Political Quotes

“My ohana is from the last native Hawaiian fishing village in Hawaii, Milolii. You have likely never heard of Milolii, and if you haven't heard of the small fishing village of Milolii, then you probably haven't heard of Kalapana. Kalapana, like Milolii, is an ocean community, but Kalapana sits in the shadow of the volcano Kilauea. For decades, this area has been shaped by the various destructive lava flows that have flowed through; but no matter how many times this happened, the people of Kalapana remained resilient and proud of their community. Mr. Speaker, I can think of no one who embodied the pride and resilience of being Kalapana born and raised than William Punapaia'alaikahala Kenoi, known to most as Hawaii Island Mayor Billy Kenoi. Billy Kenoi would proudly talk about the papaya fields of Kalapana and the mentors who helped him see the world outside of them. Their inspiration took him from the slopes of Kilauea to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. From there, the boy from Kalapana walked with reverence through these very Halls, which he regarded as a heiau, or spiritual center of democracy, as a congressional intern with the legendary Senator Daniel K. Inouye. He then went on to attend the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. As he moved through his career, he remained that same resilient and proud kid from Kalapana. He worked for justice as a public defender with indigent clients.…”