AiKea joined the Schools Our Keiki Deserve Rally, organized by the Hawaii State Teachers Association. Students from AiKea UH and Mililani High’s AiKea club rallied in support of students, teachers, and education in Hawai’i.
Garrison Ishikawa-Gonzalez, a Mililani High senior and AiKea club organizer, spoke to the hundreds of people who turned out to the rally. He called on legislators to make schools a priority.
AiKea members attended the Opening Day of the Hawai’i State Legislature on January 20. We visited our legislators to let them know that affordable housing is going to be one of our main campaigns this year. We also invited them to our solidarity rally for the Aston Waikiki Beach and Hotel Renew workers.
AiKea UH students also visited the Capitol to ask legislators to support their student housing campaign. Mahalo to Rep. Feki Pouha for lending his support for our campaign!
It doesn’t stop there! Our AiKea high school students from Mililani High and Farrington High also visited the Capitol to talk to State Reps. Roy Takumi and Takashi Ohno about the need for air-conditioning in our public schools.
AiKea had a booth at the annual Taste of Kalihi. We asked members of the community to support the workers at Aston Waikiki Beach and Hotel Renew who want a fair process to decide whether to unionize. We asked them to sign a petition to Aston Hotels & Resorts (the hotels’ operator) and Xenia Hotels & Resorts (the owner of Aston Waikiki Beach) telling them to respect their workers. Mahalo to all of our volunteers who managed our booth and to all of the people who signed our petition!
We organized a rally in front of Aston Waikiki Beach and Hotel Renew! Members of Unite Here! Local 5 joined Aston and Hotel Renew workers in solidarity. They are fighting for a fair process to decide whether to unionize.
AiKea has had plenty of victories in 2015. It’s always good to look back and remember what we’ve accomplished. 2016 is going to be an exciting year full of opportunities to organize our community and build power.
Workers, students from Waipahu High School and UH Manoa, and hotel guests showed their support for the workers at Aston Waikiki Beach and Hotel Renew by caroling in solidarity. The hotel’s general manager Mark Demello and his wife even stopped to watch the carolers. Watch and listen to our carols.
Workers at the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel and Hotel Renew want a fair process to decide whether to unionize. Management refuses.
We have a lot to celebrate this year! We launched the AiKea Academy to train people how to organize their communities. We have new AiKea clubs at Mililani High and Farrington High. Our AiKea UH has an exciting new campaign on campus housing. Our affordable housing campaign is off to a great start.
So of course we celebrated with housing trivia and gingerbread house building. Congrats to our gingerbread house contest winners, Prof. Rich Rath, Marites Uy and her daughters Frances & Steph! See all of our photos on our Facebook page.
AiKea attended the Social Advocacy Forum hosted by Catholic Charities Hawaii, Hawai’i Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, and PHOCUSED. AiKea member Joli Tokusato spoke on one of the panels about our campaign to preserve affordable housing by stopping illegal vacation rentals.
It’s no question that there’s a housing crisis in Hawai’i. Housing costs are going up. Homelessness is on the rise. AiKea is organizing the community to do something about it.
AiKea member and Aloha DREAM Team Organizer April Bautista joined the Dream Team in a Brown Bag Luncheon to talk to the media and community about their campaigns and programs for immigrant rights and reform. Stay updated by liking their Facebook page.