In this episode of Pilali, Ashley and Wren sit down with Kanaka Maoli scholar, educator, and activist Noelani Goodyear-Kaʻōpua to explore what Hawaiʻi’s histories of resistance can teach us about building its future. From returning home during the 100th anniversary of the overthrow to helping start Hālau Kū Māna and becoming a Kamehameha Schools trustee, Noelani reflects on how education, organizing, and aloha ʻāina have shaped her life and work.
Noelani shares what she has learned from movements to protect Kahoʻolawe and Mauna Kea, the kūpuna and kumu who shaped generations of organizers, and why protest and resistance are also stories of friendship, mutual care, and love for place. Together, Ashley, Wren, and Noelani explore what it means to prepare young people for the challenges ahead, from climate change and AI to food and water security, and why Hawaiian knowledge is not simply something from the past, but a living way of understanding and shaping Hawaiʻi’s future.
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Dr. Noelani Goodyear-Kaʻōpua is a professor of political science and interim director of the Hawaiʻi Papa o ke Ao office at the University of Hawai‘i. Her books include The Seeds We Planted: Portraits of a Native Hawaiian Charter School and A Nation Rising: Hawaiian Movements for Life, Land and Sovereignty. She serves on the governing boards of the Kamehameha Schools, Kānehūnāmoku Voyaging Academy, and MAʻO Organic Farms.
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Listen to the Without Apologies Podcast that honors the voice and legacy of Kumu Haunani-Kay Trask (HKT), a prominent Hawaiian scholar and leader