“Environmental Justice on Native Hawaiian Lands” Panel

Staff Attorney Hiʻilei Casco represented PONO Legal on a panel entitled “Environmental Justice on Native Hawaiian Lands: Supporting Native Hawaiian Communities in the Aftermath of the Lahaina Wildfires" hosted by Harvard Law School’s Native American Law Students Association (NALSA) and Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA). Hiʻilei was also joined by co-panelists Kaʻulu Luʻuwai from the Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law and Sharla Manley from Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation. Panelists shared about the rich heritage of Lahaina, principal causes and effects of the fires, the sociopolitical backdrop and history under which the fires occurred, the realities of multigenerational home ownership, the legal communities' role in recovery efforts, and the hopeful future of environmental justice and Native Hawaiian land stewardship. The event had an incredible turnout and we are grateful that attendees could benefit from the wealth of knowledge shared in this panel!