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August 18, 2023
Hawaii native and NJ/NY Gotham FC (NWSL) midfielder Mana Shim, is spearheading relief efforts for the Hawaiian island of Maui as the deadly wildfires continue to ravage the state. To date, more than 100 people have been killed and it is estimated that the path of destruction will cost billions of dollars in recovery. The Native Hawaiian launched a fundraiser in collaboration with her team, the NWSL, the NWSL Players Association (NWSLPA), Soccer Post and fans.
Stemming from extremely dry conditions caused by a drought, the wildfires have been reported as the “deadliest in the US in more than 100 years.” Crews continue to search for hundreds of missing people and the housing crisis becomes evident for survivors. The fires destroyed homes and the historic town of Lāhainā block after block and burned nearly 3,000 structures state officials have said. This has created an immediate housing shortage and raises concerns about long-term displacement for locals.
On August 11, Shim helped coordinate the release of the “Mana for Maui” collection, a wildfire releief t-shirt alongside a cohort from the soccer community. 100% of the t-shirt proceeds will go to the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement relief efforts. When Shim was a law student at the University of Hawaii, she worked with native landowners and farmers in Lahaina in their effort to secure water rights on their properties – some of these families have now lost their homes.
“My heart has been aching for our ‘ohana [family] in Maui,” said Shim who grew up in Honolulu on the neighboring island of O’ahu – just west of where the Lāhainā fires took place. “Hawaii is my home, and while I may be far away, I’m hoping I can do all I can to help the lāhui [community] heal and rebuild. Many of my family and friends are helping with relief efforts on the ground in Maui and our support from afar is keeping them going.”
Gotham FC welcomes fans to support “Mana for Maui”. In Hawaiian, mana means spiritual or divine power and the team shares that it’s sending “our mana to the Maui community”. Shim provided design and copy direction for the collection and selected the donation recipient. It was a priority to work with an organization that focuses on rebuilding efforts within the Native Hawaiian population.
In her efforts, Shim also addresses disaster capitalism and its hindrance to relief efforts following natural disasters. “Anyone who knows disaster capitalism knows the urgency of protecting our ‘āina from developers and greedy malihini,” Shim tweeted in response to an article that outlined Lahaina residents’ worries that buyers might price out locals as the community looks to rebuild in the wake of the fires. Disaster capitalism is the practice of taking financial advantage of a natural disaster or economic situation. One example happened in New Orleans, Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 where private contractors “profited from the disaster”.
“Our hearts and hopes are with the people of Maui. Mana’s vision catalyzed our team, the NWSL, NWSLPA, and our retail partner Soccer Post to create this initiative. We thank and appreciate all of our fans, players, staff and partners who have joined in support and welcome everyone to be a part,” said Gotham FC President Mary Wittenberg.
The aftermath of the disaster has been highly criticized by locals and residents who believe that the government hasn’t taken adequate response. Emergency sirens were reportedly not activated, and locals say they haven’t seen a government employee in days. In response, many citizen-run recovery efforts have been launched. Other Hawaiian-born athletes, such as Kai Lenny, a professional surfer and a Maui local and former MLB All-Star Shane Victorino have stepped up in the aftermath of devastating wildfires. Lenny is leading one of the citizen-run recovery efforts on the island and Victorino is raising money for victims.
Source: Gotham FC and Outsports
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