Hawaiʻi Immigration & Inclusion Conference

Economic Inclusion & Opportunity

Cultivating Resilience: Cultural Heritage and Economic Opportunity for Immigrant Communities in Hawaiʻi

Immigrant communities play a crucial role in shaping Hawaiʻi's economic landscape, translating cultural capital into thriving micro-enterprises and sustainable practices. This session explores the intersection of traditional heritage, crisis management, and small business survival in the face of natural disasters and structural inequalities. Panelists will outline the distinct obstacles confronting immigrant business owners and share actionable policy solutions to advance equitable economic opportunities across the islands.

• 
  Nestor Ugale Jr.Moderator · Moderator, Kaibigan ng Lāhaina
• 
  Marnelli Joy Ulep, M.Ed.Moderator · Moderator, Kaibigan ng Lāhaina
• 
  Dr. Ruben JuarezPanelist · HMSA Distinguished Endowed Professor, University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization
• 
  Vincent NavaPanelist · Economic Prosperity Partner, World Education Services
• 
  Megahn ChunPanelist · Co-owner, Mercado de la Raza
• 
  Alex VillarinoPanelist · Co-owner, Mercado de la Raza

Language Access & Inclusion

Language Access and Inclusive Communication

Language access is essential to ensuring that all people can fully participate in civic life, access critical services, and exercise their rights regardless of the language they speak. As Hawaiʻi's immigrant, refugee, and Limited English Proficient (LEP) communities continue to grow, language justice has become a cornerstone of equitable government, healthcare, education, and community engagement. This session brings together leaders advancing language access through policy, interpretation, translation, and multilingual communications, highlighting innovative approaches that create more inclusive and accessible communities.

• 
  Annabelle WaltersModerator · Moderator · HCIR Fellow, Hawaiʻi Coalition for Immigrant Rights
• 
  State Sen. Rachele Fernandez LamosaoPanelist · District 19, Hawaiʻi State Senate
• EW
  Edward WadaPanelist · Office of Language Access, State of Hawaiʻi
• 
  Dr. Suzanne ZengPanelist · Founder & President, Language Services Hawaiʻi
• 
  Dr. Patricia HalagaoPanelist · Professor & Chair, Department of Curriculum Studies, Center for Philippine Studies, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Civic & Political Inclusion

This session will help you build your immigrant community and suggest strategies for building influence in the community and in politics. Our speakers will share recent experience growing influence in Hawaiʻi's civic and political life, and lessons learned in the process.

• 
  Jessie A. FaigeModerator · Legislative Attorney, Committee on Judiciary, Hawaiʻi State Senate
• 
  Younghee OverlyPanelist · State Public Policy Lead, Indivisible Hawaiʻi Statewide Network
• 
  Christy Kikue MacPhersonPanelist · Director of Community Engagement, Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice
• 
  Leilani StacyPanelist · Immigrants' Rights Attorney, ACLU of Hawaiʻi
• 
  Stephen MunkeltPanelist · State Public Policy Lead, Indivisible Hawaiʻi Statewide Network

Social Belonging & Community Integration

Weaving the tapestry of immigration through solidarity, community, and shared stories

Belonging in Hawaiʻi isn't something that happens on its own — it's woven, thread by thread, by people showing up for each other. Hawaiʻi's story is a tapestry of immigration, and this panel brings together local organizers and community groups doing the work of strengthening that weave in real time: local residents standing up to protect immigrant neighbors, and immigrant communities themselves creating the spaces, networks, and traditions that help them feel rooted here.

• 
  Catherine TitzerModerator · Community Field Fellow, ACLU of Hawaiʻi
• 
  Nandita SharmaPanelist · Professor in Sociology, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
• 
  Carol Ann CarlPanelist · Project Coordinator, Owning the Narrative Project, Medical-Legal Partnership for Children in Hawaiʻi
• 
  Kami Yamamoto, MPHPanelist · Executive Director, Hawaiʻi Workers Center

Climate Justice, Migration & Indigenous Futures

Climate change is reshaping migration, livelihoods, and community resilience around the world. From rising seas and extreme weather to environmental displacement and threats to cultural survival, immigrant, migrant, and Indigenous communities are often among the first and hardest impacted. This session explores how climate justice, immigrant justice, and Indigenous sovereignty are deeply interconnected. National and local leaders will share how their organizations are advancing equitable policies, protecting frontline communities, and building movements rooted in justice, resilience, and self-determination.

• 
  Rebecca SoonModerator · President, Solutions Pacific
• 
  Gabriela RoquePanelist · Climate Immigration Program Manager, National Partnership for New Americans
• 
  Makalika NaholowaʻaPanelist · Executive Director, Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation
• 
  Veronica Mendoza JachowskiPanelist · Co-Founder & Executive Director, Roots Reborn
• 
  Richard WallsgrovePanelist · Associate Professor of Law & Co-Director, Environmental Law Program, William S. Richardson School of Law