Honoring Mama Dee Uhila on her day
- Ivan Temes
- Jun 18
- 3 min read
The Mama Dee Pacific Islander Heritage Festival at Bell Park was a memorable occasion dedicated to honoring the life and contributions of Appollonia Grey Uhilamoelangi, better known as Mama Dee, who was a community icon.
Mama Dee passed away in September 2024.
Many hundreds attended and participated in the all-day festivities which included music, dancing, food booths, cultural and arts and crafts demonstrations, local community resources, t-shirts, raffles and prizes.
The well-organized event was sponsored by Anamatangi—founded by Mama Dee and her husband Papa Senita—Youth Community Service (YCS) and the City of East Palo Alto.
Mama Dee “lived to help those in need, especially children,” according to her son Michael Uhila.
She founded dance groups, reading and literacy programs and the non-profit Anamatangi Polynesian Voices to advocate for Pacific Islanders.
She spent over three decades bridging East Palo Alto communities. Mama Dee and Papa Senita had four children and three grandchildren.
Former Mayor Antonio Lopez called Mama Dee “a founding mother, who worked to promote youth success and the connection of the Pacific Islander community with other cultures. She was like Jupiter—everyone revolved around her.”
Current EPA council member Carlos Romero, looking at the large crowd, added “It would be nice if this celebration became an annual part of community life.”
Mama Dee began working for the East Palo Alto Recreation Department in 1984, a year after the city became an incorporated community. She later worked as a social justice commissioner and at the Youth Development Center, providing outreach to Pacific Islander youth and parents. Later she and three other women initiated an after-school reading and tutoring program which extended to Menlo Park and Redwood City.
Resource groups at the event included the Ecumenical Hunger Program, WeHope, Kipp Schools, Edgewood Centers, Climate Resilience and the EPA Senior Center.
Many groups provided entertainment. The EPA Razorhawks, known for their women’s rugby team, showed off their dancing versatility. The Moui Foou la Kalaisi band played throughout the day.
Mama Dee and and her husband had participated in Stanford health conferences where the King of Tonga attended and named the outreach group Anamatangi.
When the volcanic eruptions occurred in Tonga in 2022 the couple got UPS to donate a giant cargo plane, filled it with $1.2 million in donated medical and other supplies which were sent to Tonga.
Mama Dee’s legacy also lives on through the mindfulness-based substance-abuse treatment classes (MBSAT) that Anamatangi leads at Stanford and other locations.
People from throughout the community praised Mama Dee. Grace, who participated with Anamatangi for years and won community recognition said, “Mama Dee was like a grandmother to us. She made us feel like a family.”
Community advocate Omowale Satterwhite commented, “She fed the soul of our community.”
Azariah, part of a set of triplets and now attending Cal State Northridge. welcomed guests at the YCS booth and said that it’s been a pleasure to do service work with Anamatangi for many years.
Police Chief Jeff Liu, who attended with a large contingent said, “It’s great to see the joy and the community coming together today.”
Mama Dee’s children Tiffany, Shana and Michael added, “She always wanted to bring people together and that’s what we have today.”
Michael reiterated that the Pacific Islander cultural traditions are rich and diverse, reflecting the unique histories, languages and customs of the various island nations. Examples include:
1- KAVA ceremonies found in many of the Pacific cultures. Kava is a plant-based drink that promotes relaxation and social bonding.
2 -Traditional dance music, which is unique to each culture, such as the Hula in Hawaii, Siva in Samoa and Met in Fiji.
3 - Tutoring, an ancient tradition used to specify status, spirituality and cultural identity.
4 - Respect for the elders.
5 - Community and family. Traditional navigation and seafaring, including ancient techniques such as reading ocean currents and celestial navigation and
6 - Strong history of storytelling to capture history.
7 - Traditional arts and crafts—including intricate art forms such as woodcarving, tapa cloth and woven baskets.
Mama Dee’s presence was felt in many ways.
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