Rev. Abraham Akana became a personal friend of Martin Luther King, Jr. when he welcomed him to Oahu in 1959 to address the first legislature of this new state after it joined the Union that year. Six years later, when Dr. King invited clergy from across the United States to march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965, Rev. Akana wrote to Dr. King, “Dear brother, Martin Luther King, as you bring good news to the meek, bind up those that are bruised, release the captives, our prayer and aloha reach to enfold you.”
A delegation from Oahu carried Akana’s message with hand-made lei that King, Abernathy, Rabbi Heschel, and others can be seen wearing when they locked arms to begin the historic march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
Following our Love Forward Together march in Eastern North Carolina last month, we responded to the call of churches in Hawaii, where thousands of poor and low-income people are losing access to healthcare and nutrition assistance today. It was a gift to remember our shared history, preach in their churches last weekend, and begin a training process in moral fusion organizing with nearly 100 clergy and lay leaders.
We are glad to be able to share our message from this past Sunday at the Kawaiaha’o Church with your here on Our Moral Moment.
