Heléne Hale

Heléne Hale settled on the Island of Hawai'i in 1947. As a black woman at that time, she could not find a suitable job on the US mainland due to racial prejudice. She began her career in Kona as a teacher and then entered politics. In 1963, she became the first woman to serve in a leadership position since Queen Lili'uokalani 70 years earlier. Heléne continued to serve in leadership positions for over 50 years.

She wanted to make government work for all people, not just people with money and power and she wanted women to become leaders because at that time, only men were.

Throughout her life she demonstrated qualities of a leader: compassion, integrity, courage and vision. Heléne was dedicated to working for peace and justice, spreading the Aloha spirit wherever she went. Learning about Heléne's life offers a roadmap for contributing to your community in your own way.

In her words, Heléne asked to be remembered as having "strived to protect our environment, to improve the quality of life for all people, including children, the elderly, the disadvantaged, to preserve our Hawaiian heritage and to bring peace to the world."