Twinkle Alohalani Borge (September 15, 1969 – August 5, 2024) was an American activist based in Hawaii who was involved with Hawaii's largest homeless encampment, Pu'uhonua o Wai'anae ("The Village"). This 20-acre property is in the back of Waianae Valley to "provide shelter, stability, and hope for up to 300 people at a lower development cost and lower operating costs and rents than conventional affordable housing." In 2020, fundraising was completed to purchase the land, and current efforts are focused to continue building the structures. Borge was known for her work and activism at "The Harbor" located at the edge of the Waianae Boat Harbor on the leeward side of

Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...

Early life

Twinkle Alohalani Borge was born in

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

on September 15, 1969, and was a

native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, Indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiʻi was set ...

. She stated that her first name, Twinkle, was not a nickname but was chosen by her older sister.

Homelessness and activism

Borge herself lived in the camp for more than 15 years. According to an interview with ''

Honolulu Civil Beat ''Honolulu Civil Beat'' is a nonprofit online news organization covering the U.S. state of Hawaii. It specializes in investigative reporting, watchdog journalism and in-depth enterprise coverage. History Pierre Omidyar launched ''Civil Beat'' i ...

'', Borge arrived in 2006 and "...had for years been the undisputed leader of The Harbor, organizing a governance structure that includes a second-in-command and section captains. In her role as the leader of the village, she selected 'captains' from the community to help with the camp's daily operations. In order to avoid sweeps or clearances of the village, Borge liaised with the state government which owns the land on which the homeless camp is located. In 2018, Borge and others led an effort to defend the village from eviction. In 2020, the village managed to purchase 20 acres of land in order to build more permanent housing. This purchase was facilitated by Cades Shutte LLC.

Death

Borge died in

Waianae, Hawaii Waianae () is a census-designated place (CDP) in the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. As of the 2020 census, the CDP population was 13,614. Its name means "waters of the mullet". Its etymology is shared with the far norther ...

on August 5, 2024, at age 54. State of Hawaii governor Josh Green released a statement praising Borge as an "incredible inspiration to so many".

Honors and awards

*In 2021, Borge was the recipient of the Hookele Award which honors leaders from the nonprofit sector. *On August 21, 2021, Borge received the Ulu Hana: Pewa Award from the

Partners In Development Foundation Partners in Development Foundation (PIDF), an IRS Section 501(c)(3) non-profit public foundation, was incorporated in 1997 in Honolulu, Hawaii. It has established and implemented programs in the areas of education, social services, Hawaiian cultu ...

in recognition of "individual leaders who have made a significant difference in addressing and supporting critical community needs or challenges within the state of Hawaii". *In 2023, Borge was included in the list of Hawaii's Women of Influence by

Hawaii Business ''Hawaii Business'' is a Honolulu-based business magazine founded in 1955. Its parent company, PacificBasin Communications, also publishes '' Honolulu Magazine'', ''Hawaii Home + Remodeling'', ''Island Family'', ''Ala Moana magazine'', ''Hawa ...

magazine.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Borge, Twinkle 1969 births 2024 deaths 21st-century American people 21st-century American women Activists from Hawaii American homeless people American homelessness activists Native Hawaiian activists