I visited Maui last year and talked with a few locals. They were some of the most kind people I have come across. One younger gentleman did speak on how they are not as fond as white tourist and shared how they stole land and so on. He made me feel that blacks are very welcome as we shared similar oppression. This is a place that I would love to live in my lifetime as the culture, people, and islands are beautiful
I keep hearing different stories about the Black experience in Hawaii. Some people say it’s super welcoming and that Native Hawaiians have a strong sense of solidarity with Black people given the common oppression, while others say Hawaiians are racist. Which is it?
Both.....ive been looked down upon by a local that was darker than me....had to straighten him out by telling him to get his shit together bc where im from he'll be mistaken for a mexican and be called a wetback
Talksense this is not true. Lies. Many black people lives here and have much safer experiences than on the mainland. Not every black person is in the military. Hawaii is very welcoming to most people, but you did need to respect the culture. As you would anywhere else.
Hawaii doesn't do race the way the mainland does race. On the mainland there's the "one-drop rule" where if you have "one drop" of African blood you're black and in the past, meant you could be enslaved. So some very light-skinned people are considered black here on the mainland. And even if you're really dark, well, so are many Pacific Islanders (Melanesians are really dark) so it's like "no big ting". How you act goes a very long way.
I can’t speak for a long term experience living on the island of Oahu. I am from San Diego and currently live in Houston, I have lived in several states and let’s just say Amerikkka is Amerikkka where ever you go. I just came from a very unexpected trip to Oahu due to my husband being sent there for work. Let me just say it was a blessing to experience this island. At first when hubby picked me up from the airport I was disappointed. As we drove through the streets I had a sneaking feeling I had just traveled 13 hrs to visit Los Angeles. As I looked around I thought welp Amerikkka certainly did a number of this place. My husband catching my less than enthused energy said there’s so much more babe just wait. He was RIGHT and so is the woman featured in this clip. Both my husband and I experienced this completely unexpected relief from the hyper vigilant awareness we have had built in from birth. It simply didn’t exist and I might add that having experienced the ever present threat of physical and verbal violence in this country I think I know when it’s not present although like she said it was disorienting. I kept expecting for “it” to present itself not realizing that although I do not walk around expecting to be assaulted by the monster that is racism like someone suggested in the comments I also don’t see the benefit in pretending it doesn’t exist. In Oahu it simply did not, not in the way it does in the states. I believe the tables being turned on the very group who spread this cancerous disease and them being the minority leaves very little room for them to fully amerikkkanize Hawaii as they may wish too. It seems they’ve been successful in amerikkkanizing the Real estate thus pushing the native people into poverty and making it nearly impossible for those who are not millionaires to comfortably reside in paradise. This is something we are all to Familiar with on the mainland, I.e. California, Washington, New York and most of the desirable coastal geographic areas. It saddened me to see the native peoples reduced to service industry workers. I believe we ( African Americans) are simply not on their radar, and for some this may feel isolating, for me it was delightful to simply be and not be seen ( if you know what I mean). After our visit we have added Oahu to our empty nester’s list of places to move. Now I don’t doubt that there’s going to be the occasional bad actor if we should decide to make this beautiful paradise our home. We have had years of amerikkkan life to deal with them. I will take words over bullets any day. We traveled every corner of the island even what some might consider the rougher sides and we were met with kindness, warmth, respectful curiosity, and even encouragement to make their island our home someday. Let’s me clear it is their island and we would approach it as such with respect and gratitude towards them and their gods for allowing us to be there and understanding and grace should we experience resentment at our being there because we get it, we understand being oppressed, disenfranchised, and pushed out we share a common foe but love, kindness, and Aloha is what we experienced and what we would bring to the island god willing we have the opportunity. ❤ P.S.I don’t need to be accepted and acknowledged as a black woman in Hawaii, I’ve been “accepted” and “acknowledged “ enough for a lifetime living in this country. Frankly it’s a bit tone deaf on our part to expect that. It seems to me that the people of these islands are grappling with enough and it is fairly resent usurping,oppression, and outright theft of their homeland. I’m not moving to Hawaii for a black experience I could stay in Houston for that. I’m moving to Hawaii to have a human experience. ❤ Note: the only person who did side eye me and my beautiful tall brown husband was this white woman in Whole Foods. Totally cold and rude. Which I found ironic and amusing. We simply smiled graciously and wished her a blessed day. ❤
Bless your heart. lol Well written by the way. I've been to Hawaii many times. Get out of Honolulu and it's great. I hate big cities. NY an exception because of the great food. I don't consider New Orleans to be a big city. Retired military.
