Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 22, Number 7, 1 July 2005 — Now is the time for Hawaiians everywhere to rally behind recognition bill [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Now is the time for Hawaiians everywhere to rally behind recognition bill

Aloha e nā 'ōiwi 'ōlino, nā pulapula a Hāloa, mai Hawai'i a Ni'ihau, a puni ke ao mālamalama, descendants of Hāloa from Hawai'i island in the east to Ni'ihau in the west and around this brilliant world. By publication time, S. 147, the Native Hawaiian Reorganization Act of 2005, will be in the process of enactment. It must be approved by the U.S. Senate, the House of Representatives and the White House. Since April, the opposition - including familiar names such as those listed in the Arakaki v. Lingle case (Arakaki, Burgess, et al), those of the Grassroots Institute of Hawai'i, and attomey Bmce Fein, who is being quoted by Senator Kyl of Arizona - has ramped up. It appears that this increased agitation to stir opposition and fuel fear in the eommunity is prompted by the reckoning vote approaching in the Senate on S. 147. Their agitation is further elevated because the push to gamer more Congressional and White House support for S. 147 continues, with resolve. To date, the Democratic caucus of the Senate is solidly in support of S. 147, and Sens. Inouye, Dorgan and Cantwell are listed as co-sponsors. There are also five Republican Senators who have

stepped up in support of S. 147 as eosponsors: Sens. Stevens, Murkowski, Graham, Coleman and Smith. This is the time for courageous hearts and spirits to step forward and move to action. This is the time for every Native Hawaiian in eaeh state and their 'ohana members (who may or may not be Native Hawaiian) to contact their senator and representative to support passage of S. 147. Surely in this eentury, our unified, collective actions to advance the legal and polhieal standing of Native Hawaiians must not fall on deaf ears in Washington, D.C. Queen Lili'uokalani and our ancestors left us the "unfinished business"; we must give voice and effort to a positive future for Native Hawaiians. This kuleana belongs to all Native Hawaiians, in Hawai'i and away. We must seize the moment. E hō'eleu kākou. Go to the website nativehawaiians.com if you are looking for eongressional contacts for your state, as well as drafts of support statements and other information. The U.S. Census of 2000 reports that Native Hawaiians reside in all 50 states. Single voices when unified are effective: Alabama's 833 Native Hawaiians, Alaska's 1,878 Native Hawaiians, Arizona's 4,906 Native

Hawaiians, Arkansas' 718 Native Hawaiians, Califomia's 60,048 Native Hawaiians, Colorado's 3,990 Native Hawaiians, Connecticut's 781 Native Hawaiians, Delaware's 140 Native Hawaiians, District of Columbia's 231 Native Hawaiians, Florida's 5,285 Native Hawaiians, Georgia's 2,183 Native Hawaiians, Hawai'i's 239,655 Native Hawaiians, Idaho's 1,139 Native Hawaiians, Illinois' 2,506 Native Hawaiians, Indiana's 1,402 Native Hawaiians, Iowa's 699 Native Hawaiians, Kansas' 997 Native Hawaiians, Kentucky's 845 Native Hawaiians, Louisiana's 850 Native Hawaiians, Maine's 243 Native Hawaiians, Maryland's 1,475 Native Hawaiians,Massachusetts' l,356Native Hawaiians, Michigan's 2,058 Native Hawaiians, Minnesota's 1,526 Native Hawaiians, Mississippi's 505 Native Hawaiians, Missouri's 1,620 Native Hawaiians, Montana's 529 Native Hawaiians, Nebraska's 543 Native Hawaiians, Nevada's 8,264 Native Hawaiians, New Hampshire's 266 Native Hawaiians, New Jersey's 1,501 Native Hawaiians, New Mexico's 1,261 Native Hawaiians, New York's 3,758 Native Hawaiians, North Carolina's 2,390 Native Hawaiians, North Dakota ' s 132 Native Hawaiians, Ohio's 1,989

Native Hawaiians, Oklahoma's 1,932 Native Hawaiians, Oregon's 6,366 Native Hawaiians, Pennsylvania's 2,051 Native Hawaiians, Rhode Island's 311 Native Hawaiians, South Carolina's 1,056 Native Hawaiians, South Dakota's 207 Native Hawaiians, Tennessee's 1,302 Native Hawaiians, Texas' 7,775 Native Hawaiians, Utah's 3,642 Native Hawaiians, Vermont's 76 Native Hawaiians, Virginia's 2,795 Native Hawaiians, Washington's 13,507 Native Hawaiians, West Virginia's 264 Native Hawaiians, Wisconsin's 1,143 Native Hawaiians and Wyoming's 233 Native Hawaiians. Let us not waiver in our work, no nā keiki. E hō'ā kākou i ka lama kūpono no nā hulu Hawai'i, e kūkulu a'e kākou no ke ea o ka 'āina me ke aloha a me ke ahonui. Let us set aglow the light of positive improvement and aspiration for all our Hawaiians. Let us build the forward momentum for the good of our land (people) moving as one in spirit of love and palienee. 8/48 TJ

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Haunani Apoliona, MSW Trustee, At-large