*Maya Soetoro-Ng: Obama's half-sister, Maya will be our first interview on campus. She was very involved in his campaign and remains an integral part of his life. We should also be very aware of her own life and career and accomplishments and not use the interview "only" for hier impressions about her brother. But, please do ask her about her memories with growing up with a young Barack, or Barry Obama.
*Dick Baker: a former diplomat and now renowned expert on Asian and Indonesian issues. He can talk about the Obama administrations plans for Asia and specifically for Indonesia. Please read his bio information in the Websites as well so you are prepared for what he can offer us.
* Livia Iskandar: She is the Hawaii Chapter head of PERMIAS, the Indonesian Student Association at EWC and University of Hawaii. I thought it would be interesting to hear about the "views of Hawaii" from Indonesian students, to learn about their experiences living in the shadow of where Obama grew up. She will also introduce us to some of the nearly 30 Indonesian students on campus.
* Dr. Alice Dewey: Professor Emeritus at the University of Hawaii and worked with Obama's mother at the EWC and helped get her dissertation published. If you look at the book I sent you will see a lot of information and reference to Alice Dewey. We will meet with her in her office on the University of Hawaii campus, located right next to the EWC.
* Dr. Terance Bigalke: While he will be out of town during our visit, I did want to be sure to get Terry on tape, so I have arranged for him to be "interviewed" this week by a local TV production team. Terry had a lot of contact with Obama's mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, both in Hawaii at the East West Center, and in Jakarta, when he and Stanley Ann were at the Ford Foundation. I am having the tape converted into PAL and will give to Michael in Hawaii so he can take it home and use it in the program.
INDONESIAN GOLDEN TICKET/RCTI PROJECT: NARRATIVE
HONOLULU
TOUR OF OBAMA SITES: Similar to what we will do in Chicago, I managed to get the author of the book I sent you, Stu Glauberman, to take us around to some of the places that had something to do with a young Barack Obama. We will spend the morning looking at these sites, and end up for lunch at a place where Obama often ate when he lived there. We will see some of the places Obama lived, from the outside, since people now live in them. Some of the places that Stu will not show us, I will take us independently.
SHANGRI LA ISLAMIC CENTER: One of the world's foremost collections of Islamic art just happens to be in Honolulu. Doris Duke, a very wealthy industrialist is responsible for building this beautiful museum near Diamondhead area of Honolulu. I have been there before, but cannot do its beauty and majesty justice with mere words. Please refer to the Websites for their site and enjoy seeing what we will see. Many beautiful "scenic" shots of the ocean and city can also be done from here.
DINNER WITH OBAMA TEACHERS AND CLASSMATES: I have managed to gather some of the teachers and classmates Obama had at Punahou School and they have agreed to meet with us for a "working dinner" at the Tiki Grill in our hotel. We will have a private room so it will be quiet and we can have a nice dinner and then listen to these folks tell us what they remember about a "young Barack Obama". It should be an interesting evening.
Dr KATHRYN WADDELL TAKARA: This very special lady is a professor at the University of Hawaii and will be able to tell us about what it means being "black" in Hawaii and what this might have meant to Obama's character. She has written extensively on the famous journalist Frank Marshall Davis, who was Obama's "gramps" drinking buddy and knew a young Obama. She will share with us Marshall's unusual perspective of race and ethnic relations in the islands. Marshall realized that blacks in Hawaii had a certain "fluidity" between the ethnic groups which gave Davis a unique platform to observe. Kathryn has written an interesting book entitled "Frank Marshall Davis-Black Labor Activist and Outsider Journalist: Social Movements in Hawaii". She can help us learn more about what it means to be black in Hawaii and what Frank Marshall Davis meant to a young Barack Obama.
