Our Community, Our Impact

Our community includes people born and raised in Hawai‘i, people from Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, North America, across the Pacific and all around the world who have made their home in Hawai‘i. Artists, activists, entrepreneurs, Black people in Hawai‘i are intrepid, creative seekers of deeper connection with themselves, the land, and possibilities for the future. Despite our numbers, Black people in Hawai‘i have been leaders across many sectors of society since the 19th century.

We’re a small community with tremendous impact

4% of the population of Hawai‘i self-identifies as people of African descent (alone or in combination, American Community Survey 2013-2017 estimates), representing a community of about 39,000 people scattered across the islands, but primarily concentrated on the island of O‘ahu.

We connect virtually

Our website and social media presence is our main line of connection with our community. Using these platforms, we share original media, resources, advertise events, and connect people. Our primary point of engagement is visually driven Instagram where we have the most followers who interact with and share our posts often. Our website continues to grow as a destination for media and scholarship Black experiences in Hawai‘i, documentation of our events, and as a hub for announcements and relevant notices to our community. As we produce more original content, our social media engagement has multiplied 5x in the last year.

We gather in person

We produce intensive programming in February (Black Futures Month), in the summer with our Saltwater People concert series, and in Black August with additional events and engagements throughout the year. Event attendance continues to grow as we increase our frequency of public programs and deepen our relationships with our partners.

Key Partnerships

Since we debuted, we have cultivated relationships with Hawai‘i cultural institutions who partner with us on progressive programming that serves to redefine the meaning of Blackness in our islands.

Sponsorships

Local Hawai‘i businesses, international businesses, and individuals have invested in our mission.