Hawaii is a home to many cultural groups from around the world: Filipino, Asian, Hawaiian, and Caucasian. However, there is a negative stigma around white people. When white missionaries first arrived in Hawaii, they tried to replace the cultures already developed within Hawaii with their own. As I was growing up, many local people still saw caucasians as people who wanted to change their culture. As a light skinned girl with blue eyes and blonde hair, I experienced this stigma first hand. I was labelled a “haole” by local people. “Haole” is a derogatory term for white people who are thought to not belong in Hawaii. I was born in Hawaii and always respected the customs of other cultures. However, locals did not think I belonged.
