The Center for Oral History at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa recently landed more than half a million dollars in new funding.
HPR has worked with the Center for Oral History on joint projects in the past, and that collaboration aims to continue as new funding creates new opportunities for the future.
Kunmi Yu Dancio, the director of the Center for Oral History, spoke with HPR about their upcoming plans.
It all started with a museum project that took place at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center soon after the Maui fires of 2023, she explained, where the need to preserve the histories of Maui lit the spark for their future endeavors.
“The purpose was not to just remember Lahaina and Maui because of the fires, but to remember the people and the experience and the history, and the stories that folks shared offered so much hope and resilience for the community,” Danico told HPR. “It was a wonderful experience.”
The funding comes in the form of grants tied to different projects that aim to collect oral histories from different communities across the island of Maui.
In addition, the Center for Oral History will be collaborating with HPR on future projects and opening an exhibit on Koreans in Hawaiʻi in South Korea.
“Every time we do an oral history, I really feel gifted. I feel that I'm opening up a box of gifts, and I'm learning and building these relationships with our community members that I treasure,” Danico said.
“It's not a gift that you put aside, but it's a gift that you really treasure and value. And so I'm so grateful to our community to be a part of this.”
The Center celebrates its 50th anniversary in October.
This story aired on The Conversation on Aug. 28, 2026. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Jinwook Lee adapted this story for the web.
