Explore the dynamic crossroads of law, indigeneity, and climate justice with two extraordinary voices: Julian Aguon, the founder of Blue Ocean Law, and our host for this profound dialogue, Professor Kapua Sproat from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

In this episode, you'll hear Julian and Kapua explore the critical need for community and solidarity in the face of the climate crisis, especially as it impacts vulnerable Pacific communities. They discuss the vital role of storytelling and the arts in igniting social movements and reminding us of our shared humanity and potential. Julian shares compelling insights into the landmark, though ultimately unsuccessful, case of Davis v. Guam, shedding light on the complexities of self-determination and the limitations of current legal frameworks when grappling with the legacy of colonization.

The conversation also beautifully navigates the profound connection between indigenous peoples and their ancestral lands, highlighting the deep grief and injustice of displacement while underscoring the fundamental human longing for freedom and belonging. Despite acknowledging the constraints of the legal system, Julian articulates a hopeful vision for law as a tool to protect indigenous rights and empower communities to be at the forefront of solving the planetary crisis.

Prepare to be moved and inspired as Julian and Kapua weave together personal reflections, legal analysis, and powerful calls to action. You’ll hear about the political significance of grief, the essential roles of both anger and love in driving social change, and ultimately, a message of hope for the future, especially for young indigenous leaders. The episode culminates in a moving reading of Julian’s poem, "gaali," leaving us with a lingering sense of connection and purpose.

So, tune in as we embark on this vital conversation with Julian Aguon and Kapua Sproat, recorded right here in Honolulu, a testament to the ongoing work and resilience of Pacific communities in the face of unprecedented challenges. Let's listen and learn together.

A prolific essayist, Julian Aguon is the author of No Country for Eight-Spot Butterflies (2022), which Junot Díaz calls “a breathtaking book . . . alive with passion, wisdom, and heart.” Aguon is the founder of Blue Ocean Law, a progressive firm that works at the intersection of Indigenous rights and environmental justice, and he serves on the Global Advisory Council of Progressive International.

Kapuaʻala Sproat (Moderator) is the director of the Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law at the University of Hawaiʻi.

The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The project is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation.

BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/ 

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Political geographer Reece Jones discusses the politics of immigration under the second Trump administration. An expert on the history of borders, migration, policy, and politics, Jones explains how immigration restriction in America has always been bound up with racial exclusion and demographic engineering, from Chinese exclusion to the border wall. He reviews US immigration policy from the civil rights movement forward, and he explains how the Trump administration in its second incarnation is advancing ideas first forged by fascists and eugenicists a century ago.

Reece Jones is a political geographer who studies the relationship between states, borders, and people on the move. He is a Guggenheim Fellow, professor at UH Manoa, and prolific author of books examining US immigration policy.

Robert Perkinson (interviewer) is an associate professor of American Studies at UH Manoa and the director of the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series.

Topics include: immigration, border walls, department of homeland security, naturalization, demography, eugenics, dhs, ice, immigration and customs enforcement, trump, immigration enforcement, immigration policy, detention centers, history of immigration, US migration trends, immigration and crime, Chinese exclusion act, 1924 immigration act, immigration act of 1965, family migration, chain migration, Reece Jones books, border crossings, Trump second term, economic impacts of immigration, border patrol, border agents, asylum law, deportation, changes to refugee status, social engineering

The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The project is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation.

BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/  

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/uh_btss  

This special episode features highlights from a 2016 talk by Angela Davis – renowned political activist, scholar, and award-winning author – in her keynote address as Inouye Chair at the University of Hawaiʻi Law School. Despite being from a decade ago, Davis' commentary on freedom and inequality in the United States remains as pertinent as ever. Her talk draws on a vast array of topics, from systemic racism to feminism to the prison industrial complex. She asserts that we must employ abolitionist ideologies in the fight for equality against an elitist, capitalist democracy founded on oppression and slavery. In connecting prominent American political movements of the 21st century to Hawaiʻiʻs own battle with colonialism, she reminds us that freedom is a constant struggle everywhere, one that we must fight together. 

