Today I just wanted to take a moment to breathe deeply, savor the salt wind on my tongue, and celebrate the beauty that is ever more abundant here on the island of O’ahu, the Gathering Place. Just out my window trade winds roll clouds through the darkening sky, and twilight waves rock the coast line of Waikiki Beach. The sun has set on a most amazing week that brought many new first experiences into my life, unique challenges, and choices that will define the collective future of our shared world.
First, a walk back to last Saturday, April 29th, a day of action & activism to organize around the immediacy of global warming. Marching alongside the Hawaiian community for the People’s Climate March in Honolulu, George & I took to the streets to raise awareness about the immediacy of climate change. Joining crowds of hundreds, 350.org assembled a rally at King Kalakaua Statue where community organizers were giving impassioned speeches about the need for the United States to act on climate legislation, address rising sea levels, and protect wildlife resources from environmental degradation. It is always inspiring to see the beautiful art citizens create for protest events, and in Hawai’i, they are no less creative. While many of them call out Trump directly for his piss poor policy legislation that puts everyone’s lives at risk, many more addressed the irresponsibility and corporate greed of energy that relies on fossil fuels, oil, and finite resources. As a nation of People collectively organized for the health & wellbeing of global communties, we are organizing for the divestment from energy practices that exploit, pollute & trash the environment, and committed to sustainable practices that protect our world for future generations. After all, Mni Wiconi ~ Water is Life.
My favorite art was created by a small group of concerned individuals who handprinted beautiful scenes of renewable energy sources, pristine habitats untouched by human waste, and organic permaculture collectives celebrating nature in all its glorious expressions. It was from these warm, welcoming & highly creative performance artists that I was given the poster art I would carry throughout the duration of the People’s March. Featuring emoji art on either side, each told a story in three parts where in one scenario our yellow faced friend is horrified by the forces of destruction & has progressively lapsed into a state of the environmental blues. On the flip side, hearts adorn their eyes when responsible legislation has been passed keeping our air clean & preserving our forests for future enjoyment.
Parading down Kalakaua Avenue with voices ringing the air in unison and dissent, we called for accountability of government to act in accordance with nature, not in consumption and destruction. Certainly, consumptive consumerism was met at every turn on the heart of O’ahu known for its high end shopping district. Through the Royal Hawaiian Center & the International Market Place, we created the largest opportunities for visibility and activism through street theater, encouraging bystanders to become engaged Ûpstanders. Naturally, I utilized the occasion of being surrounded by fashion paradise to enjoy an impromptu photoshoot, employing the window model treatments as a call to activism & responsible design. Mona Lisa secretly gears up for Denim Day every damn day! As climate warriors, we cannot be content to let authoritarian & despotic governments consume all our resources. We are stewards of our one big beautiful green & blue earth, responsible to all her inhabitants, not just those wearing the human suit. Fashion is at its best & most fierce when it is Feminist. Just ask Dior & Chanel.
The march concluded at the statue of Mahātmā Gandhi we were serenaded with words of timeless wisdom and empowering lyrics from musicians. It was a wonderful opportunity to regroup, talk, and strategize what steps & actions must be taken next to protect our oceans, the environment, and communities most vulnerable to climate change. Being a Feminist activist with boots on the ground & roots in the soil is a most rewarding experience because everywhere I travel in the world, I find likeminded people doing the work to make their communities infinitely safer, more sustainable, and radically equal. Environmental justice is one facet of our social & political platforms because environmental racism has dictated where power plants are built, toxic waste can be stored on sacred land, and trash can be dumped into landfills. Nothing is ever done by accident or coincidence when it comes to corporation. The cold hard line is cash, capital, and real estate. Nothing is left to chance, only the lives at risk are left in the balance. Just ask the the people of Flint, Michigan, who are still consuming lead-laced water after governments failed to repair corroding pipelines. Let us also continue to stand in solidarity with the Standing Rocking Sioux Tribe, whose struggle continues against the Dakota Access Pipeline, after Energy Transfer Partners rerouted its path through sacred lands to avoid contaminating the white suburban neighborhood of Bismark. If that is not modern day white settler colonialism at work, I don't know what is.
