Amata's Pacific Notebook: VISIBILITY AND NETWORKING
October 20, 2007

When shown a map of the globe for the first time by a Mainlander, with the Samoan Islands pointed out to him as tiny dots in a vast sea of blue, the old chief peered closely and then, as the story goes, demanded to know "who drew this map?" Well, the chief's indignation at others' perception of our size not withstanding, the fact remains that Pacific Islanders of all stripes (including Native Hawaiians), both in the islands and on the Mainland, constitute less that 0.03% of the U.S. population. To make sure it is understood, that is not three percent but three tenths of one percent of the population. And Samoans make up only a portion of that total.

So it is no surprise that, as one of our political leaders once expressed it, "by and large, [they] don't even know we exist." Like Avis Rent-a-Car, that means we have to try harder. So, when we have a front page feature story in the Chicago Tribune about Samoans serving in the military or a front page feature story in the Washington Post about all the Samoans in professional football, even if there are some forgivable inaccuracies, it is all to the good because it helps put us on the map. And when our soldiers and athletes gain recognition at the top of their fields, that's even better.

Yes, we have our star football players, rugby teams, sumo wrestlers and now our superstar pro wrestler turned actor "The Rock," but when it comes to government and politics, we still have a long way to go to gain high visibility. Of course, there is Senator Dan Akaka of Hawaii, the most powerful Polynesian in Washington and Mufi Hannemann, the Samoan Mayor of Honolulu, whose star is still on the rise, but with a population so small, we have to work extra hard to take all the opportunities we are given to make sure we are visible in the political world.

So, when then media criticizes our local leaders for off-island travel, you won't find me joining the chorus when the mission directly benefits American Samoa, as was the case with Governor Togiola's and his delegation's recent trip to Guam for the Interior Department's investment conference. At the same time the governor was away, I had the opportunity to take part in a number of off-island meetings over a 10-day period and was happy to make sure we took our seats at the table.

In San Diego I participated in the biannual meeting of the Western Republican Leadership Conference (WRLC), which brought together party leaders and officeholders from all the western states and territories. Among other things, this meeting gave me a chance to remind California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger that we have a large and growing Samoan population in his state, particularly in the very area where we were meeting. I am going to look forward to following up with his staff advisor on Asian and Pacific communities.

In that regard and by pure coincidence, the 13th annual Pacific Islanders Festival was being held nearby on the very same weekend as the WRLC. So, when the last speaker finished at WRLC, I jumped into the car and headed over to the festival, where I was able to renew a lot of old friendships and bring fresh news from home to folks who have been away for many years. I also met a lot of young Samoans who were born in California and never have been home yet have an affinity for the islands that runs deeply in their blood. I found that very gratifying.

The organizing committee, PIFA, needed no lessons from me on visibility. They now have a permanent home at Ski Beach and have fine tuned the logistics to make for a very smooth, pleasurable experience for the 150,000 people who visited over the course of the weekend to watch the singing and dancing, eat island food, sample island handicraft and see other goods that are sold from booths that line the edges of the festival grounds. Clearly local politicians know what a potent force we islanders can be, because the San Diego mayor made it a point to be present at the opening ceremony, where he presented to PIFA a certificate proclaiming Pacific Island day.

Of course, no visit to PIFA is complete without a visit to one of our many Samoan churches in the area. In fact, I was able to attend the non-denominational service that was held on Sunday morning on the festival grounds, and then slip away for a couple of hours to attend a service at one of the Congregational churches. It is always a highlight to the sounds of a beautiful choir and it was particularly gratifying to see so many young people taking part in the choir. Again I was able to bring greetings from families back home and to take messages with me that I could bring back to the islands.

Because San Diego is so important to American Samoa as the home of the American tuna industry, I made it a point to make a courtesy call on industry officials to gain a better understanding of the problems they face now in light of the recent minimum wage hike and other increases pending in the future. I will have more to say about my meetings at a later time but I was pleased to have this opportunity and plan to return to San Diego in the future to learn more. Originally, I was going to "work my way up the coast" by visiting family and friends in Oceanside, Carson and Torrance for three days before heading to another meeting in Palm Springs but because Governor Lingle invited me to attend her 4th annual International Women's Leadership Conference, I decided to make a quick one-day trip back to Honolulu to make certain we were represented at this important event as well.