Angela Y. Davis is known internationally for her ongoing work to combat all forms of oppression in the U.S. and abroad. She is best known for her political activism as a Black Panther, radical feminist, and Marxist during the 1960s and 1970s. Throughout her career she has advocated for the importance of incorporating race and sexuality into the study of gender inequality, making her one of the first scholars to recognize intersectionality. Professor Davis is also credited as one of the founders of second-wave feminism due to her scholarly work on womenʻs roles in politics and the home. Her articles and essays have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, and she is the author of nine books, including Angela Davis: An Autobiography; Women, Race, and Class; Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday; Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement and The Meaning of Freedom.

Robert Perkinson (moderator) is an associate professor of American Studies at UH Manoa and the director of the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series. 

The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The project is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation.

BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/  

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/uh_btss  

In this wide-ranging studio conversation, Rosanna Xia and Makena Coffman discuss the human stories behind sea level rise and climate adaptation. Xia shares the process of writing California Against the Sea, the emotional complexity of managed retreat, and how communities are reimagining coastal life in the face of change. Together, they explore the role of journalism, policy, insurance, Indigenous knowledge, and community action in building climate resilience.

Rosanna Xia is an environmental reporter for the Los Angeles Times, where she specializes in stories about the coast and ocean. She was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2020 for explanatory reporting, and her work has been anthologized in the Best American Science and Nature Writing series. Her award-winning book, California Against the Sea, has been praised as a poetic and mind-expanding exploration of what we stand to lose in the face of rising water. 

Makena Coffman (moderator) is the Director for the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Institute for Sustainability and Resilience. She also serves as Chair of the City and County of Honolulu Climate Change Commission. A Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, Coffman teaches graduate courses in climate change and low carbon cities. Her research interests include greenhouse gas mitigation, energy policy and alternative transportation strategies. She is a Research Fellow with the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization, holds a B.A. in International Relations from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The project is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation.

BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/  

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/uh_btss  

Can childhood trauma shape a person’s lifelong health? Dr. Nadine Burke Harris and Governor Josh Green reveal the powerful science behind Adverse Childhood Events (ACES), which can profoundly shape an individual’s development, increasing the risk for chronic physical and mental health conditions across their lifespan. Drawing on their backgrounds as both physicians and policy makers, Dr. Harris and Dr. Green discuss how trauma-informed care can heal communities in Hawaiʻi, California, and around the world.

Nadine Burke Harris is a pediatrician, author, and former Surgeon General of California. She began her work on the health effects of childhood trauma while working as a clinician in the underserved neighborhood of Bayview-Hunters Point in San Francisco. She went on to found the Bayview Child Health Center and the Center for Youth Wellness to push pediatric medicine to acknowledge the consequences of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress on childrenʻs health. Her award winning book, The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity, details the clinical experiences in San Francisco that led her to these groundbreaking findings on the significance of childhood stress on lifelong health outcomes, and what we can do to break the cycle of toxic stress. 

Dr. Josh Green is a physician and the current Governor of Hawai’i. Known for his affordable housing and trauma-informed healthcare policies, he has dedicated his time in office to advocating for all dimensions of public health. After being stationed in Hawai’i by the National Health Service Corps in 2000, Dr. Green began his career as an emergency room doctor in rural hospitals and clinics on the Big Island. He served in the Hawai’i State House of Representatives and the Senate before being elected Lieutenant Governor in 2018 and then Governor in 2022. Following his successful leadership during the pandemic, Dr. Green founded the nation’s first Office of Wellness and Resilience in 2023.

Robert Perkinson (moderator) is an associate professor of American Studies at UH Manoa and the director of the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series. 

Yunji de Nies (interviewer) is a journalist, reporter, and TV host based in Honolulu, Hawaii. 

The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The project is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation.

BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/  

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/uh_btss  

Have you ever struggled to connect with a teen? If so, this interview is for you! In this conversation on the emerging science of adolescence, Ellen Galinsky – renowned social scientist and bestselling author – turns what we think we know upside down. She encourages us to think of these years as an opportunity for growth and discovery, while offering practical, evidence-based advice to help teens thrive.

