louise

Hi everyone, I am doing some research on Hawaii, with the possibility of putting together a group vacation (all adults)....I asked around (friends, co-workers etc.) and 7 out 10 people said "Hawaii"! No Way!! Blacks are not welcomed there....."Its very racist/prejudice there!" Of course this really disturbed be, because Hawaii has always been a dream vacation of mine, and since I am doing my first group cruise this August, I thought about presenting the idea of vacationing in Hawaii....

Your thoughts and comments will be appreciated!!!

SharonM

I must say, I've never been to Hawaii, but I cannot Imagine there being any particular prejudice of African-Americans there!!! (dare I mention that there is also a large Asian/Hawaiian population?) AND, even if it WERE true, would that really stop you?

Perhaps your information was racist.

Joy

There is no prejudice against ANY race in Hawaii.

David

I respectively disagree, however, they primarily do not haoles (white/mainlanders).

kam

I'm not African American, but white Anglo, but I can't imagine that there would be prejudice against any ethnicity in Hawaii.!! Hawaii is an amalgam of all races from Polenesia to Asia to Anglo to wherever. As I say, I can't speak first hand but I would doubt that Hawaii wouldn't be wonderful for you.

Anthony

Louise:
AS a gay Asian-American who has been to Hawaii twice, most recently in Oct., I never got the feeling that there was any racisim HI.
Having said that,I DID notice, though, that there were not too many black vacationers there. Whether that is due to perceived racism, or another factor, I can't tell.
But as a minority, I'm sensitive to these issues. But I've NEVER heard that HI. is considered racist. Who are these people that you asked? Have they all been there? What ethnic background were these opinions from? I'm very interested to know. It has never been reported in any press, unlike say, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, where incidents of homophobia were widely reported in the mainstream press.

kama'aina

Are you a troll? I'm a local resident living in Honolulu and find comments regarding heavy prejudice against Blacks, etc., as ridiculous. 7 out of 10??? I seriously question your cross section of friends, etc. Hawaii is no racial shangri la, but it is a state that is very racially diverse and, to my observation, very tolerant to either racial or ethnic differences. Unfortunately, in the early years, many of the young Black males in the Waikiki area were either drug pushers or pimps. That developed into a stereotype amongst the locals. On the other hand, there were also many decent Blacks from either the University or military that did get along well with the local population. Anyway, to remark that Hawaii looks unfavorably upon Blacks is, I find, short of ridiculous!

xxxxx

TROLL ALERT

louise

Thanks to all the responses to my post..
To answer Anthonys question, the people that I asked (mostly co-workers) and 2 friends, they were all black except one was Latino, the other Asian. The person on this board that suggests I am a troll, name calling is not necessary..I am only seeking information......My group and I have been many places where there were very few black vacationers, however, I was particularly interested in learning more about Hawaii...I hear these comments all the time......I remember hearing them as far back as 10 years ago. But I will say those people that I did ask, never vacationed there themselves, but was told by other people who had....I know many many people who are seasoned travelers (mostly blacks), and not one of them has ever considered Hawaii, which is why I am seriously thinking about doing a group trip there.....Thanks again
Any more comments and or suggestions would be appreciated...And again Anthony, your comment about you not seeing many black vacationers in Hawaii, could very well being due to perceived racism..

Judy

I HIGHLY recommend the Caribbean, where you'll feel much more at home, dear!!!

kama'aina

I can see by the tone of your reply that you are an extremely sensitive person. If you will scroll back to my original message, I simply asked if you were a troll. I did not say that you were a troll. Also, a troll, if you will familiarize yourself with the term, simply refers to a person who is "trolling" the Internet to see if he/she can catch someone by posting provocative messages. If you come to Hawaii I am afraid that someone like you will already be equipped with your defenses on the ready. You might be a bit too quick to perceive any one person's actions as racist, provocative, etc. Hawaii is a wonderful place. Believe me. On the whole people of various racial and ethnic backgrounds get along very well. I have also lived in Los Angeles and San Antonio. I know what racism is like. I, along with a Black friend from Florida, was once refused service in a restaurant. This was back in the 50's when segregation was a fact of life.
Please do not go about believing hearsay until and unless you have investigated the facts for yourself.

JT

I haven't been to Hawaii, although the reports from a friend who left after 25 years there suggests there are, indeed, racial tensions there. But let's not be so simplistic about racism -- it isn't something that is only found among whites/pinks, and it isn't a blanket white-vs.-non-whites of every other color, no matter what. Asians in Hawaii are going to have a very different experience from blacks as well as from whites. Heresay about Hawaii tells me that the primary tension is between those of Asian/Pacific island descent and haoles, but that things are changing as even more groups arrive, including Latinos.

If I were given the chance to go, I would expect more diversity and more tolerance than the whitebread town I now live in, but I wouldn't expect to find anything remotely resembling utopian tolerance. Life doesn't work that way, especially when there are differences in wealth and power that fall along ethnic lines.

