Oceania Navigators Empowerment

Project Description

Oceania Navigators Empowerment (ONE) is a new Pacific-focused student organization at University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) for which Dr. Raatior serves as a founding advisor. Founded in Fall 2017 through the mobilization of Pacific Island students at the University of California Santa Cruz, “ONE was created to address the inequities and invisibilities of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students in the UC institutions and under the overly broad racial category of “Asian Pacific Islander.” This organization was established to address current disparities and oppressions that have historically been perpetuated from the colonization and racialization of Oceanic people, land and culture. Decolonizing these paradigms, ONE seeks to empower Oceanic students in order to navigate education through cultural indigenous preservation, equitable access and retention by cultivating an AIGA (family) based environment. Although this space is geared towards Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students, we welcome all people who wish to struggle with us towards a sense of belonging in academia.” – source: about ONE