Gentrification and the Native Hawaiian diaspora in NYC

To wrap up Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, In Depth takes a closer look at the Native Hawaiian diaspora in New York City.

The media often solely depicts Hawaii as a beautiful paradise, but the islands and their people have more dimensions than that. Issues within the local economy have led many Native Hawaiians to depart the islands in recent decades, oftentimes against their desires. Today, about half of all Native Hawaiians live outside of Hawaii. For born-and-raised Hawaiians who’ve relocated to to NYC, how do they keep their culture alive in the diaspora? And for indigenous Hawaiians who have never lived on the islands, how do they grapple with “not feeling Hawaiian enough”?

Guests: Barrie Kealoha, performer and voice-over artist, Kini Kahauolopua, Manhattan-based chef, and Dr. Jack Barile, Interim Director of the Social Science Research Institute at the University of Hawaii-Manoa.

Host: Jill Webb

Audio producer: Anddy Egan-Thorpe

Executive producer: Femi Redwood