Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 17, Number 4, 1 April 2000 — Racism comes to Hawai'i vis a vis Freddy Rice [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Racism comes to Hawai'i vis a vis Freddy Rice

fREDDY RICE'S attorneys are riding high vis ā vis their 1 5th Amendment win in Rice vs. Cayetano. However, what the media has not reported is that Mr. Rice was the pawn used by the white, racist, and elitist group, Campaign for A Color Blind America (CCBA), to further its agenda to reverse any affirmative action initiatives and laws regarding the protection of native peoples' rights. The CCBA has written briefs that helped overtnrn at least 10 Supreme Court cases about minorities and Native Amencans. With Rice under his belt, CCBA executive Marc Levin announced the organization would now pursue the elimination of other Hawaiian trusts and entitlements. CCBA is motivated by its belief that by the year 2020, minorities will control America, and whites will no longer be the control-

ling class. For this racist group, being a member of an oppressed minority is unfathomable. Echoing Mr. Levin's sentiments is former attorney John Goemans, who plans to continue his fight to infiltrate the 50th state with overt racism and

white supremacy. Although he is no longer licensed to practice law in Hawai'i, Mr. Goemans has publicly stated that he intends to use the Rice victory as ammunition against programs the Hawaiian people hold dear. Mr. Goemans says he is planning to these attacks because "all government programs, state and federal, for native Hawaiians are racebased, presumptively unconstitutional and up for challenge." With that said, it should not eome as a surprise that CCBA is aiding Mr. Goemans in his quest to strip our people of what is historically due to us. According to the CCBA's website (http://www.equal rights.com), it "assisted Goemans with his appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court and filed an amicus brief at the Supreme Court." Mr. Goemans, along with others who challenge Hawaiian

entitlements, should refer to the United States' brief filed in the Supreme Court on behalf of OHA and the state that declares that Hawaiians are equal to Native Americans and Native Alaskan peoples. Therefore, any entitlements Hawaiians enjoy cannot be considered race-based, but are rather politieal status entitlements for the native people of this land. Īhe Rice ruling underscores the need to build consensus on the issue of self-determi-nation so OHA ean move forward as an agency that is "quasi-sovereign" rather than an arm of the state. One of the methods by whieh self-determi-nation ean be accomplished for our people is through federal legislation that would afford Native Hawaiians the same speeial status as Native Americans now enjoy. We Hawaiians are al a juncture where we are able to

: restructure a nation that takes into consideration what is best suited for us. We have progressed to possess the ability to hold jurisdiction and control over our resources and lands. We do not need the state to decide these things for us. Our Hawaiian voices need to be heard at the Legislature and in the U.S. Congress. We must get involved in the legislative process, or risk having this process decided for us. To have others decide for us, strips Hawaiians of autonomy and the ability to decide for ourselves what is best for us. The Rice ruling should be a wake up eall for not just Hawaiians, but for the entire state. As a state, we need to stomp out any hint of racism. And as a Hawaiian community we need to tell our story and get the message out so history will not be repeated for our future generations. ■

[?]

TRUSTEE MESSA GES

■.M. ]