| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 15,000 (1%) | |
| Languages | |
| English, Pidgin, Chuukese, Palauan, Marshallese | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Austronesians |
Micronesians in Hawaii are Hawaii residents whose ancestry comes from Micronesia, a subregion of Oceania. There are an estimated 15,000 Micronesians in Hawaii, comprising 1% of the total population. [1]
In 1986, the United States established the Compact of Free Association with three countries in Micronesia: the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau and the Marshall Islands. [2] As a result of COFA provisions, people from these three countries were allowed to live and work permanently in the United States. Due to Micronesia's poorer healthcare quality, many Micronesians migrated to America to receive greater medical benefits. [3] Hawaii received a large portion of these migrants, causing the formation of a large Micronesian community in Hawaii.
In Hawaii, Micronesians are one of the most discriminated groups, largely due to stereotypes about their lower economic status and heavier reliance on welfare. [3] [4] Charles Rudolph Paul, the former Marshallese ambassador to the United States, expressed concern about the levels of racism Micronesians face in Hawaii. [3]
The Federated States of Micronesia is an island country in Oceania. It consists of four states—from west to east, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae—that are spread across the western Pacific. Together, the states comprise around 607 islands that cover a longitudinal distance of almost 2,700 km (1,700 mi) just north of the equator. They lie northeast of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, south of Guam and the Marianas, west of Nauru and the Marshall Islands, east of Palau and the Philippines, about 2,900 km (1,800 mi) north of eastern Australia, 3,400 km (2,100 mi) southeast of Japan, and some 4,000 km (2,485 mi) southwest of the main islands of the Hawaiian Islands.
Honolulu is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is the unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island of Oʻahu, and is the westernmost and southernmost major U.S. city. Honolulu is Hawaii's main gateway to the world. It is also a major hub for business, finance, hospitality, and military defense in both the state and Oceania. The city is characterized by a mix of various Asian, Western, and Pacific cultures, reflected in its diverse demography, cuisine, and traditions.
The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the International Date Line. Geographically, the country is part of the larger island group of Micronesia.
Palau, officially the Republic of Palau and historically Belau, Palaos or Pelew, is an island country and microstate in the western Pacific. The nation has approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the Caroline Islands with parts of the Federated States of Micronesia. It has a total area of 466 square kilometers (180 sq mi). The most populous island is Koror, home to the country's most populous city of the same name. The capital Ngerulmud is located on the nearby island of Babeldaob, in Melekeok State. Palau shares maritime boundaries with international waters to the north, the Federated States of Micronesia to the east, Indonesia to the south, and the Philippines to the northwest.
The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) was a United Nations trust territory in Micronesia administered by the United States from 1947 to 1994. The Imperial Japanese South Seas Mandate had been seized by the US during the Pacific War. The Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands and Palau are today independent states in a Compact of Free Association with the US. The Northern Mariana Islands remain under US jurisdiction, as an unincorporated territory and commonwealth.
The Compact of Free Association (COFA) is an international agreement establishing and governing the relationships of free association between the United States and the three Pacific Island sovereign states of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), and the Republic of Palau. As a result, these countries are sometimes known as the Freely Associated States.
The Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE) is a statewide public education system in the United States. The school district can be thought of as analogous to the school districts of other cities and communities in the United States, but in some manners can also be thought of as analogous to the state education agencies of other states. As the official state education agency, the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education oversees all 283 public schools and charter schools and over 13,000 teachers in the State of Hawaiʻi. It serves approximately 185,000 students annually. The HIDOE is currently headed by Superintendent Keith Hayashi. The department is headquartered in the Queen Liliuokalani Building in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu on the island of Oahu.
Charles Kong Djou is an American politician who served as U.S. representative for Hawaii's 1st congressional district from 2010 to 2011. Appointed by President Joe Biden, Djou currently serves as the Secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission. A former member of the Republican Party, Djou won his congressional seat in a May 2010 special election where the Democratic Party vote was split between several candidates. He was defeated in the November general election after the Democratic primary provided a single opponent.
Brian Emanuel Schatz is an American educator and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Hawaii, a seat he has held since 2012. A member of the Democratic Party, Schatz served in the Hawaii House of Representatives from 1998 to 2006, representing the 25th legislative district; as the chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawaii from 2008 to 2010; and as the 12th lieutenant governor of Hawaii from 2010 to 2012.
Pacific Islander Americans are Americans who are of Pacific Islander ancestry. For its purposes, the United States census also counts Aboriginal Australians as part of this group.
Colleen Wakako Hanabusa is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Hawaii's 1st congressional district from 2011 to 2015 and again from 2016 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she ran for her party's nomination for governor of Hawaii in 2018, challenging and losing to incumbent and fellow Democrat David Ige.
Marshall Islands–United States relations are bilateral relations between Marshall Islands and the United States.
Micronesian Americans are Americans who are descended from people of the Federated States of Micronesia. According to the 2010 census, a total of 8,185 residents self-identified as having origins in the country, which consists of four states. More than half of these residents identified their origin as Chuuk State (4,211) with the rest as follows: 2,060 people from Pohnpei, 1,018 from Yap, and 906 people from Kosrae.
Honolulu County is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The city-county includes both the city of Honolulu and the rest of the island of Oʻahu, as well as several minor outlying islands, including all of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands except Midway Atoll.
Andon L. Amaraich was a Micronesian public servant, politician, diplomat and judge. He was, at the time of his death, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He has been described by the Micronesian government as "one of the founding fathers of the Federated States of Micronesia".
The 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii were held on Tuesday, November 4, 2014 to elect the two U.S. representatives from the state of Hawaii, one from each of the state's two congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including an election for Governor of Hawaii and a special election to the United States Senate.
An independence referendum for Chuuk State to secede from the Federated States of Micronesia was originally scheduled to take place in March 2015. However, it has been delayed three times and it is uncertain if it will take place. The most populous of the four states within the FSM, Chuuk has high levels of unemployment and there are long-standing tensions over the distribution of funding within the FSM. Other concerns include political power within the federation and the preservation of cultural identity.
Sha Merirei is the handle used by Palauan-American artist and activist Sha Merirei Ongelungel. She was one of the earliest known Palauans to have an internet presence, promoting art, Palauan culture, and Palauan music in the late 1990s. In December 2014, she launched the first Palauan online radio station called Native ExPat Radio. That same month, she was named Miss LGBTQ by the Palau Humanities Project. She is the daughter of Palauan artist, Hans Ongelungel.
Island Soldier is a 2017 American documentary film written, directed and produced by former Peace Corps volunteer Nathan Fitch. The film deals with problems faced by United States Military families from Kosrae who are citizens of Federated States of Micronesia. Because of a free association agreement called the Compact of Free Association, they can serve, fight and die for the US in Afghanistan and Iraq but they cannot vote.
The 2020 Honolulu mayoral election determined the Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu for the term commencing in January 2021. Incumbent mayor Kirk Caldwell is ineligible to run for a third term due to term limits.
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