The Pōpolo Project

Like many other Black organizations, we find ourselves at a crossroads as philanthropic and donor support slows to levels not seen since well before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Here in Hawaiʻi, where people of African descent make up around 3% of the population, Local Black organizations like ours occupy distinct positions in our communities. Accelerating demographic changes in Hawaiʻi and political developments in the US and around the world place our organizations in an important decision making moment. It will be up to us to decide what steps we take next. Read the brief: https://lnkd.in/gjuJKxc9

A few weeks ago we hosted the 2024 Black Futures Ball at Bishop Museum, lifting up the work of outstanding individuals, and celebrating our diverse community itself. Take a peek at the festivities!

At every Black Futures Ball we shine a light on creative, innovative, and intrepid people in our community whose work is an investment in the future of Hawaiʻi and the world. This year, we're celebrating Aleeka Kay Morgan of Nurturing Wāhine Fund, Francoise Culley-Trotman of AlohaCare, Ana Le'a Mathis of Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation, artist Kenyatta Kelechi, and entrepreneur Charles Asselbaye. Learn more about this year's honorees and purchase tickets to join us, August 3 at Bishop Museum! ✨ https://lnkd.in/gWtJP5QC

As we look forward to this year's Black Futures Ball, our biennnial fundraising celebration, we look back to our last electric night together in 2022. Each Black Futures Ball is an evening to celebrate community and creative exploration as we shape the world that is yet to come by rooting ourselves in ancestral technologies of stewardship and cultures of kinship, grounded in love and respect for this ‘āina & its people. Learn more about this year's honorees, sponsors, and community partners and purchase tickets to join us, August 3 at Bishop Museum! ✨ https://lnkd.in/gWtJP5QC

The newest addition to our board of directors, Dr. Camonia Graham-Tutt, was recently selected as a fellow of the HBCU Executive Leadership Institute at Clark Atlanta University. As part of the 2024 cohort, Dr. Graham-Tutt will join other leaders aspiring to serve in higher education leadership at one of the more than 100 Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the US. While not widely known in Hawai'i, HBCUs are diverse institutions of higher education established before the Civil Rights movement to serve African American students and others who were blocked from pursuing other educational avenues because of racial segregation. Over the last 150 years, HBCUs have contributed much to global scholarship and culture, graduating many distinguished alumni. Today, HBCUs still serve predominately Black student bodies, but have become beacons for students all over the world, including Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders and many students who call Hawai'i home. Join us in celebrating Dr. Graham-Tutt's achievement! 🤙🏿

As we come to the end of an eventful Black History / Black Futures Month in Hawaiʻi, we reflect on the mission of our organization to create new ways for our community to connect with each other and to Hawaiʻi. Our executive director, Akiemi Glenn, spoke this month with the Star-Advertiser: “The idea behind The Pōpolo Project is to have a space for Black people whose home is here in Hawaiʻi,” Glenn said. “There was really a need for us to address the specific experience of being Black in Hawaiʻi and a part of the Hawaiʻi community at large.”