Reverand M. KALANI SOUZA on Personal Preparedness in Advance /96
Lava flows from the Kilauea volcano by Cedric Letsch
The Hawaiian Islands, like so many of our planetary coastal communities, are at the forefront of rising waters, diminishing trade winds, and climate chaos. As we face the continuation and intensification of natural processes, it is easy, and quite frankly lazy, to fall into pits of despair and pessimism, both of which are an insult to the imagination. We must remind ourselves and each other that change is both possible and necessary at this precise moment in time. We can choose to prepare and respond in ways that will sustain our communities and strengthen our families. Our survival demands our action and engagement and make no mistake, our actions, no matter how small, either add to the collective harm or collective healing.
Do we choose to be predators or participants in life?
This week we interview Reverend M. Kalani Souza, a gifted storyteller, singer, songwriter, musician, performer, poet, philosopher, priest, political satirist, and peacemaker.
Rev. M. Kalani Souza
Kalani currently works as Community Outreach Specialist for the University of Hawaii’s National Disaster Preparedness Training Center and is the founding director of the Olohana Foundation, a non-profit 501(c) 3 focused on community capacity and global response to climate adaptation. He is a certified FEMA Instructor and serves on the Indigenous Knowledge HUI of the Pacific Risk Management Ohana, PRiMO, which works to mitigate and respond to natural disasters. He also serves as a cultural competency consultant for NOAA Pacific Services Center and works with the Indigenous Peoples Climate Change Working Group and Rising Voices Indigenous Peoples and Practice in Climate Science and Adaptation alongside the National Climate Atmospheric Research Center.
Join us in conversation as Ayana and Kalani discuss an “all hands on deck approach” to addressing human behavior and developing personal preparedness.
♫ Music is "I Wish It Would Rain", "Jacobs Ladder" and "Stand By Me" by Cover Story Doo Wop.
For The Wild is a slow media organization dedicated to land-based protection, co-liberation, and intersectional storytelling. We are rooted in a paradigm shift away from human supremacy, endless growth, and consumerism. As we dream towards a world of grounded justice and reciprocity, our work highlights impactful stories and deeply-felt meaning making as balms for these times.