FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

120 Years of Sakada: Maui Filipino Community Looks to the Next Chapter at The Filipino Forum 2026

MAUI, HAWAIʻI — One hundred and twenty years ago, the first Sakada arrived in Hawaiʻi, beginning a chapter that would forever shape the Filipino community and the story of Hawaiʻi.

This October, the Maui Filipino Chamber of Commerce, along with community partners, invites the public to reflect on that legacy—and ask what comes next—at The Filipino Forum 2026, themed “CHANGE, NOT JUST RESILIENCE.”

Taking place Saturday, October 10, from 4–8 p.m. at Naylor Theatre at Maui Academy of Performing Arts in Wailuku, the forum brings together Filipino leaders, entrepreneurs, community voices, and changemakers for an evening of honest conversation, inspiring stories, Filipino food, and action.

For generations, Filipinos in Hawaiʻi have been celebrated for our resilience: our ability to endure, adapt, work hard, and keep moving forward. But after 120 years, the forum asks a different question: What happens when we turn resilience into change?

The evening will feature The Modern Sakada, a conversation exploring 120 years of Filipino migration, work, opportunity, and the evolving experience of Filipinos in Hawaiʻi. A second panel, Making Moves: Refusing to Accept the Status Quo, will spotlight Filipino leaders who questioned the way things had always been done, took risks, and turned ideas into action.

The forum will also feature SUKA: Agent of Change, a special culinary talk story and live demonstration centered on Filipino vinegar and its ability to transform. The evening will close with a Change Circle, inviting participants to reflect on what they heard, identify what needs to change, and make a personal commitment to action.

The Filipino Forum is open to the community, and registration is encouraged as space is limited.

The Filipino Forum 2026
Saturday, October 10 | 4–8 p.m.
Naylor Theatre, UH Maui College
Theme: CHANGE, NOT JUST RESILIENCE

Register at: mauifilipinochamber.com/filipinoforum

Come talk story. Come be challenged. Come meet people who are making moves.

And most importantly, come ready to ask:

What can I change?