Mahalo iā Aunty Elaine
Have you ever met a person who is so themselves that everything they do, large and small, has a common thread that runs through it all? I didn’t know Aunty Elaine Smith Wender, but have had the joy of learning more about her over the last few months through a donation she left to KAHEA, along with 35 other organizations, after her passing. We were contacted by one of her friends, Burt, whom she had chosen to help settle her affairs. We met for brunch along with Micky Huihui from The Hawai’i People’s Fund and Cynthia Franklin from Students and Faculty for Justice in Palestine. We each exchanged small stories of interactions we had with Aunty Elaine over the years, but for the most part we didn’t know very much about her incredible life. In preparation for the brunch, I tried to find possible connections via social media, which she did not participate in. I should have guessed that she wouldnʻt have a social media profile as our administrative lead, Lauren, recalled talking to Aunty many years ago regarding her request to receive paper copies of things as she did not really do things on the computer. When I told Burt this story, he laughed saying, “Thatʻs Lainey!” :)
My facebook search did pull up beautiful loving remembrances and showed me that though we ran in many of the same circles and knew many of the same people and places, our paths had never quite crossed. At brunch, through the eyes of her dear friend, we were each able to learn about this quiet powerhouse who had brought us all together that day. I learned that Aunty Elaine was an accomplished lawyer who was involved in countless social justice issues and groups, including the Black Panthers, farmworkers, Justice for Palestine, the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana, East Maui Water, and short-term rentals on Maui, to name a few. It was immediately apparent that we are cut from the same cloth when Burt shared that Aunty Elaine would often help people refine their testimonies by offering tips and revisions and would strategize how best to hit all the most important points between all the testifiers – so maybe one would come from an environmental perspective, and one from an ʻŌiwi perspective, while someone else could bring a social justice lens as a settler ally. This reminded me very much of the kind of work we strive to do at KAHEA. We also learned that Aunty Elaine was also a fiber artist, and a private person, who was fond of lists and thoughtfully planned for the future. We are so grateful to Aunty Elaine, for her generous donation, of course, but beyond that, mahalo nunui for her life of service and commitment to social justice and love for Hawai’i.
My facebook search did pull up beautiful loving remembrances and showed me that though we ran in many of the same circles and knew many of the same people and places, our paths had never quite crossed. At brunch, through the eyes of her dear friend, we were each able to learn about this quiet powerhouse who had brought us all together that day. I learned that Aunty Elaine was an accomplished lawyer who was involved in countless social justice issues and groups, including the Black Panthers, farmworkers, Justice for Palestine, the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana, East Maui Water, and short-term rentals on Maui, to name a few. It was immediately apparent that we are cut from the same cloth when Burt shared that Aunty Elaine would often help people refine their testimonies by offering tips and revisions and would strategize how best to hit all the most important points between all the testifiers – so maybe one would come from an environmental perspective, and one from an ʻŌiwi perspective, while someone else could bring a social justice lens as a settler ally. This reminded me very much of the kind of work we strive to do at KAHEA. We also learned that Aunty Elaine was also a fiber artist, and a private person, who was fond of lists and thoughtfully planned for the future. We are so grateful to Aunty Elaine, for her generous donation, of course, but beyond that, mahalo nunui for her life of service and commitment to social justice and love for Hawai’i.
Many of our followers have been with us for a decade or more as we are approaching our 25th year! Spending time to learn more about Aunty Elaine was a potent reminder of the depth and richness of each of your lives, many whom we’ve never met in person. You inspire us to keep going and remind us that we are in this together!
Many of our followers have been with us for a decade or more as we are approaching our 25th year! Spending time to learn more about Aunty Elaine was a potent reminder of the depth and richness of each of your lives, many whom we’ve never met in person. You inspire us to keep going and remind us that we are in this together!