She's right. I was in Oahu for 6 days and felt really comfortable and was able to actually let my guard down and not feel so paranoid. My dad and I ended up walking through a neighborhood to get to diamond head (Since diamond head parking lot was full) and a lot of the people in those neighborhoods were so nice and welcoming.
So you were probably in Kahala, which is packed with rich White/Asian people. It’s not Hawaii. It’s Beverly Hills dropped into the tropics. They’re nice to tourists because they enjoy people gawking at their neighborhood.
I am black and have lived in Hawaii for 13 years. I TOTALLY have a different view. Ive dealt with more racist ppl here in Hawaii more than ANY place Ive ever been to. Even at my workplaces. Im an RN. Go figure.😝 It gets UGLY. Shame.
Very Caring what happened? can you give people here in the comments a couple/few examples of how people were racist and ugly to you?. Thank you stay safe and healthy have a HAPPY NEW YEAR.
It’s very racist over there I totally agree , they don’t want people to know , a straight up Hawaiian person would even tell you . I got called the N-word from a Hawaiian women just by tell her good morning. No that’s crazy !!
Im from chicago and been on oahu 25 years....i find it very safe here for me.....if my car breaks down, the locals will stop and help u....the down side is that nobody really into dating black females
Lighter skin == better is a long-established thing in the Pacific and Asia, they came up with it themselves it wasn't the missionaries etc who taught them that.
@@ep4801 With all of the racism and people telling us that to be white means to be beautiful, I don’t think that’s true. It doesn’t matter how nice you are or how much of a beautiful personality you have. At the end of the day, people will still judge us because of the pigmentation of our skin and it is very sad.
When you're outnumbered by other people that aren't like you, you are in danger , look at it from a nature point of view, numbers matter , that's why the enemy always find new ways to deplete those numbers
As a black man who was born and lived most of my life in various states on main land North America I agree with her statements about feeling safer here than in the ever present surveillance state of North America. No more pressure and stress of never having the police follow me day and night to and from work for example has been refreshing for the last 20 years 😁. It is the the total opposite on the mainland.
@@The.Hawaiian.Kingdom Mahalo for your sweet sentiments. The truth is no one deserves to be treated like a criminal based upon the color of their skin or ethnicity. Its difficult for people who have not lived on the mainland or don't have brown or black skin to comprehend the reality of institutional inequality and racism that exist there. Hawaii is very diverse and I love the people and the land .Thanks for the warm Aloha's and for creating a safe place for those of us who simply want to live and be free as God intended for all of humanity. Just so you know for certain I am referring to the blatant abuse of power that the police exercise on the mainland. It has gotten to the point where all of the citizens there regardless of skin color that includes whites are losing their constitutional rights as Americans citizens due to The Patriot Act and other bogus laws enacted by corrupt politicians who no longer stand up for their constituents. They are bought and paid for by the globalist who own large corporations seeking profits for themselves and could care less about the average man, woman or child in America or throughout the world. We must stand up for our right or we will lose them. Sorry I went off on a tangent. Again Mahalo to the People of Hawaii for your Hospitality. Thank you Aloha for responding.😊 Peace E'Ma 🕊
Ive never had the experience you just descibed on the mainland.... EVER. That said, one can find some level of racial prejudice anywhere one looks. I know black folks living in Hawai'i who have experienced some form of prejudice. The common denominator is they were looking for it.
@@BoydsofParadise I appreciate and respect your reply. Like you said you have never had the experience that I had on the mainland. I glad that you did not. I can assure you that I never once looked for nor was I obsessed with prejudice nor looking to have those experiences. Quite the opposite in fact. However they were my experiences. I lived in different states on the mainland and in some of those states I never ran into situations as I described above. Yet there were times when I did have them in other states. So thanks for chiming in.
