A Letter to the Polynesian Community

Dear Pasifika People,

Both of my parents were raised in the friendly islands of Tonga. When they decided to come to America, they had nothing to their name — just 7 kids and big hopes to experience the “American Dream'' that they heard so much about. Because of this, their children never failed to use the American Dream as motivation to get out of bed every morning. Me being born in New Zealand yet raised here in East Oakland, my parents have always pushed to keep the Tongan culture alive in us, especially as we got older. My parents always made sure to instill “faka’apa’apa” (respect) within me and my siblings. No matter where life took us, we always made sure to enter every space with respect. But growing up, it became difficult to balance Tongan culture and American society. My parents taught me the cultural value of respecting everyone while the environment around me was teaching me that respect can’t just be given, it has to be earned. To live here in America as a Polynesian is not to “promote” our culture but to show to others the beauty that our culture holds.

To be a Polynesian trying to live the American Dream is more than trying to be wealthy, but to stay wealthy in a community where we don’t have the same generational wealth as any other group. Growing up as a Polynesian, I learned that you never live a life for yourself. For every decision made, there is a brother or a niece that depends on you. Our childhoods are full of trying to find an easy way to get money to make sure our families have financial stability and the care that they need, instead of playing with Barbies and riding bikes. The judgment of Polynesian families gives us the drive to make sure each member is fed, clothed, supported, and loved. America pushes us into a category that believes this is all we’re good for: labor and providing with no self care. The ancestors of the Pasifika community have given us the strength to use our unique stories to create a new chapter for our people.

Here I am today with the understanding that America tries to culturally blind us as a smaller minority group. Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are one of the fastest growing racial groups in California. Yet even today our community is made invisible. We are lumped into the category of “Asian & Pacific Islanders” but the needs, challenges, and experiencesof our community are different from other groups. For example, in their May 2022 report, The Campaign for College Opportunity stated that only 22% of Native Hawaiians andPacific Islanders in California had a bachelor’s degree compared to 59% of Asian Americans statewide.

Programs like Oakland Pacific Islander Network (OPIN) bring hope to Pasifika youth to change our stories of just trying to survive day to day. Alina Faaola, the founder of OPIN, empowers youth to find their purpose to succeed in society. To not only have the support but the opportunity for youth in my community to learn about our culture and to have a second family that supports them is something that has been missing throughout generations. We need to push for more cultural inclusion so that Pasifika culture is celebrated and validated. We need to provide more resources to support Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islander students to succeed in school so that they have the opportunity to attend college and pursue the American Dream. We live in a society where Polynesians are more likely to work as a caregiver or construction worker rather than a doctor or manager. A system where it’s more likely for us to go through the court system and have to find our own way through the system because nobody acknowledges our people like they say they will. Who’s going to be there to guide our Polynesian people through each system? When all these programs through the system serve every other group, who will be there to serve us Polynesians?

For as long as I can remember, it was every Pacific Islander for themselves. Mothers and fathers working countless days being away from their families just to take care of them. Older brothers and sisters playing their parents’ roles to make sure their younger siblings are taken care of. How much longer do we let our people go unnoticed? How much longer do our people have to fight for our own name? What other fight do we fight for our cultures to be seen as the different unique cultures we bleed instead of us being the “others” in statistics? Like Pasifika philosopher Epeli Hau’ofa said, “We are the sea, We are the ocean. We must wake up to the ancient truth and together use it to overturn all hegemonic views that aim ultimately to confine us again, physically and psychologically.” Even though the Pasifika community represents hundreds of islands, the ocean gives us the unity and strength to stand as one. We are stronger together and with the warrior strength of our ancestors, we will continue to be resilient.

With love and respect,

Malia Lapota

Malia Lapota is an immigrant Tongan woman who was born in New Zealand and raised in East Oakland. She was inspired to participate in APSC's internship program after an eye-opening experience with Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE). Malia is a proud culture worker who is passionate about preserving her people's history. In her free time, Malia enjoys quality family time; her family's faith continues to push her to do work for her community.