Language Statement

Throughout this language statement, we guide the writers towards an inclusive submission process. Therefore, this statement makes sure that all languages, communities, and fellow students are being respected and heard. Da Pueo Press (DPP) is committed to linguistic justice, particularly as it pertains to the context of the University of Hawai‘i at West O‘ahu (UHWO) and other academic spaces in Hawai‘i. Students are welcome to submit pieces in Hawaiian, Pidgin, and English. We encourage students to embrace their home languages and share the languages of Hawai‘i. By encouraging the use of these languages, we are normalizing their use in academia. We want students to break away from the harmful mindsets and stigmas that were placed upon them. Students should feel comfortable and confident when using their home languages because they tie them to our community. We, at DPP, believe that raising awareness of language ideologies and how they impact academic stakeholders (e.g., teachers, students, administrators, editors, librarians, and specialists) can be accomplished not only in classroom practices and policies, but also in publishing scholarly and creative work in Hawaiian, Pidgin, and English.

Our Demands

  1. We demand that teachers and students at the University of Hawai‘i-West O‘ahu engage and negotiate “the histories of local languages in their social and cultural contexts” in Hawai’i;
  2. We demand that students and teachers at the University of Hawai‘i-West O‘ahu create open, safer spaces for praxis that promote multi-dialectical awareness within and across the multiple and diverse contexts of Hawai‘i;
  3. We demand the validity of Hawaiian, Pidgin (Hawai‘i Creole English), and other languages as well as the English language in learning spaces at UHWO;
  4. We demand that teachers and students shift away from centering a so-called “Standard” English language in academic contexts;
  5. We demand that linguistic practices at UHWO reflect a commitment to social justice, including but not limited to a commitment to Indigenous rights, anti-racism, and all-gender equality.
  6. We demand writers be mindful of the diversity of readers of the journal from various backgrounds. Nonetheless, we encourage writers to be authentic and be themselves.