Dwayne Johnson, Oprah launch multi-million dollar fund for Maui fire victims

Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson

Two of the biggest names in show business have joined forces to help the victims of the Maui wildfires.

In response to the devastating Maui wildfires and immediate needs in the community, Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne Johnson announced the establishment of “People’s Fund of Maui” to distribute cash directly to those who were displaced and affected by the fire. 

The fund is launching with an initial $10 million donated by Winfrey and Johnson and a call to action for others to contribute to this meaningful and ongoing relief effort.

“I have been meeting with people throughout the community that were impacted by the fires over the last few weeks, asking what they most needed and how I could be of service,” said Winfrey, former talk show host and head of a media empire that includes magazines, a production company and a television network. 

    RELATED:

• Hawaii's historic structures destroyed by fire
• Biden promises Lahaina will be rebuilt 

“The main thing I’ve been hearing is their concern about how to move forward under the immense financial burden," said Winfrey, who owns an estate on the island. "The community has come together in so many wonderful ways, and my intention is to support those impacted as they determine what rebuilding looks like for them.”

Any Maui resident 18 years or older who was displaced by the wildfires that swept the areas of Lahaina and Kula on the island of Maui can receive $1,200 each month for at least six months to help assist them as they get back on their feet. All net proceeds will go to those directly impacted.

Collaborating closely with an advisory board and support from the local community and respected elders, this new fund will serve as a bridge to provide cash directly to the families and individuals affected so that they can personally determine how best to use the funds for themselves.

"As people around the world watched the catastrophic loss and devastation caused by the Maui wildfires, they also witnessed the great spirit and resilience of our Polynesian culture and the tremendous strength of the people of Maui. Even in the most difficult of times, the people of Maui come together, and we rise - that’s what makes us stronger,” said Johnson, who lived in Hawaii when he was younger. 

“We are beyond grateful to be working alongside esteemed community leaders of Maui to launch the People's Fund of Maui. These leaders are offering their guidance to ensure our fund can put money directly in the hands of those individuals most affected," said the movie star, who is of Samoan and Black heritage.

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

The search for the missing continues three weeks after the fire started.

The fire's start is still being investigated but initially the culprit appears to be sparking powerlines. Hurricane-level winds helped spread the fire quickly on August 8 causing an evacuation of the seaside town of Lahaina. The death toll from the wildfires that decimated most of the historic and tourist favorite town stands at 115 but that number is likely to rise. There are still 385 unaccounted individuals.

As the fires spread tourists were advised not to come to Maui but as recovery begins, tourists are again being encouraged to visit. Although Lahaina had been mostly reduced to ashes, other parts of the island are still operating. Tourism is the island's main industry and source of employment.

Hawaii's US Senator Brian Schatz, posted on social media: “Maui update. South Maui resorts (Lahaina is West Maui) NEED visitors. Furloughs and layoffs starting because people think the whole island is closed. It is not. If you are planning a trip to Wailea or Kihei, don’t cancel. If you want to come to Hawaii pls consider South Maui.”

"To all who have already offered your help, thank you for your support and for those wanting to help now, your prayers and resources are a welcome assistance for those displaced within the Maui community," said Johnson. "I also want to offer my profound gratitude to all the first responders, local organizations and every individual who has worked tirelessly on the ground responding to this crisis.”

    FYI:

• To contribute to People’s Fund of Maui visit PeoplesFundofMaui.org. All net proceeds will go to those directly impacted in Maui.
• Impacted residents can visit the website for more information HERE.

The creation of the fund was done with guidance, insights, and the blessing of community elders, leaders and residents including Hōkūlani Holt-Padilla, Keali’i Reichel, Archie Kalepa, Ekolu Lindsey, Kimo Falconer, Tiare Lawrence, Kaimana Brummel, Kaleikoa Ka’eo, Brian Keaulana, Kaimi Kaneholani, Henohea Kāne, Paele Kiakona, Ed Suwanjindar, Shep Gordon and Jason Momoa.

The $10 million is just a start. The initial funding is being provided by Oprah Winfrey through the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation, and Johnson.

