The caucus offers free membership, camaraderie, gifts
Posted: July 5, 2026
Kana Naipo, a world history, AVID and yearbook teacher at Castle High, wants everyone to know one thing: Aloha is not for sale.
Naipo, chair of the National Education Association’s Aloha Caucus, aims to spread the values of aloha to delegates nationwide through the special-interest caucus.
“The Aloha Caucus is a member-driven group within the National Education Association [NEA] that brings authentic Hawaiian values into the union work that includes aloha, which is harmony and compassion. It also includes kuleana, which is responsibility, and it includes mālama, or caring for each other and the ‘āina,” Naipo said.
“We advocate for educators and support public schools while we continue to build a sense of community across Hawaiʻi and our nation,” he added.
NEA caucuses are interest groups recognized by the NEA but independently funded and run by NEA members. The Aloha Caucus has more than 100 members so far, and membership is free.
Four years ago, the Aloha Caucus started as a grassroots effort to share what’s special about Hawaiʻi with the world.
“It all began with an idea that I specifically wanted something that was unique to Hawaiʻi, and Hawaiʻi alone, without being political. I wanted to bring something from Hawaiʻi that didn’t include a debate or an argument, a political debate, or anything like that. I wanted to bring and share just the aloha,” Naipo explained.
After coming up with the idea of forming the Aloha Caucus, Naipo worked with the Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association and his colleagues to bring it to life.
This year, the Aloha Caucus set up two booth tables at the National Education Association’s Representative Assembly in Denver. Delegates from around the country were able to visit the booth, sign up for free membership, receive a gift, and talk story with caucus members.
Clockwise from left: Aloha Caucus members gather at their display table at the 2026 NEA RA; Delegates visit the Aloha Caucus booth; When members join, they receive a small gift; The caucus had a bingo game for delegates to play; Kana Naipo, a world history teacher at Castle High, serves as the Aloha Caucus chair; The caucus aims to spread the values of aloha nationwide.
This year, the caucus also hosted a bingo game for teachers to complete for small prizes. Delegates marked spaces on their cards by completing activities like “Greet a Hawaiʻi delegate with ʻAloha Kakahiaka’” and “ʻŌpala: Pick up a piece of rubbish and throw it in the acceptable receptacle.”
Fifth-grade special education teacher at Mililani Mauka Elementary Ashley Monden serves as the caucus’ vice chair and enjoys spreading aloha with her colleagues.
“It [the caucus] is a way to bring a little bit of Hawaiʻi to the continent, just to share what we do in Hawaiʻi with everybody else. Everyone’s always so happy just to, you know, have a little something, whether it’s stickers or whatever we bring to share.”
This year, the booth is giving away small gifts like flowers, jewelry, and Hawaiian salts in exchange for small donations.
“Our delegation has been so generous,” Naipo said. “They have been giving, showing aloha, sharing love, giving us monetary gifts, just so we can sustain ourselves, just so that we can participate with the rest of these caucuses.”
Naipo said that delegates from the continent love the caucus because “Aloha is not for sale. That’s our model. Period. And they come, they join, and we try to share as much aloha as we can. Right now, we’re just building relationships with people across the nation.”
In the future, Naipo envisions the caucus growing into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
“I really want it to be sustainable after me. Aloha is not for sale, but in order to sustain ourselves, we need money and grants, and we need these things so that we can get more material, reach out for more research, get more resources, so that we can share out.”
“Aloha doesn’t just stop at the classroom; It extends into our livelihood, and it extends everywhere we go. We live aloha. It doesn’t matter if it’s in the classroom, at home, or if it’s anywhere in public, we just live aloha,” Naipo said.