Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream lives on
by Donica Kaneshiro | Jan. 16, 2023
Everyone gives thanks in November and finds the joy in giving in December, but many still don’t mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day on the third Monday in January — the only federal holiday dedicated to service.
It’s appropriate that our state honor the civil rights leader who saw in Hawaii an example of the integration he sought on the mainland.
When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. visited the newly created state of Hawaii in September 1959, he addressed the state Legislature. King’s speeches and documents are published online by The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University.
“I come to you with a great deal of appreciation and great feeling of appreciation, I should say, for what has been accomplished in this beautiful setting and in this beautiful state of our Union,” King said.
“As I think of the struggle that we are engaged in in the South land, we look to you for inspiration and as a noble example, where you have already accomplished in the area of racial harmony and racial justice what we are struggling to accomplish in other sections of the country.”
“And you can never know what it means to those of us caught for the moment in the tragic and often dark midnight of man’s inhumanity to man, to come to a place where we see the glowing daybreak of freedom and dignity and racial justice.”
King later reflected on his time spent in the islands saying, “As I looked at all of these various faces and various colors mingled together like the waters of the sea, I could only see one face: the face of the future.”
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Americans are encouraged to honor King’s legacy by volunteering to improve their communities — a day on, not a day off.
Hawaiian Electric observes the holiday, but like many others in our company and across the state, I am working on Jan. 16, but that doesn’t mean we can’t carve out a little bit of time to make our community a better place.
I may not be able to attend a unity rally in person, but even with my busy day, I can certainly find a few minutes to pull in my neighbor’s trash bin, call my elderly aunty, drop off some treats to the hard-working librarians down the street or pick up a bag of trash at the neighborhood park.
It may not make a difference in the trajectory of the civil rights movement, but I think caring for one another in small gestures is always a step in the right direction to supporting the “beautiful state” Martin Luther King Jr. recognized on his visit.
The dream of a more inclusive and equitable Hawaii is shared by many in our company as last year, 99.8% of our employees attended or participated in at least one Diversity, Equity and Inclusion event, a goal set by Hawaiian Electric leadership to help raise awareness both in and out of our company of the struggles others face.
The 40 company-approved DEI activities included five virtual events, 10 in-person community events, three online courses and a multitude of other awareness-building resources, such as books, videos, TED Talks, blogs and more.
“The diversity of our employees across the five islands we serve is one of our company’s greatest assets,” said Jill Yamasato, Hawaiian Electric DEI and EEO program manager. “It is only by valuing the perspectives and ideas, experiences and culture of all our employees and empathizing with the needs of all our customers that we will be able to meet the challenges of our renewable energy goals.”
“I think in Hawaii our culture and our history help us to focus on our common ground rather than the labels that divide us,” she said. “In this way we can honor Dr. King and his dream and our state can continue to be a role model for the country.”
Donica Kaneshiro is a communications consultant at Hawaiian Electric Company.
