Dear Pacific Islander community members and friends,
Hopefully you have heard the tremendous news that Keisha Castle-Hughes, star of the movie The Whale Rider, has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress.
She is the youngest, at age 13, ever to be nominated in this category. She had never starred in a movie before acting in the Whale Rider.
The Whale Rider is also a story that authentically portrays the spirit and culture of our people. Most Hollywood movies do nothing more than perpetuate negative stereotypes of Pacific Islanders.
NPIEN has contacted Keisha�s agent, Graham Dunster, and invited her to be the keynote general session speaker at the NPIEN Conference on November 20, 2004 at California State University, Long Beach, where she will also conduct a session for the children.
Please take a moment to write a letter to Keisha (have your family, students, friends, neighbors, etc. do the same), and include some of the following points:
Congratulate her on her best actress nomination
Let her know that her participation will inspire other children to aspire to greatness
Share other thoughts on why her participation in the NPIEN conference will be important to the Pacific Islander community
Please forward your letters to:
Keisha Castle-Hughes c/o Graham Dunster, Auckland Actors
PO Box 56460 Dominion Road
Auckland, New Zealand
You may also send them to me and I will forward them to Keisha. The Academy Awards are February 29th, and it would be great it we could send these no later than February 15, 2004.
Sincerely,
Victor C. Thompson, ED.D.
NPIEN President
