East Palo Alto (EPA) has a remarkable history of perseverance and boasts an extraordinarily diverse population. Notably, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders make up 4.5% of the city, according to the United States Census Bureau. While not being the densest enclave of Pacific Islanders in the Bay Area, with parts of San Mateo and other East Bay cities fostering larger populations, Pacific Islander culture plays a key role in EPA’s history and culture. From the establishments that Pacific Islanders have helped build and populate, to the founding of the grassroots organization Anamatangi, EPA is intertwined with the work of Pacific Islanders.
Like many other minority groups in California, many Pacific Islander immigrants moved to EPA because it’s the only place in the area where minorities could live. While EPA was officially incorporated into San Mateo County in 1983, the city began in the early 20th century. Starting as an unincorporated area of the county, EPA was much larger until surrounding cities Menlo Park and Palo Alto annexed parts of the region in the 1960s. The city was heavily redlined, which led many minority groups, such as Pacific Islanders, to move over to EPA.
Living conditions weren’t as comfortable as the surrounding cities, despite being surrounded many prosperous neighborhoods and is in close proximity to the acclaimed Stanford University…