Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 18, Number 3, 1 March 2001 — Civil rights, survival [ARTICLE]

Civil rights, survival

This is a letter about the Carroll /Barrett case. Inasmuch as the out-

eome of this litigation affects all Hawaiians, we in the Hawaiian educational community are very concerned. Non-Hawaiians, especially those directly involved with the legal processes and interpretation of the laws, need to be aware of the plight of the Hawaiians. We are fighting to maintain our basic, inalienahle rights. The Rice case dealt with the civil rights issue of voting. The Carroll/Barrett case concerns fundamental, survival rights. These are rights contained in the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitutional Amendments. They include freedom of speech, assembly, religion and others. If vast areas of land and sea ean be reserved, if large sums of money ean be spent, and if enormous amounts of energy ean be exerted to protect endangered plants and animals, why can't a special group of people, the Hawaiians, be afforded understanding and consideration? It is not just another civil rights case. It is a case of civil survival. 'O wau nō me ka 'oia'i'o. Charles Naumu, Principal Kula Kaiapuni 'o Ānuenue