Hawaii Alliance for Progressive Action (HAPA)

Kuleana Academy

HAPA builds capacity for Hawaii’s communities to protect the health of their land, water and democracy through the Kuleana Academy candidates training program, grassroots coalition building, civic-engagement workshops and legislative advocacy.

People’s Congress

For example, in November 2019, HAPA held the second Hawaii People’s Congress at the UH Richardson School of Law. The theme was “Towards a Just Transition and the Green New Deal.” To address the magnitude and diversity of the challenges of our era, the convening was designed to build intersectional alliances across groups and issues in Hawai’i that are typically siloed. The People’s Congress held several panels that examined strategies to advance a “just transition” toward a circular, decarbonized economy with good jobs, justice and equity, and zero waste.

Legislative Advocacy

HAPA’s legislative advocacy is conducted in partnership with other members of the Protect Our Keiki Coalition, which include the Hawaii Center for Food Safety, HawaiiSEED, along with beekeepers, parents, pediatricians and other healthcare providers. The coalition continued its advocacy for bills to regulate pesticides and promote regenerative agriculture. In addition, HAPA engaged 20 other legislative-advocacy groups as part of the “Common Good Coalition,” to prioritize bills that broadly ranged from social justice, to environmental concerns to economic justice.

Legal efforts

On the legal front, HAPA continued challenging the State’s exemption of its land-leaseholder Hartung (formely Syngenta), a chemical ag corporation, from environmental review.

Kuleana Academy

HAPA’s cornerstone program, the Kuleana Academy, candidates training program turned out its fourth cohort, comprised of a class of 15 graduates. Fifty percent of the grads are committed to running for office or working on campaigns. To date, of the 66 Kuleana graduates, three are serving on the Maui County Council, three will be serving in the State House in 2021, and another five have landed seats on Oahu neighborhood boards. Several others have gone on to lead organizing campaigns in their communities, become legislative advocates at various non-profits, or start up their own organizations.

Kuleana Fellowship

Kuleana Academy graduates are eligible to apply for the Kuleana Fellowship, a $25,000 honorarium to support their grassroots work. Since being awarded the fellowship, Sonny Ganaden, who specializes in criminal-justice reform, worked with other advocates to pass HB 1552, a comprehensive criminal-justice reform bill. Provisions in HB 1552 include: 1) Increased oversight (segregation of duties) and creation of a new Hawai’i Correctional System Oversight Commission, 2) Pretrial assessment within three days of arraignment to determine risk and financial ability to afford bail, and 3) bail reform to ensure that low-risk, minor offenders are not incarcerated simply because of their inability to afford bail.

Civic-Engagement Workshops

Not everyone wishes to learn how to run for office. Some people just want to get more involved in the civic square. For those folks who want to learn the “how-to’s” and basic fundamentals of community organizing, advocacy and political campaigns, HAPA offers workshops in rural Oahu and on neighbor islands. HAPA meets Hawaii residents where they are at.