama Cowley-Malcolm is a Samoan health researcher and practitioner who back in 2013 at the age of 60, became the first student to graduate with a PhD from Victoria University of Wellington’s Pacific Studies programme. Esther has been holding Alternative to Violence Project workshops in Samoa and in the Bay of Plenty.  To tell us more about what AVP is all about we have Esther on line and live on our FB page feed. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lupematasila Misatauveve Dr Melani Anae,QSO is Associate Professor in Pacific Studies, at the University of Auckland.  Professor Anae was Director of the Centre for Pacific Studies (2002-2007), a recipient of the Fulbright New Zealand Senior Scholar Award (2007) and was awarded the Companion to the Queen’s Service Order for services to Pacific communities in New Zealand (2008).  In 2014 she was one awarded a Marsden Grant from the Royal Society of NZ, for her project ‘Samoan transnational matai (chiefs)’.   Dr Anae is the author and editor of several recently published books, including  The Platform: The Radical Legacy of the Polynesian Panthers,… Women, Power and Place: Articulations from Samoa and Aotearoa, …and A Handbook for Transnational Matai (Chiefs): Tusi faitau o matai fafo o Samoa. She is part of a large extended Samoan aiga -she hails from the villages of Falelatai, Apia, Lalovaea and Siumu, and is a grandmother of two and mother of three children. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recorded on January 14, 2021 Suisheng Zhao discusses China “Going Global." GUEST PROFILE Suisheng Zhao is a professor and director of the Center for China-US Cooperation at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver, and the founder and chief editor of the Journal of Contemporary China. Formerly, he was associate professor of political science and international studies at Washington College in Maryland, associate professor of government and East Asian politics at Colby College in Maine and visiting assistant professor at the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies at University of California–San Diego. He is the author and editor of more than a dozen books. He received his PhD degree in political science from the University of California–San Diego.

"The body of the people is in that landscape so when its mined and crushed and dug up, you're not just doing it with rock, you're also doing it with people, with the remains of people, and we know that happened on Banaba.” Katerina Teaiwa, Associate Professor at the School of Culture, History and Language at ANU, author of ‘Consuming Ocean Island: Stories of People and Phosphate from Banaba', and current Vice-President of the Australian Association for Pacific Studies, spoke to our own Simon Theobald about phosphate mining on Banaba Island. They discuss the history of phosphate mining and the spread of Banaba around the world through the global agricultural industry, the impact of the mining on the indigenous people of Banaba, continue The Familiar Strange's exploration of decolonisation in the social sciences, and critique the current modes of knowledge production in academia, before ending with one of modern anthropology's ultimate questions: do outsiders have the right to makes comments about other cultures? QUOTATIONS Simon: “Banaba ends up spread across the world effectively in the form of this phosphate industry.” Katerina: “It's not just a metaphor. It's literally a material fact that the island gets spread across the world and enters these ecological and food chains, so it ends up in animals, it ends up in humans.” "Land, body and people are not disconnected from each other ... The breaking apart of that means culturally, socially, spiritually, those relationships start to fragment and become unhooked from each other.” “We were taught to question everything in academia, to not take texts and ideas at face-value and just because they'd been written down by some powerful guy or, you know, famous people, that was truth.” “I say this to my students … I am learning as much as you are. This is an exchange of knowledge and ideas.” “Empowerment isn't just about race, or class, or ethnicity. Empowerment is about helping people feel comfortable to be able to critique their own positions, their own positionality, without falling apart.” CITATIONS AND LINKS Teaiwa K. (2014) Consuming Ocean Island: stories of people and phosphate from Banaba, Indiana: Indiana University Press. For an introduction on the concept of 'emodiment', give this a watch by Nicholas Herriman (2012): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF7ksSmd4Wg For an overview of the life of late Professor Greg Denings and his contributions, see: www.smh.com.au/national/historians-way-opened-new-roads-into-the-past-20080411-gds90q.html You can read more about Kirin Narayan here: https://researchers.anu.edu.au/researchers/narayan-k?term=kirin+narayan and Paige West here: https://paige-west.com/ For more on TFS' discussion about decolonisation, check out our podcast episode with Sana Ashraf and Bruma Rios-Mendoza here: https://thefamiliarstrange.com/2018/10/01/ep-23-decolonizing-anthropology/ This anthropology podcast is supported by the Australian Anthropological Society, the ANU's College of Asia and the Pacific and College of Arts and Social Sciences, and the Australian Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, and is produced in collaboration with the American Anthropological Association. Music by Pete Dabro Show notes by Deanna Catto