Jonathan Okamura is professor emeritus at the University of Hawaii Manoa, where he worked for most of his 35-year academic career, 20 years of which were with the Department of Ethnic Studies. He taught courses and published books and articles on Japanese Americans, Filipino Americans, and race and ethnicity in Hawaii. He continues to research, write and lecture on problems and issues concerning race and racism. Opinions are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Civil Beat’s views. You can reach him by email at jokamura@civilbeat.org.
The longtime public servant is being honored by the U.S. Mint, so it's a good time to look back at a remarkable career of firsts and adherence to principles.
Underrepresentation of Samoan and Pacific Islander students in the UH system persists despite three decades of effort to address the issue.
There are simple things we can each do to challenge racism, discrimination and inequality in Hawaii.
A push by Republican lawmakers across the U.S. to ban DEI programs at public universities would have disastrous effects in Hawaii.
While many recent Chinese immigrants work in Chinatown, the real center of gravity for Hawaii's long-time Chinese community can be found a few blocks away on King Street.
Blaisdell staunchly advocated for the health needs of Native Hawaiians and was an early and strong supporter of their independence.
As a group, haoles are not viewed as local by locals, but many are in Hawaii because they love the islands and its people.
Ethnicity impacts whether students from different Indigenous and ethnic groups are admitted to the UH system, whether they graduate and their future employment.
The New Year's Eve tradition is among practices and associated meanings that are unambiguously Japanese in origin.