S. A. Kauʻionālani Pratt-Aquino
Name S. A. Kau’ionālani Pratt-Aquino
Age 44
Town/Moku He'eia
Island Oʻahu
Social Media Handle @kauiprattaquino
Nominated by Reyn Kaupiko
Leadership Category Mauli Ola - Health, Personal & Family Development
Share with us a little about yourself and what you do.
My name is Kau'i Pratt-Aquino. I am a mom, a community organizer, small business owner and attorney. I was raised in the Kāne'ohe and Kailua communities and have been actively involved in several issues that are important to Hawaiians as well as the broader community. This includes but is not limited to the protection and preservation of water and 'āina, support of local food production and sustainability, support for small businesses and an advocate for strong community-based leadership. I love our home and care about our future. I have tried my best to invest my time on these issues because I believe they are all important.
During the pandemic, I was engaged in several grassroots initiatives to help families. This included launching a food distribution site in my community and supporting small businesses. I have also had the honor to be a front-line advocate against corporate water theft at the state level.
My hope is that our collective work will allow our people to thrive in our homeland.
Why is the work that you do important to you? The community?
The work that I have chosen to engage in, in my opinion, will ensure a safe and secure future for our children and the communities they live in. Access to land, water and food provide the basic structure for security in order for our lāhui to excel. We have the resources to become successful. We must look within our communities for the answers instead of looking outside to solve our problems. The COVID-19 pandemic showed us all how vulnerable we are. Our families are food insecure. Our small businesses are not thriving. Instead, we are all living pay check to pay check. To address this, it is imperative that we create a circular economy where local producers are directly linked to our small businesses. The food that we feed our children is produced here. That our farmers have access to water to grow culturally important foods. That we start the process to move away from a western diet to one that is locally grown. We can do it. We just need to build systems that promote this.
Share with us the qualities of leadership you admire and how you express those in your life.
I admire those leaders who are strong, genuine, authentic and humble. I love those members of our community who often times go unnoticed for their contributions. I try my best to connect with them to express my appreciation for their sacrifices. These same individuals create the foundation for all of us succeed. We must recognize their work and contributions.
Who has inspired you to do the work that you are doing?
As a first generation college graduate, my parents inspired me to contribute to the greater community, pushing me to do things they only dreamed of but could not because they were too busy trying to support our family. This includes becoming the first attorney in our family. Although they have both passed on, I committed to the work that we started together in hopes that their legacy of growth, hope and charity will continue on through the next generation. I am also inspired by those advocates who have sacrificed personally to support initiatives that are important to us all.
What is one word that describes something you are excited about for the lāhui?
Innovation
What is one word that describes a pressing issue that is facing our lāhui?
Attrition