Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 17, Number 10, 1 October 2000 — Akaka hearings [ARTICLE]

Akaka hearings

I was ashamed to see the T.V. coverage on the Inouye hearings on the Akaka Bill. The independence people booed kupuna, stopped others from speaking and did not even provide a good alternative to the Akaka Bill. Congratulations to all the Hawaiians who were brave enough to stand up for the Akaka Bill. This is what Hawaiians have wanted for a long time. It took guts and courage to support the bill. Where were the OHA trustees? Only Hee and Trask attended. Akana, who was out of town, sent her aid. All three supported the Akaka Bill. These are the trustees we should support. The rest were too busy with their campaigning to eome and speak in behalf of the Hawaiians that voted for them. Sorry Apoliona, Cataluna, DeSoto, Machado and Springer. I won't have time to vote for you in November either. I mua Hawai'i. Alonzo Kamawa III Pearl City The Akaka hearing provided a workshop on racial bias for me. There is nothing wrong in being proud of one's racial heritage. The fact that we grow up in certain ethnic communities forces us to think and

act with certain community pride that sometimes contributes to racial bias. It is when this racial bias is eollectively and deliberately used to dominate and exploit others that the spectre of racism raises its ugly head. I believe that Ken Conklin, a speaker at the hearings, believes that what he is doing is right. Conklin's statement, however, that "Federal legislation granting recognition to Native Hawaiians would divide Hawai'i along racial lines" belies the fact that any kama'āina knows full well that there has been a racial division in these beautiful islands for 107 years. Conklin's statement would have been more realistic and certainly more honest had he said, "Now that we have stolen all that we could as racists, let's end racism." Moreover, Conklin's effort to infiltrate and ultimately destroy the Office of Hawaiian Affairs provides the very crucible that will create further racial conflict in this state. As a Hawaiian, I ean bear witness to the insidious and subliminal rage lurking beneath the surface of the Hawaiian demeanor and am absolutely convinced that unless there is justice for Hawaiians, we will all reap the whirlwind. As a newcomer, Conklin cannot be expected to understand the eomplicated nuances of the issue. His intellectual blindness, however, is no excuse for his negligence, or perhaps reluctance, in not recognizing the egregious injustices committed against the native and indigenous people of this country. Rod Ferreira Kamuela