Allison “Ally” Choy

Name allison “ally” choy

Age 57

Town/Moku Waiʻanae

Island O’ahu

Leadership Category MAuli ola-health

Nominated by Kamehaililani Waiau

Share with us a little about yourself and what you do.

• I am employed with Maui College, Research Corporation of UH, the Hawaiʻi Child Welfare Continuous Quality Improvement project. We assist the Child Welfare Services (aka CPS) with doing case reviews (random selection) to keep up with federal mandates, policies and procedures, updating and implementing necessary changes and data collection. My main role is coordinating Case Staffings for the Department of Human Services Child Welfare Services (CWS) staff when the social worker, supervisor or administrators run into “road blocks” or to assist with covering safety threat identification, permanency pathways, tricky or sensitive circumstances for their cases in working with families across our pae ʻāina.

• While with the CWS, I did community outreaches, that was named DHS/CWS ʻaha, for 11 years. I was tasked with simply hoʻohulili – building bridges in our communities. Actually, thatʻs how I chose to represent or I daresay, tweeked it to become. I had two goals I wanted to achieve, contrary to what the design of the administration was. 1) to be transparent in the communities and affect change on the way the public perceived the CWS. And ask them for their help, by sharing that in their village, they have X amount of kids that need homes in their neighborhood. 2) Most important and ultimately ending my time doing the ‘aha, was to recommend and prove to the administration that contracted services were missing the cultural piece. Hawaiʻi being an ʻumeke of diversity of ethnicities and that all peoples need to connect to their piko. Hence, I was able to contract Earl Kawa’a to work with the biological parents and do the following series:

o Mo’olelo – parents that participated shared their mo’olelo as to why they were involved with CWS. First step to breaking down barriers, building pilina and trust.

o Mele Inoa – parents wrote a song or poem to a child of their choosing. It was beneficial to address the specific child they caused the harm to. Mihi/begin healing and responsibility of the harm/abuse caused to the ‘ohana or keiki.

o Board and Stone – Together, families worked on and created their own ‘ohana heirlooms of finishing a poi pounding board and poi pounders. Family strengthening and continued healing. Alakaʻi present modeled what Kawaʻa has been teaching in the B & S classes.

o Hoʻoponopono – Break parents down and build them back up – better then when they came. Presented by Kawaʻa and 3-4 skilled personnel he chose to be alongside of him.

o The success of this “controlled group” was beyond what the administration was prepared for. Most of these parents did not reunify with their children, but, they were able move on and release their children to other family members or members in the community while maintaining family connections. To date, the CWS has made some strides: We Are Oceania for the Micronesian communities.

• Iʻve served ka poʻe o kahakai, our homeless population for 10+ years, which ended a few years ago though. I took relief as more churches were coming out, givng them a chance to pilina with those on the beach, more importantly my ʻohana was growing. I am still connected to many that WERE out there.

• I seem to be on-call with my community! Whether it be pilikia within the ʻohana or oneself, or CWS, the law, some kind of need – I may not be able to provide for the need but can offer resources. My most precious commodity that I give is my time – like so many others in our community.

• Papa/Pōhaku classes, Board and Stone in Every Home with Earl Kawaʻa and Keiki o ka ʻĀina. Family engagement and cultural learning/enhancement are at the top of this class. There can be at least two classes throughout the year from Kalihi, Waimānalo, Papakōlea or wherever the interest may ignite (Punaluʻu, Moʻiliʻili, etc.).

• I am currently a haumāna with Kumu Kawaʻa in the practice of hoʻoponopono, along with ʻanakala Dennis Kauahi, ʻanakē Malina Kaulukukui, and Lahela Kruse, via ʻaha Kāne that stretches across our pae ʻāina. Please donʻt misunderstand, we donʻt just sit in a classroom walaʻau, we get called out and have to be prepared any given time.
• When not doing any of the above, I love being available for my moʻopuna and the rest of my ʻohana. I find my balance being in the māla, especially since COVID hit everyone hard. Yet in this difficult time, it allowed me to grow some food for my ʻohana, friends and neighbors. In that space, the peace of Akua surrounds me, allowing me to get back into balance, ponder the troubling things and seek solutions – or to let go. Helps me to manage my mana.

