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    Developing A Pedagogy of Community Partnership Amidst COVID-19: Medical-Legal Partnership for Children in Hawai'i
    (New York University School of Law, 2021-10) Chen, Catherine Siyue; Cosio, Fernando P.; Ostrowski, Deja; Shek, Dina
    The Medical-Legal Partnership for Children in Hawaiʻi (MLPC) has partnered with low-income families in community health and public housing settings for over a decade to provide direct legal services and engage in systemic advocacy. The MLPC model of legal services is rooted in our pedagogy of community partnership that seeks to confront the legacies of racial inequality and to change systems of power that stigmatize and delegitimize community expertise. Although theories of community lawyering have been developing for many decades, community lawyering principles are commonly de-centered in many public interest legal spaces across the country, particularly in moments of crisis. And most public interest lawyering efforts do not make explicit commitments to racial justice and systems change. The purpose of this essay is to introduce our developing pedagogy of community partnership through the lens of MLPC Hawaiʻi’s work and model before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. This essay highlights key tenets of MLPC’s pedagogy, MLPC’s work during COVID-19 and related crises, and challenges faced by MLPC’s lawyering model, including external criticisms and funding complexities.
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    Micronesians Building Healthier Communities During the COVID-19 Pandemic
    (Hawaii Journal of Health & Social Welfare, 2021-10) Shek, Dina; Delafield, Rebecca; Viernes, James Perez; Pangelinan, Joseph; Sound-Kikku, Innocenta; Day, Tulpe Tosie; Asher, Shanty Sigrah
    Micronesian communities in Hawaiʻi have a long history of mobilizing to address challenges they encounter as the most recent and fastest growing Pacific Islander immigrant population in the state. In particular, community leaders navigate a slew of obstacles specific to systemic racism and health care access. These hurdles have become exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting a range of Micronesian-led responses to the health crisis including strategic adaptations to existing networks and roles to address essential public health functions. These community responses have filled many critical gaps left by the state’s delayed response to addressing the disparate impact of COVID-19 on Micronesian communities. This article highlights and encourages engagement with diverse models of collaboration and elevation of Micronesian leadership that has resulted in more productive cooperation with government leaders, agencies, and policymakers. This work offers insight into pathways forward toward healthier Micronesian families and communities.
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    Centering Race at the Medical-Legal Partnership in Hawai'i
    (U. Miami Race & Soc. Just. L. Rev., 2019) Shek, Dina