Mark Patterson
Name Mark Patterson
Age 58
Town/Moku Makaha
Island Oʻahu
Social Media Handle N/A
Nominated by Summer Keliʻipio
Leadership Category Mauli Ola - Health, Personal & Family Development
Share with us a little about yourself and what you do.
When I graduated from Kamehameha the finale challenged given to me and my classmates was "For all that the Princess Pauahi has done for you what will you do for her?" Six years later after obtaining two degrees I was hired as an Adult Correctional Officer at the Halawa High Security Facility. I decided at the age of twenty-three years that i would be the presence of the Princess to the incarcerated Native Hawaiians within The Hawaii Correctional System. That was thirty four years ago, the last fourteen years i served as Warden to the Women's Community Correctional Center and now Currently the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility. My work can be best described as The Criminal Justice System as a place of Healing, a Sanctuary a Puuhonua.
Why is the work that you do important to you? The community?
The people, Lahui. We as native Hawaiians are only as strong as the weakest makaainana. in the two hundred years since the death of Kamehameha the great. Native Hawaiian system of family has endured great change and experienced historical trauma under western concepts and interventions. Many of our families after generation of struggle have become resilient many are still marginalized. Intergenerational poverty and incarceration has become a way of life, with the only viable solution to leave our island home. indigenous models of healing and welfare need to be advocated in our systems of mental health, human services and corrections so that opportunity for hope can be realized. The state system programs are design often to enable, Hawaiian community service providers need to be engaged more by the state to assist in the journey of self, alongside community inclusion.
Share with us the qualities of leadership you admire and how you express those in your life.
Ke Akua. The knowledge of Ke Akua is important in leadership. It is the understanding that their is a higher power guiding the journey of life. A leader grounded in sound spiritual belief will lead with purpose that is best described as a calling. I was raised in the Hawaiian Kalewina tradition of Christianity, fifth generation since my great great grandfather Kamakea converted on the north shore of Oahu by the missionary Reverend Emerson.
Kuleana. There is a need for a leader to clearly understand that what he does is from a place of Kuleana. When there is the feeling of responsibility, it becomes the fuel for action and movement rather then complacency. There is an urgency on every decision making effort.Three generation above me role modeled kuleana of the wellbeing for members of the lahui.
Onipa'a. Steadfast for me is believing in what you are doing and actively advocating and moving to the point of risk, and at the same time always challenging the system and its attempt at maintaining the status quo. This is the part of leadership that I attribute to the absence of fear. In the work that I lead and the partners that follow, we are blazing trails in areas never before done, there are success and there are failures and in that process we learn that change is needed.
When you look at our voyaging ancestors, it was important for spirituality to be part of the canoe for the navigator to be in touch with the elements that guided his decisions and the crews belief in him. There needed to be kuleana among the canoe members so that survival was assured. An attitude of no fear and a Onipa'a belief that a better life was ahead that drove the mindset of all who dwelled on the canoe.
Who has inspired you to do the work that you are doing?
When I was a young boy growing up in makaha my grandmother would bring the local drunk home, She would feed him, make him work in the yard have him bathe, feed him again and then pay him. The next day I would see him sitting in front of seven eleven drunk begging for money. She would do this several time a month. Finally I asked her why she did what she did, if he kept on doing the same thing over and over again? My grandmothers reply was short simple and has stayed with me my entire life. She said "Bum bye u understand". The ability to care for others in need, is a life long journey of understanding.
What is one word that describes something you are excited about for the lāhui?
Resiliency. Too often we are bombarded with the negativity of Hawaiian issues. I often think of the quote when looking at a glass of water that is filled halfway. The questions always, Is the glass half full or half empty, however the person would answer would show either the persons optimistic or pessimistic view. Too often media has portrayed the pessimist view of the Hawaiian experience in local society. not enough is focus on the optimistic success. We as Hawaiians are resilient that is a movement that we should all focus on now; it is a movement of hope. Individually, families and communities’ examples are out there. We need to uplift ourselves because we have seen nobody will do it for us. We must become the community of the canoe again.
What is one word that describes a pressing issue that is facing our lāhui?
Nana: Vision. We know what we want in terms of self-determination, but we lack the navigational skills to get there as a majority if not as a whole. Many have sought their own sovereignty living in the remote areas of our Aina, many hold the dream, but we as a people lack the leadership to make are hope actionable. There is no doubt it is a long journey but as descendants of ocean voyagers. We have the genetics for the long run. How do we develop these future navigators and leaders to move a people in deliberate steps in a long journey to our biggest dream of independence? That for me is the biggest issues, we need a generation of dreamers but most importantly dream navigators.