Root Cause Remedies was initiated in 2020 to give a platform to the powerful work taking place in social and environmental movements in Hawaiʻi and around the world.
In Hawaiʻi, we have two major print outlets—both outlets are vastly different from one another and possess their own unique audiences. In our experience as activists, we struggle in this landscape to garner attention for our causes and actions. We struggle to receive enough support to advance the movement and influence decision-makers. Last year, we saw a wave of urgent movements for aloha ʻāina all across the islands. These are the stories of our family and friends. These are the stories that need to be heard.
So in true 21st century fashion, we are looking to online tools to fill this void. And the social impacts of COVD-19, the climate crisis and the power of the Black Lives Matter resistance have a lot of us questioning our society's root issues.
Our goal is to spotlight the activists and the issues in a way that demonstrates the pervasiveness of environmental injustice. Environmental crises are all around us. Extractive industries built on racism, colonialism, and patriarchy harm Hawaiians, people of color, and low-income communities—but people are resisting and fighting back. Aloha ʻāina and kiaʻi are the roots of the environmental justice movement in Hawaiʻi.
As the Black Lives Matter movement takes the nation by storm and demands radical change of our institutions, we are answering the call to be formidable allies, and not just when it's convenient or fits our agenda. To do that, we need to dissect the connections between Indigenous, Black, and people of color communities, and speak out on the history of anti-blackness and white supremacy in Hawaiʻi. We must not be complicit in perpetuating the status quo.
Central to the principles of the environmental justice movement is understanding the intersections between environmental justice and racial justice. Racial and environmental injustices are a part of a history that is alive today and being resisted.
We’re in this global environmental mess and social uprising because the elite class predicated on white supremacy, capitalism, and settler-colonialism has declared parts of our planet and marginalized peoples to be disposable. In Hawaiʻi, we are closely tied to our land and recognize that an injury to our land, water, or air is a direct threat to us all.
Our remedies to address this challenge are in front of us. We offer voices of resistance and stories from those that have committed their lives to making our islands a stronger and more equitable place. We hope to decolonize the narratives of Hawaiʻi through the eyes of its protectors and restore our roles as stewards of our bodies and land because everyone has a responsibility and a place. We are a small, dedicated team that has dreamt up a space to talk story with local folx and leaders in our community. We hope our conversations activate the protector within you. Thank you for listening and being a part of our journey.