Mayor Blangiardi had the pleasure to meet with Ambassador Francisco Duarte Lopes, Ambassador of Portugal to the United States and Filipe Ramalheira, Consul General of Portugal in San Francisco.
Ambassador Duarte Lopes and Consul General Ramalheira were in Honolulu to visit the Portuguese community living in Hawaii. They indicated 2028 will mark the 150th anniversary of the Portuguese immigration to Hawaii. The Ambassador and Consul General planned to visit three other islands during their visit.
Portugal and Hawaii share a common history: in 1881, King Kalākaua of Hawaii, accompanied by William N. Armstrong, the Commissioner of Immigration, visited Portugal as part of a world tour, primarily to attract Portuguese laborers to Hawaii’s sugar plantations, and negotiated an extended treaty that would result in more Portuguese immigration.
Mayor Blangiardi described his pride for the Portuguese community on Oʻahu, and shared how the culture reminded him of his childhood on the East Coast. He also shared that Oʻahu was responsible for 80% of the state GDP and the City & County of Honolulu is the 11th largest municipality in the United States. He also emphasized that Honolulu was strategically important for the US and has a big military presence.
Mayor Blangiardi also spoke about his objectives and the way he experienced and managed the Covid-19 pandemic during his first term.
Ambassador Duarte Lopes inquired about the balance of maintaining appeal for outsiders to come and live to Oʻahu while making sure affordable housing is available to local residents.
The City & County of Honolulu has two Sister Cities with Portugal, Funchal since 1979 and Sintra since 1998.
