Hawaii to celebrate Robert R. Dye, a former chief executive officer of the Honolulu YMCA who has worked on racial conflict resolution with mainland youth, will be awarded the Hawaii Peacemaker Award as part of Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations Monday.
King Day in
many ways
Robert Dye, former CEO of the
YMCA, will receive a peace awardBy Pat Gee
pgee@starbulletin.com"It's a great honor to have been selected, because I'm a great admirer of Martin Luther King," said Dye, who was the first Hawaii resident to be inducted into the YMCA Hall of Fame, in 1998.
The Peacemaker Award is given annually to a person who has made a commitment to peace and justice throughout their lives, according to award committee Chairwoman Linda Rich.
While working at the New York YMCA headquarters, "I was very close to the black and white problem. I thought he (King) really lifted us out of some of those issues and set us on a new track. His leadership was very, very courageous," said Dye, whose 40-year career with the Y began in 1946.
During the 1960s and '70s, Dye initiated several innovative programs in New York City, Los Angeles and Atlanta which opened dialogue on the problems and concerns of race relations and economics. Dye's work with the National Project for Juvenile Justice built a coalition of 19 national youth organizations to develop alternatives to incarceration of youth offenders.
His work to initiate a six-week dialogue between police and street youths in Buffalo, N.Y., became a model for other inner cities after it resulted in lessened violence and confrontation.
Dye also spent time in Geneva, Switzerland, coordinating the YMCA's peace and justice efforts.
He said Hawaii's race conflicts are "very, very small" because "the diversity of the communities here wards off the larger problems on the mainland. People here are used to living with people of other races."
A black friend of his who moved here from the mainland "encountered some subtle opposition to his living in certain places. We still have problems, but not of the magnitude of the mainland," Dye said.
His wife, Esther, will receive the award on his behalf at 7 p.m. Monday at the Church of the Crossroads (1212 University Ave.). Other activities at the church include a presentation of "Ka Lei Maile Alii -- The Queen's Women," a play about women who remained faithful to Queen Lili'uokalani throughout her life and removal from the throne. Admission is free.
Also on Monday a parade will be held at 9 a.m. from Magic Island to Kapiolani Park, sponsored by the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Coalition. A unity rally will follow. Parade participants should assemble at 8 a.m. For information, call Donald Hayman at 561-9658.
On Maui a parade will be held at 10 a.m. Monday from the Maui Community College to the Maui Mall, followed by speeches at the mall and a picnic at the beach park near Hideaway Restaurant and Hawaiian Canoe Club. Assemble at the college at 9:15 a.m. For information, contact Carolyn Ware at 874-5675.
Tomorrow, from 12:30 to 5 p.m., the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission will hold a public seminar entitled "Race, Discrimination and Civil Rights," featuring U.S. District Judge David Ezra; R. Samuel Paz, a national civil-rights attorney; and a panel of local civil rights experts. It will be held at Richardson Law School at the University of Hawaii-Manoa for $30 ($15 for low-income and student attendees). For information, call Daphne Barbee-Wooten at 533-0275.
At the UH-Manoa campus tomorrow, a cleanup day will be held from 9 a.m. to noon to honor King, who also promoted the spirit of caring for one's community. Volunteers should report to the Center for Korean Studies, Kuykendall Hall Plaza, Hale Aloha or Wist Hall.
The civil rights commission is also co-sponsoring the Hawaii Civil Rights Art Contest, open to Oahu elementary students in grades 4, 5 and 6. Art entries depicting "What can we do in our daily lives to promote civil rights and diversity in our society?" must be submitted by Feb. 15. Information and rules are available on the Web site www.state.hi.us/hcrc.