In reaction to last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests that emerged after the killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, alumnus Allen Murabayashi ’90, who had been producing podcasts for Punahou, expressed an interest in exploring the topic of race and Black experiences at Punahou.
As part of the podcast, he interviewed several of Punahou’s Black alumni, ranging from graduates of the 1960s to a current senior to understand their experiences. Punahou President Mike Latham ’86 had already formed a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) working group as part of Punahou’s broad strategic planning process. The podcast, the efforts of the working group, and dialogue among the highest level of leadership converged into a discussion of how the School should talk about race during an incredibly polarized time. It was decided that listening to and sharing the stories of these alumni would be an important step to build and strengthen the Punahou community.
Murabayashi was assisted on the podcast by fellow producers, Geralynne Amasol ’19, Jennifer Bryan ’14, Isabelle Rhee ’18 and Kim-Hee Wong ’14.