Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 22, Number 9, 1 Kepakemapa 2005 — Educate everyone [ARTICLE]

Educate everyone

The Kamehameha Schools issue is not about race, it's about opportunity. I don't think there's mueh doubt that Princess Bemice Pauahi Bishop would have wanted all of Hawai'i's children to be educated. Whatever her dreams may have been, however, the overthrow of the nation of Hawai'i by the United States of America dispelled any hope that they would be realized. The theft of their nation has tumed Hawai'i's people, the victims, inward and defensive, and their stance has

been to tighten their grip on whatever could be held on to. This has been difficult, to say the least, in that the very foundation of the Hawaiian culture is to share and to accept. While it is never easy for the oppressed to control surrounding circumstances, a stand now needs to be taken in order to avoid further magnification of the role of the victim. As evidenced by the general acceptance of the so-called Akaka Bill, whieh serves to further diminish Hawai'i's nationality by trading it for reservation status and dubious handouts, the Hawaiian community is being coerced with false hopes, and too many are being fooled. We cannot now accept the fallout of an injustice of this magnitude. The Hawaiian community needs to stand up in unison and declare the future. The obvious course would be for Kamehameha Schools to educate everybody. They should absorb the state school system and use their assets to provide the kind of education that will enable the people of this plaee to cast off their role as the victim and go on to restore Hawaiian nationality. That's the opportunity. It's time to play a little offense. Kelly Greenwell Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i

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