When I lived in Chicago, I saw Koreans who distrusted African-Americans; I saw African-Americans who distrusted Jews; I saw Polish-Americans who distrusted Lithuanian-Americans, etc. It's a very diverse city, and there are areas of wonderful tolerance and horrendous bigotry, and money and power are an important factor in what happens.

Fortunately, Hawaii is a lot warmer than Chicago and, whatever else, the people are a lot more laid back.

karen

We have been traveling to HI annually for over a decade and have not seen evidence of racial prejudice. Actually, Hawaii is a rather liberal state in many ways and is certainly a "melting pot" of races. We have traveled a good bit and find the Hawaiian people to be warm, kind, friendly and generous in the giving of their time to help the obvious tourist in need of some assistance. Their love of their island is evident in so many ways. They generally are a happy people who enjoy a rather good standard of living and appear to make time for family, friends and leisure activities - unlike many of us caught up in the workday rat race of our jobs. I envy them. I do, however, agree with the individual who stated that he did not see too many African Americans in the islands. I don't think it is a perceived prejudice rather than the cost of the island. And that is for any of us who travel to HI. Airfare is more expensive, the time it takes to travel to HI is another factor, food is so much more as well as many accommodations. It becomes a factor of cost, ease of travel and time needed to vacation in HI. Perhaps many people feel that there are closer, more ideal vacation spots that offer similar climate and activities for less. We have met several African-American couples over the years and from all evidence, they appeared to be enjoying their vacation immensely when we spoke with them. We have been on day boat trips and saw no evidence of prejudice whatsoever. In fact, I have to say they I see more prejudice on the mainland than I have ever seen in HI.

Plan your trip to the Sandwich Isles. I cannot imagine you would be disappointed in Hawaii.

louise

Thanks everyone for your responses...As one person stated, I think it is more about cost......Other people that I have asked said "its too expensive",
"the flight is too long" etc. etc..however, I plan to continue my research on the islands and make my decision from there.....Its has always been a place I've wanted to vacation and learn about the culture, and whether I do a group trip or not, I may just go with my husband....

Thanks again everyone

I will post other questions regarding the islands, hotels, sightseeing, etc. as needed.....

kalena

Hi Louise:

I celebrated Martin Luther King with several Afro-American friends at Kapiolani Park Bandstand on Monday. It was a beautiful day and a wonderful celebration. One of the speakers, a minister from L.A., said that Martin would have been proud. That what he saw before him was a tangible expression of his dream.

I think it 's the distance and expense more than any other factor, because Hawaii is truly a color-blind society.

Having lived in the Caribbean and experienced another wonderful melting pot, I should add that Hawaii is different, as you know. Hawaii is predominately Asian and somewhat subdued, but a true melting pot nontheless.

I agree with the comments above that some of these issues are not so simple. We still have a long way to go. But when there was a post here about what you take for granted where you live, I held off from saying that we have a color-blind society. even though that's the truth. It sounded too pious . And heaven forbid I should be accused of that!

Have a great trip!

XX

Louise,
Honestly, if you go there expecting people to be racist, that's what you'll probably find. Not that they are, but I find that when most people have already made up their mind about a situation, that's what they'll find - whether it's accurate or not.

The worst part about it is that they are being prejudiced about it themselves. Not speaking in terms of just racism - but basically, if you've already made up your mind, you've pre-judged. Another form of the word prejudged is prejudiced.

Jill

We've been to Hawaii over 14 times and we've never seen any discrimination, or prejudice shown toward African American visitors. I would say there are many less African American visitors than othes, but no matter when/where we have been in the islands we've seen them, they seemed to be enjoying the islands just as we were. Hawaii is a very diverse group of islands with many different cultures and peoples. Of course,unfortunately, there is prejudice everyplace in this world against one group or another, but we honestly never noticed any African Americans being singled out for any different treatment then anyone else, whether it be dining, accommodations or anything.

Lindsay

Sorry to have to say, Louise, that friends of mine of Mexican descent, the man a high-ranking professional in a top government job on Kauai, felt great prejudice there in the 80's, and said it was even worse for blacks. There is also the resentment in Hawaii of the military (yes, still!), and if you're a black military person, it's worse. When we've been to Hawaii on several trips, we've seen few African-Americans, but those we did see seem to be having a great time. Sometimes, I think it's all how you look at it. I'm white, and there are white people who can't stand me, and vice versa, so we just ignore each other and get on with it. I wouldn't let it stop me from planning a vacation there - it's a wonderful place, and I don't think you'd have any real problem!

Good luck!

white chick

Oh please, here goes the race card again. Been to "H" saw alot of "Chinks" - if you want to feel welcome, come to Atlanta - all the blacks are moving here - all us "white folks" feel like we don't have a home and you blacks want to take my flag away from me!!! I'm leaving, maybe Hawaii!! hahahahaha

xxx

Hey Angela aka white chick. You are not welcome on this board.
BYE!