Activism, Outreach and Education
With nearly 50,000 Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) residing in Utah, Salt Lake City has a larger overall proportion of NHPIs than any other city in the continental U.S. Despite this fact,
Susi Feltch-Malohifo’ou, Co-founder of
Pacific Island Knowledge 2 Action Resources (
PIK2AR), says many NHPI community members face negative stereotypes and perpetual, harmful cycles.
All of this factored into the founding of PIK2AR in 2015 to help combat violence, create an economic impact and preserve culture in Utah’s NHPI communities. Years later, after an experience that Feltch-Malohifo’ou says helped her realize many Pacific Island artists “didn’t know any of the mainstream art resources,” the PEAU (Pasifika Enriching Arts of Utah)