For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Today's profile is Mary Akimo-Lu’uwai of AFSCME.
For 17 years, Mary Akimo-Lu’uwai—a proud member of the Hawaii Government Employees Association (AFSCME Local 152)—has been a lifeline for patients at the Maui Community Mental Health Center. Even when wildfires were raging across her island last summer, Akimo-Lu’uwai was on the front lines, working extra hours to ensure the community’s most vulnerable continued to receive much-needed mental health care. To Akimo-Lu’uwai, her work is more than just a job, it’s part of a lifelong calling to help others.