Hawai'i: The Legacy of Sugar

For many Americans, Hawai’i is a tropical playground, the place of surf, sun and dream vacations. Behind the tourist façade, though, is one of the most unique multicultural states in the nation, one still dealing with the complicated legacy of the circumstances under which it become part of this country. And so much of how Hawai’i is now comes back to one game-changing element: sugar. For decades, long before it was a tourist’s paradise, what Hawai’i did was grow sugar. That was not only its economic driver, it was a force that remade the place. In this episode of SOTRU, we’ll explore the way contemporary Hawai’i is still navigating the legacy of the sugar plantations now in the 21st century. VIEW PHOTOS AND MORE