Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 14, Number 12, 1 Kekemapa 1997 — OMB concedes Hawaiians two objectives and a new option [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OMB concedes Hawaiians two objectives and a new option

ALOHA MAI E NĀ 'ōiwi Hawai'i. Eia ka'u mo'olelo nūpepa no kēia mahina. 'O ia ka helu 'umi i i ka huina kanahākūmamāono. My September and October KWO articles informed our readers of the effort by a 20-member working group to transmit to the Office of Management and Budget eompelling responses regarding Directive 15 and recommendations relating to Hawaiians, along with launching a post-card campaign. These written responses 1) supported the change of

"Hawaiian" to "Native Hawaiian;" 2) opposed continued classification of Hawaiians in the "Asian

or Pacific Islander" (API) category; and 3) supported adding "Native Hawaiian" to the category of "American Indian or Alaskan native." As you may have read in the daily newspapers, OMB published its decision on the Directive 1 5 recommendations in the Oct. 30 Federal Register, saying, "The Interagency Committee recommended that data on Native Hawaiians eontinue to be classified in the Asian or Pacific Islander category. This recommendation was opposed by the Hawaiian congressional delegation (Senators Akaka, Inouye and Representatives Mink and Abercrombie), the estimated 7,000 individuals who signed and sent preprinted postcards, the State of Hawai'i (Department of Health) and legislature, Hawaiian organizations and other

individuals who commented on this recommendation. Instead, the eomments from these individuals supported reclassifying Native Hawaiians in the American Indian or Alaska native category." While OMB did not agree to add Native Hawaiians to the "American Indian" and "Alaskan native" category, its decision conceded two of our objectives and created a new third option. First, OMB will change the term "Hawaiian" to "Native Hawaiian." Second, OMB will no longer classify Hawaiians in the API category. API will be separated into "Asian" and "Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander," meaning "a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands." The term "Native Hawaiian" does not include individuals who are native to Hawaii

because they were born here. In addition to Native Hawaiians, Guamanians, and Samoans, this category would include the following groups reported in the 1990 census: Carolinian, Fijian, Koreans, Melanesian, Micronesian, Palauan, Northern Mariana Islander, Papua New Guinean, Ponapean, Polynesian, Solomon Islander, Tahitian, Tarawa Islander, Tokelauan, Tongan, Trukese and Yapese. OMB fiirther cited, "The Native Hawaiians presented compelling arguments that the standards must facilitate the production of data to describe their social and eeonomie situation and to monitor discrimination against Native Hawaiians in housing, education, employment and other areas. By creating separate categories, the data on the Native Hawaiian and other Pacific See Apoliona, on page 13

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APOLIONA from page 12 Islander groups will no longer be overwhelmed by the aggregate data of the mueh larger Asian groups. Native Hawaiians will comprise about 60 percent of the new category." Mahalo to all who worked to transmit responses and to promote the postcard mailing. All of these "lima hana" were named in the September and October articles of KWO. Mahalo to OHA trustees for approving funds to print and pre-stamp the postcards and to the OHA staff who helped to disseminate these cards for signatures. Excellent work. The U.S. Census Bureau will need to implement these changes to OMB Directive 15forthe CENSUS 2000. lmproved data collection on the socio-eco-nomie conditions of Native Hawaiians nationwide should result. I will keep you posted. Ka Hopena Makahiki As we mark the first anniversary of our eleeuon and the close of 1997, 1 must say it's been a very educational year for me, Trustee Machado and Trustee Springer. I pray that peaee of mind, body and spirit abide and grow within our Hawaiian organizations, leaders, families, communities andall of Hawai'i nei. 'Oke Akua pū me 'oukou pākahi no nā kau a kau. Aloha nō. ■ OHA trustees' individual views expressed do nol necessarily represent the official position of the Board of Trustees. OHA is not responsible for accuracy of these commentaries. The trustees weieome comment. Write to Ka Wai Ola o OHA, 71 1 Kapi'olani Bivd. Suite 500, Honolulu 96813.