Thousands gathered for a Lahaina Unity March in Maui on Saturday as the community continues to rebuild after a devasting fire killed over 100 people in August.
The Hoʻulu Lahaina Unity Gathering was meant to promote togetherness and healing. According to Honolulu Civil Beat, roughly 1,500 people attended, marching 4.5 miles from Lahaina Bypass Road to Launiupoko Beach Park. Many people flew in from other islands and the U.S. mainland to show their support.
“It’s amazing that we can all come together, especially Hawaii as a whole,” Lahaina fire survivor and attendee Stephanie Smythe told Hawaii News Now. “From the other islands, they’ve come to support us and embrace us, and that means the world. I think the state now is watching Lahaina. We can be the trailblazers.”
Many attendees carried Hawaiian flags and wore red shirts. Some brought handmade signs that read, “Keep Lahaina lands in Lahaina hands,” or “Every day a local family moves away,” per Honolulu Civil Beat.
“This was the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom and then all of a sudden … tourism took over,” Native Hawaiian leader Walter Ritte told Hawaii News Now. “We came in order to encourage the Hawaiians over here to organize and try to get a Hawaiian future for this place.”
After the march, attendees gathered at the beach park to watch different cultural performances including Japanese taiko drummers, ukulele players and Samoan dancers.
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