FDLP Resource Guides: Then and Now Experiences of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders: Home

Overview

Learn about past and present heritages and civil rights experiences of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, an individual's response is based upon self-identification of their race and ethnicity, and may identify with more than one. This guide follows the bureau's current definition:

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander – A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands."

According to the 2020 Census Data, "nearly 200,000 people identified as Native Hawaiian alone, and 680,442 identified as Native Hawaiian alone or in any combination." Below is a screenshot of the data table providing more details:

Recognizing and Observing NHPI Heritage

In addition to Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May, see below information on some annual NHPI events.

Date	Event
First Monday in March	Guam History and Chamorro Heritage Day Recognizes when Ferdinand Magellan discovered Guam in 1521 and celebrates the cultural heritage of the Chamorro people
March 26th	Prince Kūhiō Day Celebrates the birthday of Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Piʻikoi (1871–1922)
June 11th	King Kamehameha I Day Commemorates the unification of the Hawaiian islands by King Kamehameha I in 1810 and his legacy
Second Sunday in October	Lotu Tamaiti (White Sunday) Celebrates childhood
December 8th	Santa Marian Kamalen Day (Our Lady of Camarin) Observes religious services in Guam associated with the over 300-year-old statue of the Virgin Mary

Related FDLP Resource Guides

American Indian and Alaska Native Resources

Genealogy

Then and Now Experiences of Blacks and African Americans

Elections and Voting Rights

The U.S. Congressional Delegates of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam have the "same powers as other members of the House, except that they may not vote when the House is meeting as the House of Representatives" (House.gov).

Then and Now Experiences of American Indians and Alaska Natives

Then and Now Experiences of Hispanics and Latinos

Then and Now Experiences of Asians and Asian Americans

Then and Now Experiences of the LGBTQ+ Community