Gabbard to Meet With Hawaiian Homesteaders, Students

US Rep. Tulsi Gabbard will be making several stops on the Big Island on Thursday to discuss issues facing Hawaiian homesteaders and charter students.

She will visit the Ka ‘Umeke Ka‘eo campus on Desha Street at 9:30 a.m. to learn about the charter school’s Hawaiian language immersion program and discuss the faculty’s efforts to increase the school’s capacity.

At 11 a.m., Gabbard will meet homesteaders from Keaukaha and Panaewa at the Puhi Bay Pavilion on Kalanianaole Avenue to listen to their concerns and share updates on congressional issues that affect their communities.

Gabbard’s trip will include a visit at noon at the Hawaii County Economic Opportunity Council on Rainbow Drive for a briefing on programs that support the Big Island’s low-income families and individuals.

The stops are part of Gabbard’s visit to four islands in upcoming days that includes delivering the keynote address Wednesday at the fall graduation ceremony at Hawaii Pacific University on Oahu.

Gabbard, 32, graduated from HPU in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in international business. She was elected to Congress last year from the 2nd Congressional District, which includes the neighbor islands and rural Oahu.

While in Hawaii, she will also meet with federal, state and county officials to discuss criminal and social justice programs and ways to reduce recidivism.