Page 14 - MidWeek - Sep 29 2021

14 MIDWEEK SEPTEMBER 29, 2021
By holding leadership positions at Grassroot Institute of Hawai‘i and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Keli‘i Akina has been able to use his voice to effect change while fulfilling an early promise of living a life in service to others.
When Keli‘i Akina was a child, he had a simple task to perform each time he returned home from school and that was to immediately grab a storybook and begin reading his little heart out.
Keli‘i Akina, who adds that one of his mother’s proudest moments came when he developed into a champion debater and orator at his alma mater, Kamehameha Schools.
Keli‘i Akina has used his voice in many ways over the years, including as a court chanter while at Kamehameha Schools in the 1970s. PHOTO COURTESY KELI‘I AKINA
Even before he was allowed to run off and play with siblings or friends, reading time took priority because his comprehension and verbal skills required exercise and refinement. Those were Mother’s orders. Dutifully, he’d comply by climbing on her lap and leafing through page after page, eager to practice projecting his small but developing voice.
That ability to clearly articulate his thoughts through the written and spoken word has served him well in his current roles as president and CEO of the nonpartisan think tank Grassroot Institute of Hawai‘i (GIH), and trustee-at-large for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA). Equally important has been his steadfast belief that no problem is insur- mountable so long as there’s room for people with opposing ideas to freely voice their opinions in pur- suit of mutual understanding.
Akina. “If we can look beyond our differences and find common ground and then expand that com- mon ground, we can solve all of our problems and challenges.
“I can still remember her saying, ‘Read with more expression. Read louder. Pronounce bet- ter,’” recalls Akina.
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and is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year — and OHA, which he was first elected to in 2016.
While his mother’s motivation behind these reading sessions weren’t immediately apparent to him then, they became clearer to Akina in the years since. Despite not possessing a high school degree, Marian Akina was adamant that her children have a proper education and learn, in part, how to use their voices effectively and express themselves clearly.
Despite what Akina calls “tremendous challeng- es facing Hawai‘i,” the public policy spokesman and community leader remains optimistic about the state’s future, simply because he has faith in his fellow citizens.
kina is in the fortunate position of being able to effect change from his vantage points at GIH — which he joined in 2013
“From the earliest time on, I’ve tried to live my life by the statement that goes, ‘Reading makes a man broad, writing makes a man precise and speech makes a man ready,’” says the man born William
“I try to practice a little phrase called ‘e hana kākou’ — which are three little Hawaiian words that literally mean ‘let’s work together,’” continues
“We’re always working to promote individual liberty, economic freedom and accountable, limited government at Grassroot Institute, and all three of these values come together when we look at gov-
As he explains, “We have a tremendous resource, and that’s the people of Hawai‘i. Throughout my entire professional and adult career, I have believed in people, developed people and attempted to bring them together to find solutions to our challenges.
Since uniting with GIH, Akina has viewed his role as operating from “a 10,000-foot level” in search of sound public policy solutions for the state.
“I’ve always believed it’s time to stop dividing ourselves and start uniting.”
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