The governor asked some of the most remarkable and inspiring female leaders from Hawaii, across our nation and around the world to spend the day with us and, remarkably, Governor Lingle herself spent the entire day with us as well. After hearing what these extraordinary women had to say, each with a fascinating and challenging career that has had an incredible impact on our world, I can understand why. I found the experience enormously uplifting and motivating and I know I speak for the nearly one thousand women in the audience when I say was honored to hear them talk about the many lessons they have learned.

One of the main messages to come out of the conference is that influential women leaders can and must serve as mentors and coaches to guide other women in their careers. We have an obligation to mentor the next generation of female leaders and to provide the shoulders for them to stand on. We must be willing to capitalize on opportunities to help other women. That is how we help make the world a better place. When I return home next week, I plan to retell the inspiring stories I heard from these women. Readers who do not want to wait, and have the computer capability to do so, can listen to the presentations directly through Governor Lingle's website:

http://www.hawaii.gov/gov/news/enewsletter/2007-newsletters/WrapUp.

After the Honolulu conference, it was back to Los Angeles and right on to Palm Springs where I knew (rightly) that I would be the only Samoan at the biennial convention of the National Federation of Republican Women (NFRW). In fact, Palm Springs is not exactly teeming with a Samoan community but I did have a meeting with one Samoan man who I learned from a local conventioneer lived in the area. I had a good chance to hear from his vantage point issues that need to be watched in federal immigration reform. However, my main purpose in attending this gathering was to bring to the convention for approval our application to have an affiliated club in American Samoa.

I had not belonged to NFRW before this nor have I ever attended one of their conventions. But I am glad I did. A group of younger women in American Samoa expressed interest in organizing a group and having the opportunity to nurture its formation lets me put into practice what Gov. Lingle and her speakers were preaching in Honolulu. Even though we do not have partisan elections in American Samoa, what happens nationally affects us all and by forming a local club affiliated with a national organization, we are given a badly needed mechanism to be heard nationally.

New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a major contender for president, spoke at one of the sessions and I was glad American Samoa had representation there to hear him. After all, we do have nine delegate votes and the nomination is unsettled. He is one of only a half dozen people who has a realistic chance of becoming the next President of the United States when President Bush steps down on January 20, 2009.

My final stop in Southern California was Los Angeles for the annual alumni reunion at Loyola Marymount University, where I undertook most of my undergraduate studies. I attended what was then Marymount College and when it merged with Loyola University my junior year and moved to the Loyola campus, being homesick and having no college available in American Samoa, I decided to finish up at the University of Guam. Nevertheless, I made many friendships with students and faculty while I was at Marymount and had not been back since, so I was glad that there was one more coincidence of scheduling that permitted me to renew more old friendships and make some valuable new ones.

My scheduling luck ran out at this point because even though I was next heading to Washington, I knew a prior commitment would mean I would have to miss last week's Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Health and Well-Being Summit. Chaired by our own Kawen Young and organized by Nancy Fa'asiu Glass, this two day event was attended by NH&PI community leaders both from the states and the territories. This is another group that needs no lecture from me on visibility because, in addition to their sessions, they had a well planned day of visitations to Capitol Hill to meet with key members of the House and Senate. I have seen the list of participants and I can tell you that Samoans were well represented.

Regrettably, I had to be out of the city on those days and missed the conference but I am so pleased it was held and turned out so well. I made one more major stop, which I will tell you about next time, and I will be on my way home next week. I am just happy I had the opportunity to carry the banner for American Samoa. I was able to educate people on American Samoa and make sure we were represented wherever we were offered a seat. Now, at least a few more people will know where to find us on the map. And I did it all without spending a nickel of government funds!

As always, I would love to hear your comments. Please e-mail me at aumuaamata@mail.com.

This story first appeared in Samoa News on Oct. 19, 2007.