Aloha that Boyd guy is a melanin enriched man whom is a trump supporter (based on a video on his page). His perception has been compromised.. as he stated in another response, he is 59yo. It is possible that he has worked his way into a reality/bubble assisted by calculated -now subconscious habits to reduce conflict. It is also probable that he suffers from Stockholm syndrome which hinders how he processes encounters. 🤣
Hawaii was racist towards me but only at the airport they were mean to me, I didn’t interact much around the city.. I have a light complexion and I am not African American but I am mixed and one of the portions being of darker hispanic nationality closer to Afro-Latino and another British and also Native American-indian. This experience will not stop me from returning though. Other peoples hate for the way a human looks does not effect my spirit. I could care less who doesn’t like me for the way I was created. I came to this video out of curiosity for others.
Hawaii was the first and only safe haven in the US that I've been. Didn't know how hardened I was (from suburban/profiling life) till I moved there. The atmosphere is just better. Hopefully the rude and entitled people don't feel comfortable enough to stay.
I'm from Hawaii and moved to Virginia, here on the East Coast, and have lived here for almost a year. To say the least, I will be going back to Oahu in the next 8 months; if not sooner. There's nothing here on mainland like hawaii; nothing !!!
I suck at forex so my life is on a budget, which island would you suggest? I was thinking of pohoa until I learned more about the lava zones and thievery problem
I'm from California and visited Hawaii often since I was a kid. I have a Japanese great aunt (thru marriage) and my family has been there since the 1950s. Beautiful, magical place that always felt ethereal. Can't wait to go back ❤
@@ninitea7676 hey CoCo i've heard that it's safer for black people honey good luck. also you might be interested in an island like Fiji where people are dark skinned like us.
Hawaiian and The African were Good friends! They often traded with together and lived alongside us. One of the Kings of Hawaii even had an African Advisor!
@@lancing2.098 Africans are hated globally by racists. Not all Hawaiians (or ppl in general for that matter) are racist so it’s highly ignorant to say anyone is hated globally. However, racism is a global problem.
@@lancing2.098 White supremacy is global, but to say that "African people are hated globally" is a bit of a stretch. I have traveled all over the globe, what I have found is that the talent and creativity of African people is admired globally. I have also found that people who don't see the world in terms of power politics and act accordingly, leave themselves open to exploitation, contempt and hatred.
@@coconutwater7186 the Portuguese? I'm assuming you mean the Portuguese as individuals experienced discrimination in Hawaii? The Portuguese were beneficiaries and promoters of white supremacy. They were major players in the Atlantic Slave Trade. They also brutally colonized Angola, Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau.
Unfortunate, the worst racism I've ever experienced has been in Oahu. I also lived on Big Island and had an amazingly good experience but in Oahu it's really bad. Glad that this lady has had a good experience but I could say that Oahu has a large Asian population, whites and Hawaiians and they can be VERY racist. My experience on Big Island was very very positive so I love the aina (land) and its pretty peaceful so I will stay in Hawaii and not let a few racist run me out of this beautiful land.
@@elevatedsoulsyndicate9754 where would you say the safest city to live in is if you’re white? I’ve seen people get beat unconscious there just for being white saying they can’t be racist to them. Can you recommend some safe cities?
@elevatedsoulsyndicate9754 I know exactly what you mean, I'm a 691. Lots of them are racist towards my people AND whites. I find it funny sometimes when they treat black people so well when it's obviously out of fear.
@@schoolgyaru O’ahu is where Waikiki is. You’ll be fine in the tourist areas. Just don’t go deep into other neighborhoods like Waipahu, Ewa Beach, or Waianae unless you’re with a local you know really well. You don’t wanna get robbed!
@Made With Love I hadn't thought of that. That maybe a good idea. I have to do a career change anyway, due to COVID-19, so would like to work from home...
There are sources that tell you to prepare for Hawaii. I don’t really want to say the rules in my belief because I don’t want to effect your wonderful trip to the islands in a bad way, but you can definitely search it up. (I’m not a reliable source, sorry)
@Made With Love stay humble. Be careful where you swim and hike. Take your shoes/flip flops off at the door. Do not honk your horn in traffic. Do not tailgate. Don’t make stink face at Hawaiian foods (raw fish or poi) Long list....easy to learn. No worries you should be fine since you’re smart enough to ask the question. Lock your doors and secure your belongings....stuff gets stolen 24/7.
