Description

Pacific Islanders in Communications
Recommendation for Discretionary Grant of $75,000 to launch the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Futures Project.
 
Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders communities (NHPI) have long faced challenges due to the lack of disaggregated data, hindering a comprehensive understanding of their complex history, diverse cultures, and significant contributions to public narratives. To address this gap, Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC) proposes the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Futures Project, a four-phased research initiative to collect and analyze national data, clarify prevailing narrative, rectify underrepresentation, and pave a path towards story sovereignty.
 
Luce funds will empower PIC, in collaboration with Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC) and Pasifika Impact, to establish a working group of eight NHPI community members. This group will design a national survey along with a series of listening sessions, and create guidelines for best practices and cultural protocols in data collection and community engagement. The project, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methods, aspires to furnish essential data for enhancing NHPI representation in arts, media, entertainment, and public narratives.
 
Since the addition of AAPI portfolio, Asia Program has been looking for opportunity to engage and support NHPI communities. This grant would offer such an opportunity to partner with PIC to advance the goals of producing more nuanced knowledge about AAPIs and sharing AAPI stories to increase awareness and shift public narratives. It is noteworthy that PIC may revisit Luce for additional support in subsequent phases of this initiative.