Why is the work that you do important to you? The community? Wow - - (uē) For ka poʻe o Hawaiʻi. After spendng nearly 20 years working for CWS, Iʻve seen the disproportionate numbers of kanaka ʻōiwi in government controlled/run systems that have not been effective for our people. I did all I could and more while with CWS – my new position helps to affect systemic changes that can help my kanaka to become better for themselves, their ʻohana; to help establish cultural identities that will help them heal from the inside out and not to have only cookie-cut services that allows them to “act” better. When kanaka identify with their culture/heritage (whatever they identify with) and realize the inherent richness that they have been blessed with, they break. To fix a kane, the kane needs to acknowledge his brokenness. Sometimes someone has to break them with the truth for one to see self in the reflection/mirror. The resiliency one possesses cannot be seen while in the vomit, so it is good to stretch out oneʻs arm to get another out of the vomit. This work gives me the opportunity to exercise hoʻopono and to be there for anyone that would ask of me. Iʻm tired of seeing kamaka ʻōiwi in despair – someone needs to advocate for them when they cannot do themselves, even when they make the stupidest choices...

I have been transplanted to Waiʻanae. This community has so much to give to the world. I choose not to acknowledge the stigma, labels and brokenness my community has been afforded. If I can touch one kane, one wahine, one keiki, I can strive to reach another, and another, and another. My heart is that kanaka ʻōiwi everywhere walk with their eyes averted to the ground (haʻahaʻa) but their hearts soaring to the heavens (haʻaheo).

Share with us the qualities of leadership you admire and how you express those in your life.

Ke Akua Mana Loa first and foremost – Spiritual grounding. Doing rather then dictating. I must do what I desire of others. The real-life thing: sometimes I fall short or no can. But Iʻve learned that it is okay, and I strive to be better, daily. My hale must be up to par before I can look in anotherʻs hale.
In my house, we have ʻohana time every Wednesday. My keiki have gone through this and now my moʻopuna. We talk story, check-in with each other and pule for our community, government, schools, friends and family, as well as needs anyone knows of. They are my moʻo, hanging out where Grams goes, to listen, observe and like me, when they are older, they will do.
When a need is heard about, if we can we do, if no can, we pule anway.
I admire those that continue to teach, those willing to share their cultural ʻike. Those that still roll up their sleeves and get the lepo in-between their toes and not point in the direction. I can admire those that lead in this way because that is the way I know how, I appreciate and know that it works well for others. Only then I can do the same.

Who has inspired you to do the work that you are doing?

My mama. Her heritage that she could not express outwardly during her time/place. Which unfortunately, caused her to become ashamed of who she truly was. She spoke perfect english (unlike me, broken/pidgin), could recite the constitution, sing the star bangled banner, verses I never heard of – all things I thought was a waste of my time. Yet, she taught her children to honor everyone and all things in our daily lives and the Paipala. She could feed all my siblingsʻ friends when they came over, nobody went home hungry. If they didnʻt have a home or needed a break from their home, our parlor floor was covered with sleeping bodies. She rarely spoke or explained things. We watched, observed, listened and then as an adult, naturally, we did. Hatred was never near us – then life happens and we have to go to school, then university of life began. It is then that I learned hatred, shamefulness and poverty. All these things that I was unaware of – because at home we learned the opposite. My eyes were opened. In her silence, mama has taught us so much, it is worth a book. No grumble, get up and do it! While making the place/person better then the way it was found...

Kumu Kawaʻa. I choose him as well because in my adult life, walking as a Christian, I have lost my own cultural identity in my struggles to be Christian for 20+ years, putting my heritage on the back burner. Again, the stigma of being heathen and having a bit of a taste of what my mama may have struggled with during her time/place. I did not know how to be a Hawaiian me (english word). His hoʻoponopono teachings has rekindled EVERYTHING I learned as a child. It has brought back my culture and to live it again. Really, itʻs being pono, like mama said, “with everyone and everything, leave it better!” Kumu Kawaʻa has taught me that Christianity and Hawaiʻi goes hand in hand, to honor, treasure, and share it. He is a confident, ikaika, akamai kane – I missed him when I was growing up. He also makes me miss my mama more.

What is one word that describes something you are excited about for the lāhui?

HOLOMUA – progress going forward. We, as a people are making progress as we move forward.

What is one word that describes a pressing issue that is facing our lāhui?

IDENTITY – ‘Ike e ho’omaopopo ai
I believe when we are broken, we begin to ponder. We must begin to think on things which come naturally. It all comes back to knowing who we are as an individual and collectively as a people to holomua in ALL aspects of our lives.