The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Arts, Languages and Letters is set to pioneer a venture into environmental justice within Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities thanks to a game-changing $1.25 million grant from the Mellon Foundation.
The funding provides a catalyst for a cutting-edge interdisciplinary initiative complete with two new faculty positions, a humanities lab to develop new teaching materials and a dynamic forum for professional development and exchange of ideas.
“We have every expectation that this project will have a transformational and lasting impact on UH-Mānoa’s growing capacity to serve as an international leader in advancing the goal of environmental justice across the vast and interconnected regions of Asia, Oceania and America,” said College of Arts, Languages and Letters Dean Peter Arnade.
Examples of environmental justice issues can range from unequal access to clean water, air pollution and climate change impacts.
Asia and the Pacific Islands are home to more than 60% of the world’s human population. They are disproportionately affected by the ecological catastrophes of sea level rise, marine pollution, coastal erosion and biodiversity loss.
At the same time, Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders are notably underrepresented in the environmental movement at the national level.
Throughout the next three years, the new initiative, housed in the School of Pacific and Asian Studies, aims to chart a new course forward by developing an approach to environmental justice that leans into the long-standing connections of culture, kinship and shared histories that link the diverse regions and populations of America, Oceania and Asia.
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