Hawaiʻi Alliance for Progressive Action (HAPA) is a dynamic organization with a rich history of advocacy for environmental justice and public health in Hawaiʻi.
Their roots lie in the fight for basic pesticide protections, a battle that saw them standing shoulder to shoulder with frontline communities, advocating for their right to a safe and healthy environment. Rooted in the movement to confront the agrochemical industry’s impact in Hawaiʻi, HAPA’s intersectional programming recognizes that food systems issues in Hawaiʻi are interconnected with other social, economic & environmental justice issues, advancing social change in Hawaiʻi by building upon the successful foundations of those who came before and bringing it into the future. With the growing bench of pono leadership in office, HAPA is expanding their Reclaiming Democracy programming into new activities to ramp up base-building efforts within community groups, utilizing the existing Movement Building for Ea community organizing training created in 2014. This curriculum explicitly aims “to raise up peoples’ voices for the ea of this ʻāina”. The curriculum has three learning objectives for participants to: 1) identify and analyze power relations and systems of power operating in their daily lives and in the broader society; 2) develop practical skills for community organizing, such as strategizing based on power analyses and planning tactical campaigns; and 3) express and compose compelling messages in various forms, including stories, mele, and collateral materials.