Hawaiʻi’s history was front and center in October 2026 as the Center for Oral History (COH) celebrated its 50thanniversary. The gathering honored founders and launched new efforts to continue to record and preserve the stories of everyday working people for Hawaiʻi’s future generations.
COH was originally created by the Hawaiʻi State Legislature as the Ethnic Studies Oral History Project. It is housed in UH Mānoa’s Department of Ethnic Studies within the College of Social Sciences. COH preserves more than 1,200 oral histories — including those who lived in the Territory of Hawaiʻi, plantations and everyday residents who lived through the islands’ major economic, political, socio-cultural and environmental shifts.
The evening opened with traditional Hawaiian protocol led by Ethnic Studies Professor Ty Kāwika Tengan, followed by welcome remarks from COH Director M. KunMi Yu Danico. Guests were also treated to “Snapshots of Oral Histories,” a visual retrospective compiled by filmmaker Edgy Lee featuring archival footage, photographs and audio excerpts from the center’s collection.
A highlight of the evening was a panel discussion, “Still Talking Hawaiʻi’s Story.” COH founding director Chad Taniguchi, longtime director Warren Nishimoto and former associate researcher Michi Kodama-Nishimoto reflected on the center’s early years and the efforts to build what is one of the largest oral history archives in the Pacific today.
Taniguchi shared that oral history empowers working people to realize the value of their lives, acknowledges their life experiences as important contributions to society, transmits this acknowledgement of value to family members and friends, and engenders pride in people interviewed and their ʻohana.
During the program, Danico and Associate Director Micah Mizukami also presented COH’s Community Partner Award to Aiko Yamashiro, former executive director of the Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities, for her years of support.
“We felt it was fitting to recognize and thank your community partners at this year’s celebration,” said Danico. “We have been fortunate to have worked with stellar partners, but the Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities stood out for their steadfast commitment and partnership.”
At the conclusion of the formal program, Danico and Taniguchi announced the creation of the Warren Nishimoto and Michi Kodama-Nishimoto Endowment Fund. Established in honor of the couple who dedicated decades to guiding the center, the fund aims to support the center’s ability to support graduate students, undergraduates and neighbor island travel to collect and preserve the stories of Hawaiʻi’s everyday people, “our stories, our way.”
“This endowment will allow us to continue the important work of humanizing history through storytelling and shared memory – and to make sure the voices of Hawaiʻi are never silenced by a lack of resources,” said Danico. “We are grateful for our narrators who have helped build this repository of living testimonies.”
Individuals are invited to make a gift in support of this fund and help COH preserve the past for the future.
