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Anyway, here are some First's for Hawaii.
Something Nubian On The Tube
Source: MidWeek
From left, sales consultant Kevin Cassel, segment producer W.C. ‘Phil’ Phillips, executive producer Richard Braunskill and segment host Calvin Griffin
Richard Braunskill has always been a pioneer, and he is once again breaking ground and creating history.
Working out of a makeshift studio in Aina Haina, Braunskill is getting ready to create an Island first. On Wednesday, Nov. 7, Nubian Hawaii News (NHN), the first commercial show about African Americans in Hawaii, will make its broadcast debut. Never before has there been an entire show dedicated to Hawaii’s African American community.
“Each show will examine life in the black community and the diverse relationships connecting all the people of Hawaii,” says Braunskill, 53, the show’s executive producer and founder. “When it comes to what African Americans do here in Hawaii, it’s kind of low key. We do everything everybody else does, but we don’t necessarily get on TV that much. When you’re a minority in a minority place, you have to stand up if you want to be seen. In order for black folks to have their stories told, they can’t rely on anyone else here to do it, so we have to do it ourselves.”
With a sense of joy and pride in his voice, Braunskill says the great diversity of Hawaii and its people is what makes Hawaii so special.
“That’s the one thing that really makes Hawaii a great place - it’s that you get a chance to interact with so many different kinds of people.”
Yet, despite being a “melting pot” with a distinct blend of cultures and races, it is evident to Braunskill that Hawaii is still faced with the strains of stereotype and prejudice that have been going on for years.
“Here in Hawaii, the level of racism is different,” he explains. “When you go to the Mainland a lot of racism is white, black, white, black. Here (Hawaii), the racism is more subtle because of the big Asian influence and the Polynesian influence. It’s a different kind of prejudice.”
He adds, “I’ve been here nine years, but I know a lot of people who have a lot of misconceptions about black people. Even in 2007, they have misconceptions about what black people do. I became annoyed with the fact that most of the people here think that black people here only do security work, or we’re pimps, or that we’re all military.”
It is stereotypes like these that he hopes to put to bed once NHN hits prime-time.
“I don’t want people to think that all black people do is just rap music. You know, we have a very serious cultural side to what it is that black folks do.”
With this said, the premiere of NHN is in memory of black folks who have passed away - national, international and local - in the last year.
“You always pay respect to your elders and to the people who have come before you,” says Braunskill.
He says it is about time Hawaii’s African-American population had a show recognizing the lives of African Americans in Hawaii, not hesitating to hit upon the fact that almost every ethnic group in Hawaii has a television program geared toward them, except African Americans.
“Here, I noticed there is not one real (commercial) TV show about black folks,” Braunskill says. However, “If you go on KIKU, that whole channel is literally Asian. Same thing with the Korean channel, OC16 is mostly local - so every group is represented here except black folks on TV.
“Nobody has taken the time to say ‘Hey, we have stories that also need to be told,’” he adds.
Indeed, Braunskill believes it is the right time and perfect opportunity to change all that with NHN. “The TV landscapes here will be broadened just a little bit more with having a black TV show.”
Each 30-minute weekly segment of NHN will feature a local African-American individual who lives here, followed by an African American with national or international flair. There will also be a “Military Moment,” honoring those fighting for our country.
Residing in Aina Haina, working on video productions and teaching TV production at Jarrett Middle School, Braunskill is single and enjoying his life in Hawaii. Prior to coming to the Islands, he spent most of his life in New York City, where his four children still live. His interest and involvement with television began nearly 48 years ago while still in high school, spending his time volunteering at a public access channel. Braunskill then attended a community college in Eastern Long Island, N.Y., majoring in broadcast communications and going on to receive his certificate of completion at the Television Studio School of New York in Manhattan, for productions, studio operations, direction and editing in 1980. It was during this time that he realized minorities didn’t have much of a voice in public access television. So Braunskill took it upon himself to make their presence known, creating and producing shows for Native Americans, African Americans, Latinos and Asian Americans.
Now, being that beacon of hope for the African-American community in Hawaii, Braunskill is using NHN to bring the lives of Hawaii’s African-American community to the forefront. Hosted by Braunskill himself, along with a variety of other hosts, he explains, “The premise of this locally produced show is to give the viewers enlightening stories of local black people, places and things.
“We’re going to cover as many different aspects about being black as possible. We will do mostly positive pieces, but we will also deal with issues. For the most part we want this to be a positive affirmation about what black folks do,” he says. “Kwanzaa is coming up, they do a Kwanzaa celebration here in Hawaii.”
Braunskill says the unique aspect of NHN is the strong foundation it has set on building relationships with others.
“This show recognizes that all people who live here have a relationship with everyone else who resides here.
“I’m hoping that this show will help unify the community in a way that they (blacks) can now have a voice. This show is a vehicle to be able to tell stories of what we do. So I’m hoping the black folks here will say, ‘Wow, this is my chance to tell my story.’”
New Hispanic business association in Hawaii - Latin Business Association of Hawaii (LBAH)
Recent Census Bureau reports indicate there are about 104,000 Hispanics in Hawaii (8% of population). These Hispanics hail from, or are descendants of citizens of, 22 Spanish-speaking countries. And while there are successful Hispanic businesspeople and professionals in various industries in the islands, we lacked a professionally-run Hispanic business organization of mainstream quality. In response to that need, the Latin Business Association of Hawaii — “LBAH”ť — was recently created.
The mission of LBAH is to: 1) promote and support the economic growth of Hawaii’s Hispanic businesses and individuals; and 2) to serve as a link between Hawaii Hispanic businesses and the global business community.
LBAH is a pan-Hispanic organization created by “cultural cousins”ť: two Puerto Ricans, a Mexican and a Cuban. The organization is based on the well-known Spanish proverb “Hoy por ti, mańana por mi.”ť (“Today for you, tomorrow for me”ť). Each member has a different set of knowledge, resources and contacts. He/she agrees to share those to help the businesses of fellow members grow and succeed.
We support positive, proactive activities in Hispanic education; civic leadership and community development; AND create business opportunities for our members. Our goal is to become the leading voice for Hispanic businesses and businesspeople in Hawaii.
