Changing Hawaii
DO yourself a favor. Next time you don't feel like doing something or venturing somewhere because you'd rather wallow in a self-imposed comfort zone, fight the urge and go. If you're lucky, you might be stunned by a big dose of insight. Birthday bash for
special sororityThat's what happened to me Saturday morning, thanks to Thelma Nip and dozens of her 500 Alpha Delta Kappa (ADK) sisters in Hawaii.
This is not your typical professional sorority. ADK is an international honorary sorority for women educators, who must be invited to join and who are especially altruistic in thought and deed.
Their primary goal: to raise money for scholarships and grants for teachers and educational programs all over the world, while encouraging local networking among school instructors, librarians and administrators.
In other words, service and sisterhood above self.
Thelma, former principal of Kalani and Kaimuki high schools and an avid Star-Bulletin reader, was kind enough to invite me to the group's private 40th birthday bash at the Hawaii Prince hotel even though we had never met.
To be brutally honest, I wasn't that keen on attending. I just wanted to stay home and sulk, because the Star-Bulletin is scheduled to cease publication at the end of the month.
Yet some inner voice told me to reconsider Thelma's sincere-sounding offer. Good thing. After being in the same room with these upbeat wahine for a few hours, I have a reenergized perspective.
Festivities started with the marching in of the 19 ADK presidents in Hawaii, all bearing colorful, homemade banners with the names of their Greek-monikered chapters.
Then the entire assembly (dominated by sweet-sounding sopranos) sang a whole bunch of rah-rah ADK songs, were addressed by Department of Education chief Paul LeMahieu, and listened to glowing proclamations from the governor, mayor and City Council.
But the highlight of the morning for me was the reading of an original poem by Janet Shimada, vice principal of Baldwin High on Maui. Titled "Legacy," her original work said, in part:
The old and the new --THAT'S when it hit me. Hawaii is undergoing tremendous change that might mean the death of a newspaper that has chronicled these islands for 117 years. (By the way, much appreciation to the citizens group and state attorney general who have filed legal actions in court, and to our loyal readers who are complaining loudly, writing letters to the editor and signing petitions to prevent the closing.)
The mom-and-pop cracked-seed camp stores
Closing one by one
As the one-stop giants shoulder them out of the way.
Tradition and change,
Two sisters -- one older, one younger
Tormenting each other
As they walk, arguing and laughing,
Arm in arm into tomorrow.But, you know what? Even if these wonderful demonstrations of support aren't successful, I've come to terms with this terrible news. Hard to believe, but life will go on.
And it goes on because of people like Hawaii's ADK sisters, island residents who care so much about something -- in their case, education -- that they put inordinate time and effort into making their passion better in whatever way they can.
That's what it's all about, isn't it? If you can't believe in something, you might as well be dead. I believe in Hawaii.
Diane Yukihiro Chang's column runs Monday and Friday.
She can be reached by phone at 525-8607, via e-mail at
dchang@starbulletin.com, or by fax at 523-7863.