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Over the past two years we have collectively experienced an unprecedented disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The challenges and inequities facing Hawai‘i families were laid to bare and exemplified by long lines at food pantries. We also saw a silver lining as for the first time in many of our lifetimes, we experienced life without visitors and saw our ‘āina begin to regenerate itself. The virtual world and option for remote work also created new challenges as well as opportunities.
It was subsequently an opportune time to reflect on the people and communities fighting against development imposed on them in the '70s and '80s. In 1992 leaders from these communities assembled to define the kind of development they did want: development that would respect culture and values, distribute wealth equitably, and empower residents rather than leave them disenfranchised – development guided by the needs and priorities of the communities themselves. The vision was given a name, Community-Based Economic Development (CBED), and an organization was founded to advance it. The Hawaiʻi Alliance for Community-Based Economic Development (HACBED) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, established in 1992, designed to encourage increased investment in community-based approaches to economic development, which still resonates -- perhaps more so as we gradually emerge out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The HACBED team worked with its board and Founders over this time period to connect, support one another, and think about how the 30th Anniversary Celebration might be an opportunity to come together during this momentous time. The 30th Anniversary Celebration was an opportunity for us to be self-reflective, share what we have been observing alongside our partners over the past five years, and subsequently lift up the areas we aim to explicitly support and pursue. Although the COVID-19 pandemic limited the number of people we could invite, it was also a time to reconnect, strategize a little, and have some fun! Given the need to limit attendance, we wanted to share that experience via this story board and welcome additional thoughts and feedback from you all!
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“Coming together with a mindset of kākou, including all living creatures to rethink how we as a community can organize to reimagine our economy towards a vision of cultural wellness as we face climate change in both physical and social embodiments.”
-Distilled guiding statement from our Founders, board, and staff to guide our work going forward
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HACBED owes its longevity to the aloha, support, and partnership of all of you. The team and board sends a big big mahalo, much aloha, and healthy vibes to you all -- and we look forward to continued and new collaborations to support our families and communities across this pae ʻāina! And if you are able to and interested to support our work going forward, we humbly ask for your support!
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