I lived on Kauai for 16 years and it was the best years of my life. Never got rich. However, God would make a way. I wil NEVER regret my life on Kauai. Wonderful people. I hope to come back after this chapter.
As a 54 year old black man who has lived in Detroit, Colorado and currently in Hawai'i i have to say this not feeling safe nonsense is part of a mindset. If you live your life playing a victim you WILL undoubtedly experience victim circumstances. If you walk around fearing "who gonna git ya" you attract somebody who will happily oblige. Trust, there's just as many opportunities for people to experience some form of racism ANYWHERE you go if you are dead set on finding it. I know a black dude livin on the big island as i write this, every other story is about being called [nikka] by some local dude. But that's because his mindset is programmed to find it no matter where he lives. Let that sink in for a minute.
Old man, thats ridiculous. You talk as if a certain mindset will keep someone whose AntiBlack from being AntiBlack towards us and you sound like an Uncle Tom.
Its nowhere near as racist as mainland U.S. I have never felt so unaware of my blackness as when I was in Hawai'i. So, if my choice is less racism...I'll take it!
I've been to Hawaii several times and I'm going again in May 2021. She is absolutely right about feeling safe. It's like exhaling when you go to Hawaii. If I had to sum it up, I would say that all the stress that comes with being African-American and dealing with USA style white supremacy, is lower there than any place in the USA. I think that largely has to do with the demographics and history of Hawaii.
You people are insane. As if evil white supremacists are hunting you in America. You live in complete delusion. The only people blacks have to fear in America is other blacks.
@@camelrodriguez715 There are no indigenous Hawaiins. They are all the descendents of pineapple pickers from the Philippines and Tahiti. They are the ones who are racist as hell towards everyone else.
Funny how so many comments imply that black ppl's shitty experiences are bcz of how we acted.! You need a wake up call. I wish you were around to see how these things happen.
So I feel like you post on RU-vid a lot and it’s always negative. You don’t know our experiences because you aren’t black. So until you are able to put yourself in our shoes, you will never know. By making this comment above, you’re implying that we act a certain way and in turn people are rude to us. This isn’t the case for everyone. You could be the nicest and most respectful person on earth and still be spit on. I hope you get your mind right.
Nasty Gavin stop tying to cause stuff. Hawaii is incredibly safe and very welcome to black people and all people of color. If you don’t live here people be quiet.
ok so i am in Maui right now I and its the same on the main land but the native people ae so beautiful and loving its just the ocean for me there are hardly any black people here
I worked with a Hawaiian women in Colorado, she was mixed with Tahitian but anyways she showed me a picture of her mom and brother, they are black people! She is very proud of her family and heritage and treated me with much respect and helped me get jobs in Colorado! Her name is Dee!
@@Assata_Shakur I know places that were colonized still welcome whites but hate blacks. Africa has countries that will embrace whites but be rude towards black americans, and they bring this hate for us when they come to the states. I just don't get it. South Africa has more sense though
I remember when they tried to teach racism in school so students would understand it didn't work because we don't see race in hawaii it makes up less than 1% of who you are in hawaii we look at who you are as an individual
brah o cus (pigeon) those hawaiins keep it real. the natural repsect. like in the u.s Blacks deal with racism. in hawaii u deal wit oh' brod'dah howz dingz? aloha
RACISTS HAWAII. Not kidding! Ive been approached by locals who want to talk about the white man and how they stole their island...they also want to talk to me about the absolute "hate" for tourists. Then if I say ANYTHING about my experiences about the white man I GET LABELLED A RACIST. LOL Many ppl here are really angry and VERY insecure around me bcz Im a black woman. Ive been treated like shit too many times. Its never stopped. I rarely receive " aloha".😳
Pāhoa (Hawaiian: Pāhoa) is a census-designated place (CDP) in the District of Puna in Hawai'i County, Hawai'i, United ...So you’re an Hawaiian on here being a ignorant and clearly disdain for a Bw expressing her love for Hawaii. I’m going to say what she can’t, GROW TF UP! And it’s doesn’t make sense for you folks to be racist, when HAWAIIANS used to be BLACK before colonization.
Hawaiians had their entire Kingdom stolen. Blacks never lived in Hawaii, they were never slaves in Hawaii. Hawaiians have their own cultural issues, so no one cares.