Ellen Galinsky is the author of hundreds of research reports, articles, and books, including the bestselling Mind in the Making and the recently published The Breakthrough Years, which critics have called a “masterpiece” and a “superb contribution to science and society.” She is the President of Families and Work Institute, an advisor on youth mental health to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and she formerly served as Chief Science Officer to the Bezos Foundation.

Robert Perkinson (moderator) is an associate professor of American Studies at UH Manoa and the director of the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series. 

The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The project is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation.

BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/  

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/uh_btss  

Trump reliably generates headlines, but what has his second administration done in the first 100 days that’s really consequential? In this episode, we take stock of Trump I and Trump II, with special emphasis on immigration, university funding, and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Our guests, Colin Moore and Nick McLean, provide a clear-eyed assessment of what matters and what doesn’t–and what Trump II means for the future of governance and democracy.

Colin Moore is a political scientist, Director of the Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, and an Associate Professor at the University of Hawai‘i Economic Research Organization (UHERO).

Nicholas McLean is an assistant professor of law at the William S. Richardson School of Law. He previously served as a Deputy Solicitor General in the State of Hawaiʻi Department of the Attorney General.  

Robert Perkinson (moderator) is an associate professor of American Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and director of the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series.

The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The project is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation.

BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/  

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/uh_btss  

In the aftermath of every disaster, there’s a forgotten workforce–undocumented, exploited, and underpaid. What happens when the people rebuilding our world are the ones at risk? In a world where climate disasters are becoming more frequent and severe, Saket Soni explores the critical intersection of disaster resilience, immigrant labor, and social justice. From Hurricane Katrina to the Maui wildfires, Soni–founder of Resilience Force–takes us deep into the stories of the workers who rebuild our communities after tragedy strikes.

Saket Soni is a labor organizer, human rights strategist, and the founder and director of Resilience Force, an organization dedicated to amplifying the voice of workers who rebuild communities after climate disasters. Labeled an “architect of the next labor movement” in USA Today, Soni’s work has been profiled in the New Yorker, TIME, Fast Company, and the New York Times. He is the author of The Great Escape: The True Story of Forced Labor and Immigrant Dreams in America.

Robert Perkinson (moderator) is an associate professor of American Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and director of the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series.

The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The project is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation.

BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/  

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/uh_btss  

Emerging research has shown us that plants have the ability to communicate with other plants, react to sound and touch, store memories, deceive animals to their benefit, and protect themselves and their kin. These scientific discoveries challenge us to rethink the ways we conceive of agency, intelligence, and consciousness. Are plants intelligent, even conscious? Join us as Zoë Schlanger, author of “The Light Eaters” and staff writer for The Atlantic, welcomes us into the unseen world of plants.

Zoë Schlanger is a staff writer at The Atlantic, and her writings on climate change and the environment have appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek, NPR, and Quartz. She was the recipient of a 2017 National Association of Science Writers reporting award for coverage of air pollution in Detroit, and a finalist for the 2019 Livingston Award for a series on water politics at the Texas-Mexico border.

Robert Perkinson (moderator) is an associate professor of American Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and director of the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series

The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The project is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation.

BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/  

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/uh_btss  

American civil rights advocate Kimberlé Crenshaw shares the origins and development of both “Critical Race Theory” and “Intersectionality.” Growing up in the context of the Civil Rights Movement, she highlights her drive to become a lawyer and utilize the law to actualize African American aspirations. In her work, she carries with her the legacies of legal civil rights efforts. Applying an intersectional lens to the way that black women experience violence at the intersection of race and gender, Crenshaw advocates for their stories to be told through the campaign to #SayHerName, also the title of her newest book.  

Kimberlé W. Crenshaw is a pioneering scholar and writer on civil rights, critical race theory, Black feminist legal theory, and race, racism and the law. In addition to her position at Columbia Law School, she is a Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Robert Perkinson (moderator) is an associate professor of American Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and director of the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series.

The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series features incisive conversations on the most pressing issues of our time. The project is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i and the Hawai‘i Community Foundation.

BTSS website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uhbtss

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/uh_btss/  

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UHBTSS/  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/uh_btss