Intersectionality continues to open up so many new doors to understand experiences outside of my own, but also understand how the system has historically worked to oppress & marginalize communities through environmental & sexual exploitation. We can cross examine intersectional oppressions to understand how European colonization of the American continents used rape as a weapon of war against women to control reproduction, and exploit the land for its natural resources. This is a very nuanced understanding of EcoFeminism, one that should be explored to gain a deeper appreciation of how Intersectional Feminist politics can lead us in the struggle to dismantle systems of white supremacist capitalist patriarchies.
Keeping with the activism of May Day, the new month kicked off with ceremonial celebrations honoring both the Pagan festivities & rites of Spring, and the Labor rights movement of International Workers’ Day . In Hawai’i, May 1st is recognized as Lei Day, celebrating the culture of Native Hawaiians through the beautiful craft & design of leis. Marking its 90th anniversary, people from everywhere around the world came to partake in the festivities at Queen Kapiolani Park where artisans showcased their most colorful creations of sacred herbs, flowers, foliage & textile.
Leis are most commonly recognized as floral garland worn around the neck with the rich aromas of plumeria, orchids, and pukaki flowers. The signatory wreath is the Haku, a crown of fauna braided together with threads from the bark of trees, or twisted twine. One of a handful of ways to craft a lei, the Haku is perhaps one of the most celebrated in Hawaiian tradition, once reserved for royalty & special occasions. Participating in the cultural celebration of the Hawaiian, I was able to share in learning experiences with the Honolulu Department of Parks & Recreation and Botanical Gardens. Sitting down to string a Kui lei using fragrant plumerias, I learned how to use a long needle to pierce the pistol & stamen in the creation of a festive adornment for the hair, wrists, ankles, and décolletage.
Visiting the craft fair booths to browse hand crafted hakus, leis, hilos, and wilis, a child welcomed me to the celebration, and proceeded to share with me the cultural history of Lei Day in Hawai’i. Shauna, or Kauna in the Hawaiian language, had personally made a beautiful diversity of flowers she had collected from the community. A most gifted and sweet Keiki, Shauna represented the embodied spirit of Aloha, a breathe of life that shares goodness, light, and laughter in the heart of Paradise.
Slowing down to take in the subtle energies of Aloha, I took my yoga practice to the healing waters of the Pacific ocean waves with Yoga Kai. Embarking on first time experience balancing on a stand up paddle board (SUP), it was a powerful way to engage the core strength of my body while challenging my ability to adapt to new environments. Setting my intention for healing grace, patience & poise, I was overwhelmed with gratitude for being able to share my yoga practice with so many empowered, beautiful & generous women. It is an almost indescribable feeling to lay supine in shavasana meditating on a board in the middle of the moving ocean watching the sun go down over the horizon. With my fingers and toes gently caressing the constant kisses of the waves while the tides rocked me into a conscious state of relaxation. This is happiness. This is calm & understanding. This is what peace feels like.
Its been an extraordinary week, one that I would not have otherwise believed had I not lived & witnessed it for myself. Everyday I feel myself growing stronger with love for the People of Hawai’i, their Aloha spirit, and their deep respect for the natural environment. Everything and everyone is intrinsically connected to the breathe of life, the source of creation. Gaïa & Mother Earth, born of chaos ~ Goddess who brought the universe into existence. She is present within all living things, animate & inanimate, sentient & conscious.
As we move into the future, which often feels cloudy, unpredictable & filled with uncertain doom, let us remember that we are the leaders of our own destiny. We are the Creators, the Peaceful Warriors, ready to engage in the righteous struggle for the full liberation for humanity outside of systemic oppression. Respecting animals, marine life, and wildlife habitats alike, we seek sustainable practices that return, renew & give back what has been stolen in greed for passing wealth. I look within myself first, and then I will look to you, in search of your hand. Please continue to ride this wave with me so that if the tides rise, we can reach in to pull one another up & out. In the prayer that we all rise together. Aloha.
Namaste ~ I bow to the Divine Light within you & you bow to the Divine Light within me.