Abstract

This article explores the challenges and experiences of the Pilipinx students in Hawaiʻi in relation to their access to and success in higher education. We first set out to briefly establish the complicated context of education and history in the Hawaiian Islands. A brief review of key points and related literature about “Asian Americans” in general, and the Pilipinxs in particular, is presented to describe the history and status of underrepresentation in higher education. Critical Race Theory is introduced to explain the intersectionality and racialization of Pilipinxs in Hawaiʻi, and serves as the framework for strategies of empowerment. Previous recommendations by other scholars in the higher education system to enact change are then shared, before presenting a more critical and place-based approach to action.