Mililani Trask is a leader of the
Hawaiian sovereignty movement
The Hawaiian sovereignty movement ( haw, ke ea Hawaiʻi), is a grassroots political and cultural campaign to re-establish an autonomous or independent nation or kingdom of Hawaii due to desire for sovereignty, self-determination, and self-gove ...
and a
political
Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...
speaker
Speaker may refer to:
Society and politics
* Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly
* Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture
* A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially:
** I ...
and
attorney. One of Trask's contributions to the Hawaiian sovereignty movement was her founding of Na Koa Ikaika o Ka Lāhui Hawaii, a native Hawaiian
non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...
.
Outside of Hawaii, Trask has worked with the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
to aid indigenous people from around the world seeking
independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
. She was a member of the Indigenous Initiative for Peace, helped author the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP or DOTROIP) is a legally non-binding resolution passed by the United Nations in 2007. It delineates and defines the individual and collective rights of Indigenous peoples, including th ...
and was elected vice chair of the General Assembly of Nations of the
Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, or simply UNPO is an international organization established to facilitate the voices of unrepresented and marginalised nations and peoples worldwide. It was formed on 11 February 1991 in The Ha ...
. For seven years, she worked and studied under the guidance of
Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, MC (; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa ( sq, Nënë Tereza), was an Indian-Albanian Catholic nun who, in 1950, founded the Missionaries of Charity. Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu () was bo ...
. She is the younger sister of activist and writer, Professor
Haunani-Kay Trask
Haunani-Kay Trask (October 3, 1949 – July 3, 2021) was a Native Hawaiian activist, educator, author, and poet. She served as leader of the Hawaiian sovereignty movement and was professor emeritus at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She w ...
.
Mililani graduated Kamehameha Schools in 1969 and earned her JD from
Santa Clara University School of Law
The Santa Clara University School of Law (Santa Clara Law) is the law school of Santa Clara University, a Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, United States, in the Silicon Valley region. The School of Law was founded in 1911. The Jesuit ...
in 1978.
Family
Mililani Trask was born on the island of Oahu in Honolulu, Hawaii, and she has four siblings. Mililani's mother, Haunani Cooper, was a school teacher and Haunani’s mother, Iwalani Haia, worked for the Benevolent Societies on Maui while also engaging in efforts to raise awareness around the
1893 overthrow of Queen Liliuokalani. Mililani's father, Bernard Trask, was a lawyer. Mililani's grandfather, David Trask, was the first sheriff in Honolulu and was affiliated with the Territorial Legislature for 26 years. Her uncle, David Trask Jr., was a senator, a state representative, and a leader of the Hawaii Government Employees Association. He was credited for bringing the power of collective bargaining to the union. Her other uncle, Arthur Trask, was a lawyer and political figure for the Democratic Party who was well known for his abilities as an orator and storyteller.
Office of Hawaiian Affairs
Mililani Trask worked for the
Office of Hawaiian Affairs
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) is a self-governing corporate body of the State of Hawaii created by the 1978 Hawaii State Constitutional Convention.
Background
In 1893, pro-American elements in Hawaii overthrew the monarchy and formed the ...
from 1998 to 2000 as a Trustee at Large. After the passage of the
Rice Decision in 2000 gave non-Hawaiians voting access in OHA elections, Mililani lost her bid for reelection despite the fact that she won the 1998 election by a previously unprecedented number of votes cast by Hawaiians since the formation of OHA in 1978. In 2016 she ran for the Big Island OHA Trustee position on the grounds that the Office of Hawaiian Affairs needed to be more accountable to its beneficiaries. In press interviews and meetings on the topic, she has addressed the need for reform and a change in leadership. Although she did not win the 2016 election, she urged Native Hawaiians to vote.
Mililani Trask has stated that, because the decisions made by OHA impact all of Hawaii, there needs to be more accountability and a focus on the most critical needs of Hawaiians in terms of education, housing, healthcare, incarceration, poverty and jobs instead of political campaigns. Mililani Trask also holds eighteen years of experience with ceded Hawaiian land trusts and affordable housing.
On February 24, the OHA Board of Trustees announced the selection of Mililani Trask to replace Keola Lindsey who resigned on February 1.
Further reading
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trask, Mililani
Kamehameha Schools alumni
Native Hawaiian politicians
Native Hawaiian nationalists
Living people
Native Hawaiian writers
1951 births