Champions help to heal communities: Jamila Jarmon
Jamila Jarmon, Manager, Growth Strategy for Electrification of Transportation
From modest beginnings to an astonishing record of achievements that include her recent selection to the Obama Foundation Leaders Program, Jamila Jarmon is a force to be reckoned with and she's just getting started.
“Growing up in Hawaii, I was blessed to have a tremendously supportive community,” said Jamila. “However, what was missing was a connection to Black community rooted in Hawaii.”
To fill the gap, Jamila joined with like-minded individuals to launch The Popolo Project, a non-profit organization that is working to redefine what it means to be Black in Hawaii. “While I'm privileged to have the opportunity to work with several non-profit community organizations, I chose to support The Popolo Project with the HEI award donation,” said Jamila.
As a founding Board member of The Popolo Project, Jamila has been an integral part of its growth over the past seven years.
“The Popolo Project is a community organization building Black community to bring together generations of Black folks who call Hawaii home. In addition, it's an organization that has discussed the Black community's contribution to Hawaii, and also talks about Blackness throughout the Pacific.”Jamila Jarmon
Manager, Growth Strategy for Electrification of Transportation
Above left: Jamila prepares paiai or hand-pounded taro using traditional implements during the Kui for a Cause fundraising event. As a Hawaii People's Fund Grant recipient, The Popolo Project had the opportunity to raise awareness of Hui Aloha Aina Momona's workshops on food, farming and sustainable lifestyles. Above right: Jamila with other volunteers from The Popolo Project lend their hands to weeding a patch of local produce to support the Kokua Learning Farm, a project of Kokua Hawaii Foundation. The effort helps to bring families out for community workdays at the farm located in Haleiwa.
Popolo, from the Hawaiian word for a small nightshade plant that produces black berries, also has been commonly used in Hawaii to reference Black people. Is it appropriate to use? For Jamila, the answer is simple. “Just ask,” she said to a group of Hawaiian Electric employees during a webinar earlier this year. Understanding the context, who is saying it and how they're saying it will differentiate how a Black person will perceive the term.
Through The Popolo Project, Jamila has helped create a sense of community for Black people in Hawaii and is passionate about helping her community thrive. “It's been a catalyst to truly see Black people as a part of the fabric of Hawaii's community. And it’s something I would have been grateful to have growing up in Hawaii.”
Above: Jamila, far right, during a community group discussion in Montgomery, Alabama. In 2023, The Popolo Project took a group of community members on a trip to Montgomery to visit the Legacy Museum. “The group of community members was intergenerational, and one of our elders grew up in Tuskegee, Alabama,” said Jamila. “We had the opportunity to tour Tuskegee and learn about the Tuskegee Airmen, visit Tuskegee University, and meet with Tuskegee Community Groups to learn more about their work.”
A graduate of George Washington University and the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Jamila also serves on the boards of Aloha Harvest and Ceeds of Peace and is a member of the Hawaii State Bar Association's Committee on Diversity and Equality in the Law.
Prior to joining Hawaiian Electric, Jamila was In-House counsel at Hawaii-based Elemental Impact (formerly Elemental Excelerator), a clean tech investor in climate technologies. She was named one of the 40 Under 40 influential leaders by Pacific Business News and is an alumnus of the Pacific Century Fellows leadership training program, Class of 2022.
About the Author: Sharon Higa
