KE AUPUNI UPDATE - JANUARY 2023
Swaying the State Legislature...
Last year the State of Hawaii legislature took some actual steps toward correcting decades of neglect, malfeasance and abuse of the Hawaiian people. The biggest was the $600 million earmarked to boost the distribution of Hawaiian Home Lands. Another action was removing the University of Hawaii from management of Mauna Kea and appointing a new team that includes native Hawaiian protectors. Legislation was passed demanding the closure of the the U.S. Navyʻs fuel storage tanks at Kapūkakī (aka Red Hill)... reflecting the state’s new-found awareness that the U.S. military is not the benevolent friend it professes to be.
Then there were actions such as recognizing Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea as a historic holiday celebrating the Hawaiian Kingdom as a sovereign country; and changing the place-name of Captain Cook back to the original name, Kaʻawaloa. Though less dramatic, in many ways they are more significant, as they point to Hawaii as a sovereign nation.
The day after the 30th ʻOnipaʻa Peace March from Maunaʻala to ʻIolani Palace, was the opening day of the 2023 legislative session of the State of Hawaii. Based on the momentum from last year, and some newly elected Hawaiian legislators and in speaking with a number of senior legislators, it looks like the prospects for passing a resolution “recognizing Hawaiian nationals are a lawful people residing in the Hawaiian Islands” are improving.
With the help of friendly legislators we will be holding informational briefings with key senate and house leaders, the Hawaiian caucus members, the Hawaiian Affairs committees and legislators in general about the ongoing discrimination and abuse of Hawaiian nationals. In early march we will be submitting a resolution that will put an end to that discrimination.
We are not asking the legislators to create a new protected group or to define what comprises a Hawaiian national, or who has legal power or jurisdiction in Hawaii. All we are asking them to do is acknowledge that Hawaiian nationals are ipso facto (by the fact itself, self-evident), that Hawaiian nationals exist and should not be treated as if we are illegal aliens.
This resolution confirming the fact that Hawaiian nationals are a lawful people, will put a stop to discriminatory treatment of Hawaiian nationals living in our homeland.
We will once again submit a resolution for the legislature to encourage the state Board of Education to change the name of McKinley High School back to Honolulu High School.
Support for changing the name is massive, including many Hawaiian organizations, the Hawaii State Teachers Association (HSTA) and the general public. Unfortunately, its being blocked by only a handful of politically well-connected alumni from the 60s and 70s, fiercely loyal to the McKinley name, no matter what kind of an evil person he was.
All around the US, edifices with the name McKinley have been removed. In 2014 Congress renamed “Mount McKinley” the highest mountain in North America to “Denali” the traditional Alaskan native name. In 2019 the town of Arcata, California removed the McKinley statue from the city center, because of his maltreatment of Native Americans, Chinese, Hawaiians and Filipinos.
The most critical stakeholder that we have not heard from in this controversy are current McKinley High School students... those whose diplomas, records and transcripts will forever show that they graduated from a school named after a despicable white supremacist, racist and father of American imperialism. If the students themselves were to speak up and demand the state Board of Education not condemn them to be stigmatized by the name McKinley, it would break the alumni block and the name would be changed immediately.
As we work with Kapu Aloha to change the understanding and attitudes of those who are in places of authority, let’s remind ourselves, our ʻohana and our friends, that we are the legacy — the evidence and heirs — of the living Hawaiian Kingdom... Ua Ola Ke Ea! Sovereignty Lives!
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Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono. The sovereignty of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.
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For the latest news and developments about our progress at the United Nations in both New York and Geneva, tune in to Free Hawaii News at
6 PM the first Friday of each month on ʻŌlelo Television, Channel 53.
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SIGN THIS PETITION…
Rename
McKinley High School and remove the McKinley statue! He was the
president who turned Hawaii from a peaceful, neutral country into a
major hub of America’s war machine. Sign this online petition NOW! Tell
everyone you know to sign it too! TinyURL.com/AlohaOeMcKinley
PLEASE KŌKUA…
Your kōkua, large or small, is vital to this effort...
To contribute, go to:
• GoFundMe – CAMPAIGN TO FREE HAWAII
• PayPal – use account email: info@HawaiianKingdom.net
•
Other – To contribute in other ways (airline miles, travel vouchers,
volunteer services, etc...) email us at: info@HawaiianKingdom.net
“FREE HAWAII” T-SHIRTS - etc.
Check out the great FREE HAWAII products you can purchase at...
http://www.robkajiwara.com/store/c8/free_hawaii_products
All proceeds are used to help the cause. MAHALO!
Malama Pono,
Leon Siu
Hawaiian National
