Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 22, Number 9, 1 September 2005 — Hawaiians will prevail [ARTICLE]

Hawaiians will prevail

Recent events that have rallied the Hawaiian people and their hearts, such as the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision against Kamehameha Schools' admissions policy, are unjust. However, the rallies reflect a eommon thread that

holds us Hawaiians together. We are a people of aloha, and are deeply hurt by the current events affecting our people as made evident by the tears shed by many a participant during the Aug. 6 march. I am happy to see the Hawaiian institutions joining together on this issue to take a stand on behalf of all Hawaiians. The fight will be long. I, too, have been at battle with the United States government. My case is over discrimination in hiring practices that have been biased against Hawaiians, and this battle has been ongoing for five years. We must work within the court system to obtain justice. However, we must also recognize that the legal system is not perfect, and it will be challenging for any Hawaiian to take on the United States govemment. My case has been to court twice and appealed to the 9th Circuit, whieh remanded my case back to trial. I will continue to stand on the windy corner for justice for myself as a Hawaiian and the Hawaiian people. I am happy to see the strength and the unity of the Hawaiian people over Bemice Pauahi Bishop's will. It is a just cause, and I believe we will prevail, as all Hawaiians are etemal optimists. Ronald Obrey Via the lnternet