Aloha was ever present at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., as we celebrated King Kamehameha ʻEkahi, Saint Damien, and Aunty Darlene Kēhaulani Butts with lei, mele, hula, moʻolelo and makana.
Our time in Wakinekona (Washington) provided key opportunities to further cultivate our relationships with our county, state and federal legislators when we attended the 8th Annual “Hawaiʻi on the Hill.”
We had productive meetings with Hawaiʻi Congressional members, as well as with Krystal Kaʻai, executive director, White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI); Erika Moritsugu, deputy assistant to the President and AANHPI senior liaison, Office of the Chief of Staff; and Rose Petoskey from the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs which oversees the Tribal and Native American portfolio. We shared our top priorities and explored how to best collaborate.
It was highlighted that the work we do today continues from work begun with my grandfather. I’m thankful for the mindful engagement and continued conversations of the inventory of our Native Hawaiian crown and government lands and federal priorities from ʻāina to wai.
My fondest aloha and mahalo a nui to Aunty Kēhau, who passed away late last year. With each D.C. lei draping ceremony, I lovingly recall her always including my dearest pa, U.S. Sen. Daniel Kahikina Akaka and our ʻohana. I’m so thankful to have spent time last year at the lei draping with Aunty Kēhau.
Born and raised in Wahiawā, Aunty Kēhau devoted her life to advocating for Native Hawaiians and perpetuating Hawaiʻi’s cultural traditions and values in and around D.C., serving as chair of the King Kamehameha Day Lei Draping Ceremony for the Hawaiʻi State Society of Washington, D.C., and becoming the first president of Ke Aliʻi Makaʻāinana Hawaiian Civic Club, working closely with the Hawaiʻi Congressional delegation and Hawaiian organizations to honor our Hawaiʻi statues.
She embodied aloha in her kōkua to help former Hawaiʻi residents find homes in the D.C. area. Her legacy continues through her ʻohana with each year’s lei draping ceremony there.
Mahalo nui to Aunty Kēhau, her daughter Shani and ʻohana, the Hawaiʻi State Society of Washington, D.C., and to all who make this celebration special.
