african american kids in Oahu (fit in, elementary school, living in)

[kzeek]

We have been having huge debates on moving to Hawaii. I have a daughter who is African American. Although I realize she will be in the minority, does anyone have any opinions on how the feel/vibe is for school age kids and perceptions/acceptance of other races? We currently are very urban and she is equally represented at her school as is just about every other race. She loves the diversity. I am just trying to figure out how difficult this transition would be for her. I would love to hear the locals opinions and especially if any other African American folks living in Hawaii have any input.

[manoagirl]

Originally Posted by kzeek

We have been having huge debates on moving to Hawaii. I have a daughter who is African American. Although I realize she will be in the minority, does anyone have any opinions on how the feel/vibe is for school age kids and perceptions/acceptance of other races? We currently are very urban and she is equally represented at her school as is just about every other race. She loves the diversity. I am just trying to figure out how difficult this transition would be for her. I would love to hear the locals opinions and especially if any other African American folks living in Hawaii have any input.

Aloha, I have a cousin who married an African American male and she has two children by him who are mixed but they take after their African American father in phenotype and hair. They look African with dark skin. They are also the only two African American children in their school due to the area they live in. They seem to be doing fine because they are "local African Americans". Sometimes other children tease them mainly due to their hair type not race. In regards to vibe my cousin said other kids tease them and call them names like "Nappy hair" "Barbwire" and "Brillo pad" and there is very little she can do about it. Kids can be cruel.
They are both in elementary school. Hopefully your daughter is thick skin and can let thing go in one ear and out the other. Best to send your daughter to a private school.

The problem that may arise later is when they get older. They probably won't have a strong African American identity to relate too or they may feel like they don't fit into the African American community if they decide to live on the mainland.

If you want your daughter to have a strong African American Idenity then best to stay on the mainland, other wise they may form their identity through the eyes of others and the opinions of others around them. To be honest what ever your race may be if your race does not have a good public image then some people tend to stereotype especially if they display qualities of that stereotype.

Any kid coming from the mainland will have a unique set of problems because they will be viewed as an "Mainlander" regardless of their race. Even if you are a Hawaiian that was born and raised on the mainland you can have some problems, not because of your race but because of your "Foreign ways" and lack of understanding of local culture. Many times Black and White Americans have good racial relations in Hawaii because they may find they have more in common with each other than they had realized. You will also find the least prejudice White Americans living on the Island as oppose to the mainland. On a positive note If you do decide to raise your daughter on the Islands she probably will not grow up with anger towards Whites Americans or other races, but learn how to get along with all different races.