Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 24, Number 11, 1 Nowemapa 2007 — People of Hawaiʻi believe in fairness for Hawaiians [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

People of Hawaiʻi believe in fairness for Hawaiians

£ i no'ai kākou. According to / \ a poll conducted by Waid / A.Reseaich for OHA, 70 percent of residents surveyed favored the Akaka Bill, while nearly two-thirds of those polled also believe that the issue of race should not be a reason to deny federal recognition to Hawaiians. However, anti-Akaka Bill groups like the Grassroot Institute of Hawai'i (with a membership of a handful of people) and some of the members of the newly fonned Hawai'i Civil Rights Advisoiy Committee are trying to re-write our Hawaiian history. Like other racist groups who say the Holocaust never happened, the Grassroots Institute would not be happy until Native Hawaiians no longer exist or are driven out from our 'āina. They keep hoping that if they keep repeating the same non-truths over and over again, people will start believing their nonsense. The poll was conducted by telephone from August 15-27, from a sampling of 380 residents statewide. The sample is representative of the Hawai'i population by age, ethnicity and island of residence and canies a maximum sampling enor of plus or minus 5 percent. Those siirvcycd were asked, "Do you think that Hawaiians should be recognized by the U.S. as a distinct indigenous group, similar to the recognition given to American Indians and Alaska Natives?" A solid 70 percent responded "Yes," while 18 percent said "No" and 12 percent didn't know. I have always had faith that the people of Hawai'i truly understand the issue of

federal recognition for Hawaiians and could not be easily fooled by all the negative doomsday rhetoric of the antiAkaka Bill naysayers. The poll showed that 84 percent of those surveyed heaid of the Akaka Bill and 79 percent were awaie of the lawsuits against OHA, DHHL and Kamehameha Schools. Sixty-seven percent of those polled also said that Hawaiians have the right to make decisions about theh land, edueahon, heahh, euhmal and traditional practices, and social policies. Eightythree percent of those surveyed believe that over 100 federally funded programs for Hawaiians should continue. The vast majority of Hawai'i residents want organizations such as the Kamehameha Schools, DHHL and OHA, whieh aie under the constant threat of lawsuits, to be protected through federal recognition. They believe in the fundamental question of faimess and that Hawaiians should be treated equally like other indigenous people, including Ameiiean Indians and Native Alaskans. So, to the naysayers I say: stop embarrassing yourself and wasting your time, energy and money on fruitless efforts. You cannot change or rewrite histoiy. OHA only has to educate 1 8 percent of Hawai'i residents on the merits of the Akaka Bill, while opponents need to somehow mislead a whopping 64 percent. It takes so mueh more energy to confuse and mislead people, while it is mueh easier to just speak the huth. All these years of spreading lies and misleading people haven't gotten people like H. William Burgess anywhere. People of Hawai'i know what is right, fair and just. After all, isn't fahTiess and justice the Ameiiean way? Imua e Hawai'i nei. . . For more information on impoitant Hawaiian issues, eheek out my website at www.rowenaakana.org. E2

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