Women
from Hawaii have been participating in the International Women's Network
Against Militarism (IWNAM) meetings for 9 years now. This network has existed since 1997, or for
16 years.
This
past November 2013,Terri Kekoʻolani, Kim Kuʻulei Birnie and Ellen-Rae
Cachola, attended the internal meeting of the International Women's Network
Against Militarism in Baguio, Philippines.
Women from Puerto Rico, U.S., Hawaiʻi, Guahan, Philippines, Okinawa, and
South Korea were in attendance. We
clarified our vision, mission, goals, developed our leadership structure and
activated working group committees.
Some
of the issues we discussed were the use of the Pagan Island for live-fire
training by the U.S. Department of Defense, and the return of the U.S. Navy to
Subic Bay Naval Base, as well as the projected development of a new naval base in Oyster
Bay, Palawan, Philippines.
Women from Hawaii reported on the presence of the
military in Hawaii as a continuation of colonization. The expansion of the
Pohakuloa Army training base, Ospreys in Mokapu, and Aegis Missile System in
Kauai are just some of the facilities that contextualize why there is
increasing Hawaiian houselessness, military housing subsidies, military vehicle
accidents, violence against women/LGBT and military recruitment in the schools.
We
also talked about how our resistance is based on values of
decolonization,
or empowering communities to reclaim their culture and their
relationship to
the land to protect one another from perpetual militarism and violence.
We have done
this through participation in the AHA Wahine conference, delegation
report backs after the 2012 network
meeting, submission of a letter of appeal to Hawaiian representatives
attending the UNESCO World Conservation in Jeju, production of a
Passionista
Fashion Show, support for legal and cultural work to reclaim Makua and
Kahoolawe, development of the Peace and Justice Crew at Farrington High
School, and presentation of our film.
Often, it is
easier to talk about security issues happening "over there," but our
goal is to continue to talk about security here at home. On
October 26, 2013 and December 29, 2013 we
screened the film, Living Along the Fenceline, on two occasions. First, to educate people on the
relationship of militarism to domestic violence. Second, to talk about militarism and colonization.
This
year, we have created ways people can practically participate
in the movement for genuine security, through supporting and
participating in our international research, education, campaigns,
finance
and communication committees. But more than just busy work, we use this
film as
an organizing tool to raise community discussion on how people see
militarism pervade their lives, and what
they are willing to do to make a change.
Let us know if you’d like to have the film screened in
your community, or to collaborate in other ways, by commenting here or on our Facebook page.
We
are embarking on a journey to make the topic of ending militarism
relevant to the various communities that we come from, so that we can
come to
meaningful conversation with each another and build relationships; so we
can
have a stronger reach beyond ourselves. Together we can be that critical
mass to let those who govern us know--we are ready for peace and
justice. We are not going to wait for someone to give it to us.
