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Although the current African American population is about 2.2% according to the U.S. Census Bureau, African American history in Hawaii is abundant. There have been many notable African Americans in Hawaii that have played a significant part in both Hawaiian history and American history as a whole. The following are four individuals who you may or may not be familiar with, that lived in Hawaii and had a major impact.
Possibly the most well-known individual in the United States that was born in Hawaii is The 44th President of the United States Barack Obama. Obama was born in Honolulu in 1961 at Kapiolani Maternity and Gynecological Hospital. After spending some of his early childhood in Jakarta, Indonesia, he went back to Hawaii to live with his grandparents in 1970. He attended Punahou School from fifth grade to twelfth grade.
Reflecting later on his formative years in Honolulu, Obama wrote: "The opportunity that Hawaii offered—to experience a variety of cultures in a climate of mutual respect—became an integral part of my world view, and a basis for the values that I hold most dear."
Another individual who was recently in the news is Mess Attendant Second Class Doris Miller. Miller was a crewman aboard the USS West Virginia in Pearl Harbor when the ship was attacked December 7, 1941. Once battle stations was announced, Miller rushed to aide in defending the ship. He was ordered by Lt. Frederic White to help load a Browning .50 caliber machine gun. When White wasn’t looking, Miller instead manned the weapon and began firing at Japanese fighter planes. At the time, black Sailors were not allowed to handle weapons. Miller ignored protocol in order to defend his ship and the base. His actions saved countless lives that day.
On May 27, 1942, Miller was the first African American to be awarded the Navy Cross and was personally pinned by Fleet Adm. Chester Nimitz.
“This marks the first time in this conflict that such high tribute has been made in the Pacific Fleet to a member of his race and I’m sure that the future will see others similarly honored for brave acts,” said Nimitz.
On January 20, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Navy officially announced the future Navy ship, Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Doris Miller (CVN 81). This will be the second ship named in honor of Miller, and the first aircraft carrier ever named for an African American and an enlisted Sailor.
Shortly after the end of World War II, jazz legend John Coltrane was an enlisted Sailor at Pearl Harbor. Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer who helped pioneer the use of modes and was at the forefront of free jazz. He joined the Navy in 1945 and was shipped to Pearl Harbor, where he was stationed at Manana Barracks, the largest posting of African American servicemen in the world.
Coltrane's musical talent was recognized, and he became one of the few Navy men to serve as a musician without having been granted musician's rating when he joined the Melody Masters, the base swing band. He continued to perform other duties when not playing with the band, including kitchen and security details. By the end of his service, he had assumed a leadership role in the band. His first recordings, an informal session in Hawaii with Navy musicians, occurred on July 13, 1946.
The impact that African Americans have had on Hawaii extends beyond the U.S. government. Anthony D. Allen Sr. was one of the first black men to be recorded in Hawaii. Allen arrived on Oahu in 1811, and was described in a missionary journal as the only black man on the island.
According to Dr. Kathryn Waddell Takara, a retired ethnic studies professor at the University of Hawaii, Allen was a former slave who came to Hawaii on a whaling ship. A well-known entrepreneur, he had a lot of unspoken, unacknowledged contributions to the islands. He opened the first hospital for American Seamen in Honolulu and built the first carriage road up Manoa Valley. He also became a steward of King Kamehameha I and within a decade came to own 12 houses and a farm, opened a school, ran a boarding house and bowling alley in addition to the hospital.
These are just a few examples of exemplary individuals who lived in Hawaii over the past 200 years. There is much more African American history throughout the history of Hawaii. To learn more, visit the Obama Hawaiian Africana Museum in Honolulu.
| Date Taken: | 02.20.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 02.20.2020 14:41 |
| Story ID: | 363526 |
| Location: | PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 362 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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