“And our goal is to be able to give people money regularly for at least the next six months so that they will be able to make decisions for themselves and be able to have some sense of value for what they can bring to themselves and to their families," Johnson told NBC. "We will continue the fund for as long as you help us continue the fund.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the blog Views From the Edge.

H.E.R. set to make her acting debut in 'The Color Purple' film adaptation

H.E.R., aka Gabriella Wilson

 

Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson, better known as R&B singer H.E.R., will make her movie debut in a new film adaptation of the Broadway musical version of The Color Purple.

The 24-year old Filipino American performer and songwriter will play Squeak — a juke joint waitress/aspiring singer — in the film adaptation produced by Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg, reports the Hollywood Reporter.

The Oscar and Grammy winner, has expressed a desire to be a multi-dimensional and multi-faceted performer. In an earlier interview for Variety, she said, “There is so much I want to do.

"People don’t really get to see my comedic and fun side, except for when I’m impersonating my aunt,” she joked. 

“But I definitely want to do a lot more voice-overs, and comedy, but also some serious roles,” said Wilson, whose father is Black and mother is a Filipino.

The new adaptation is based on Alice Walker’s 1982 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and adapted from the 1985 film and the Tony-winning musical — which starred Jennifer Hudson and Cynthia Erivo, respectively. 

The only other person cast so far is In the Heights star Corey Hawkins. Blitz Bazawule, who was signed on as director.

In the works since 2018, the new film is scheduled to be released in December, 2023.

'O' my, gosh! Photos flip the script on stereotypes

O / Chris Buck

Notice anything unusual about this picture?

Oprah, oh, Oprah. You did it again. You're making us uncomfortable. You're making us think.

The picture is one of three controversial photos from an article in  O, the Oprah Magazine's issue on race. It is supposed to spark conversation about America's "elephant in the room." (The "O" is for Oprah Winfrey, the former talk show host and current cultural icon.)

Lucy Kaylin, O's editor-in-chief, said that the concept for the feature came from Oprah herself during a meeting.

"It was a topic on all of our minds and [Winfrey] was eager for us to tackle it," Kaylin said in an email. "The main thing we wanted to do was deal with the elephant in the room—that race is a thorny issue in our culture, and tensions are on the rise. So let's do our part to get an honest, compassionate conversation going, in which people feel heard and we all learn something—especially how we can all do better and move forward."As you can see, one of the pictures shows Asian women chatting and laughing while white women give them pedicures. 

Other photos show a little white girl standing in a toy store aisle looking at rows and rows of only black dolls. The third photo shows a Latina woman holding a little dog while on the phone as she doesn’t acknowledge the presence of a white maid pouring her a cup of tea.

Race representation matters, from movies, television, magazines to just everyday depictions of life. It’s the very topic behind the three photographs by Chris Buck which presented people of color in place of roles usually reserved for white people. 

Filipina/Chinese Judy Geralde promptly tweeted them out, showing how the photos were impactful for people in the minority. Naturally, it went viral.

Mic.com reached out to Judy and asked her opinions about her tweet. Her answer reflected how “….these photos reflect the internal struggles she endured due to the lack of representation of Asian women, as well, as the ‘overbearing whiteness’ in her own childhood.” 

Judy then went on to describe how growing up she only had one Asian doll, a Mulan one, in fact and how it felt like most of the images she would see growing up already placed people of color in a certain class. Her tweet was greeted with similar reactions, proving that the problem is deeply rooted even in the most mundane things: the dolls we see at the store, the jobs available only to people of a particular status, etc.

Chris Buck thought of that when he presented the concept to the editors of O Magazine and to the publication’s founder Oprah Winfrey, “When you see an image from someone [of a different race], what is your expectation of them and are we challenging it? Why do we expect a certain thing from someone of a [certain race] and expect them to be serving another [race]?”

Not surprisingly, the photos also got blowback from people who felt uncomfortable about the images and the flipping of cultural expectations. 

The pictures, apparently, did what they were supposed to do, stir a conversation on race. Hopefully, good people will have pause and think about how they see the world, how minorities see the world. For those trolls who reacted negatively, well, there is really nothing to fear. 

We go to school, attend houses of faith, cheer the same home teams, struggle to make ends meet, love, laugh, cry and all those things that make us human -- just like you. All we are asking is to be treated like human beings.

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