Arkansas Mayday 2022 lukkun eṃṃan im jejjet im bolomen an “AenEmmaan” kar kōkkare. Kaṃṃoolol President eo aer Patrick Boaz im crew eo an, kobaḷọk jiban̄ ko jān Consulate eo ad, im opeij ko jet ilo jukjuk in pād in. Riiti bwebwenato kake ikkure im closing ceremony ilo May Day 2022 – Part 2.
This May Day marks 43 years since the adoption of the Constitution of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Over the past several past years, ACOM has organized the May Day celebrationsbut this year they asked the new men’s organization, AenEmmaan to plan the celebrations. A team effort of five committees, led by AenEmmaan president, Patrick Boaz, and vice president Anlur Pedro, with the counsel of Consul General Eldon Alik and Dr. Sheldon Riklon, the May Day Committee raised $30,000 to pay for the fields, referees, permits, cleaning and awards for the multi-day event. They also hosted House Speaker Kenneth Kedi who spoke at the opening ceremonies for May Day celebrations in Springdale, Arkansas and, two days later, also Dubuque, Iowa.
Though the cloudy sky threatened to rain on the parade and opening ceremony, plenty of people were in attendance and Chikin Melele was sharing the event through Facebook Live. Springdale Schools Resource Officer, Robert Aini, headed up the parade with soldiers bearing the United States, Arkansas and Marshallese flags and Consul General Eldon Alik and other Marshallese groups following behind, including UAMS, ACOM, Arkansas Children, Ocean Wave, Pacific Islander Club, Circle of Life and Ozark Guidance. The happy occasion opened with a reading of the Constitution, singing of the Marshallese and U.S. national anthems, and a beautiful flag dance. Women also had flower necklaces and crowns for visitors and handed out amiṃōṇo handicrafts and food.
Dr. Riklon updated the community about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. At the moment, Arkansas has a low risk for COVID-19 transmission while other states have medium and high levels of risk, but we know the pandemic has not ended. While the Marshallese have some of the highest rates of vaccination for the one- and two-dose series of vaccinations, only 8% of the Marshallese community are boosted against the new variants of the virus. Encouraging everyone regardless of age to follow up 4 months after their vaccinations with a booster shot as he and his wife have. You can read and watch his full update here.
The opening ceremonies included a rendition of the the Marshallese and U.S. National Anthems, a performance of flag dancers, and a student reading of the Preamble of the Constitution. It was on this that the House Speaker Kenneth Kedi focused on in his keynote speech. Referencing his recent visit to Washington, D.C. to negotiate the renewal of the Compact of Free Association, he spoke about the bravery and resilience of the Marshall Islands surviving the test of time, everything from colonial governments, the devastation of war and nuclear testing, and most recently climate change and global pandemics. Speaker Kedi focused his statements on global peace and security and the importance of the Marshall Islands to global security through their partnership with the United States. Even though the injustice of nuclear testing has yet to be fully addressed, including the contamination of his home island in Rongelap Atoll, the Marshall Islands stands by their compact of friendship and even though China has been seeking inroads in the Pacific the Marshall Islands government continues to uphold their commitment to their partnership with the U.S.
Speaker Kedi had a very busy weekend. Between his many meetings in Washington, D.C. and speaking engagements in Springdale, AR and Dubuque, IA, he was also attending the graduation celebrations of his children. A classmate of Speaker Kedi, from Xavier High School in Chuuk, said that he was always one of the smartest and brightest in the class. Very kind and generous, he took some time to take questions and answer questions. Having long advocated for the clean up and safe return to his home islands in Rongelap, his words carried extra weight when he said that the Marshallese have been true friends, having paid the highest price for world peace. You can read and watch the full keynote address here.
