Illustration by Ron Pitts

I was pet sitting at a friend’s house in a gated community and headed to the pool. As a brown skinned native Hawaiian I’ve never felt more out of place or judged. The stares and whispers were immediate and I was even asked by a few of you while in the hot tub if I lived there or knew someone. It broke my heart to feel unwelcomed in my island home. I respectfully ask that you branch out of your small circle of tennis clubs, golf and HOA boards and experience a different Maui and what it means to be a kamaʻāina.