Peyton Bennett, a senior at Sacred Hearts Academy, recently got a proclamation signed by the governor to officially recognize Black History Month in Hawaii. The process took four years of dedication, starting with a letter she wrote during her freshman year and ending with the proclamation she received last November. Her motivation to begin this journey came from her previous school, where Black History Month wasn’t observed. She wrote a letter to her principal asking for it to be acknowledged. When nothing changed the next year, she decided to take action.
She founded the Black Design Club, which collaborated with other student-led groups like the DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Club and the Impact Christian Club. Together, they brought people together through creative design projects that celebrated and shared their cultures.“It
took a long time, and I’m very grateful for the proclamation and all the work I’m going to continue to do,” Bennett said. “I’m thankful that God has been guiding me throughout this journey. “While Bennett was working on these efforts, she was invited to attend the Student Diversity Leadership Conference for two consecutive years.
She also participated in the Schools of the Future Conference, where she helped lead workshops focused on DEI and community engagement, such as painting staircases for children to brighten up their surroundings. Her DEI work extended both inside and outside of school and made an impact in the community. Bennett’s first official recognition came from the Humana Foundation, where she serves on the teen board. It honored her for her community service and activism. From there, what started as a school-level letter became something bigger. In her sophomore year, she wrote a letter to the governor.
During her sophomore year, Bennett attended a Brown event where she met the governor’s wife. Bennett talked to her about the DEI work she was doing, and she wrote a letter again which they reached out to her by email saying they would love to shine a light on what she is doing. After that, it consisted of a lot of meetings since last year, but the process of getting to the point of the proclamation took four years. She didn’t hear back until last November. From there, the proclamation was approved.
When the news of the proclamation came out, some people misunderstood it—thinking it was meant to replace Hawaiian Language Month. Bennett made it clear that this was never the intention. She simply wanted Black History Month to be officially recognized in Hawaii, and for it to exist in harmony with other cultural observances. She also noted that the timing was right, especially as DEI and Black History Month were being challenged on a national level. On the same day the proclamation was announced, the state also celebrated “One Love Day” in honor of Bob Marley.
“The challenge I face most frequently is people not being open-minded. It’s hard to come to an agreement with others if they don’t want to be open-minded,” she said. “I overcome it by being patient and continuing to have a voice regardless of backlash and lack of empathy.”
