Racist Or Righteous: the Kamehameha Schools Admissions
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;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; Hawaiians left (ksbe.edu). Today, according to the Racist or Righteous: United States Census Bureau, there are about 400,000 people of part Hawaiian ancestry. However, in 1984 The Kamehameha there were only 8,000 pure Hawaiians, according to the OfÞce of Hawaiian Affairs. Schools Admissions Accompanied with the sudden decline of people came the decline of an ancient culture. Policy Western culture and laws imposed upon the natives nearly annihilated the traditional Hawaiian culture. by Vance Tomasu The hula, the Hawaiian language, and other customs were all outlawed. Parts of traditional Hawaiian Racism is ugly. Racism is an attack upon the culture have been forever lost because of this, never very core of oneÕs identity and character. To be to be seen again. The biggest hit to Hawaii occurred more speciÞc, racism targets the biological aspect when the kingdom of Hawaii fell, being forcefully of a person and makes the blind assumption that a handed over as a territory to the United States. personÕs race determines their behavior and attitudes. Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop was the great Racism isnÕt just black and white anymore. Racism grand-daughter and last direct descendant of King has been further complicated by many grey areas. Kamehameha I. Throughout her life, she witnessed An example of this is the Kamehameha admissions the decimation of the Hawaiian people. Seeing a policy which gives preference to students of Native tragedy unfold right in front of her eyes, and very Hawaiian ancestry over all other students. Is it racist little being done to help the Native Hawaiian people, or righteous? Is their policy intended to promote Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop felt that she needed to the superiority of a certain ethnicity and create aid her people and, more importantly, aid the survival imbalances, or is it intended to correct injustices and of a culture. She was in, perhaps, the best position to promote harmony amongst society? Much debate assist her people, since she had both the authority and has been sparked over this policy, the latest and most the resources to do so. As quoted from the 13th article important case being John Doe vs. Kamehameha of the 1st codicil, Bernice Pauahi Bishop wrote: Schools. John Doe had argued that KamehamehaÕs I give, devise and bequeath all of the rest, policy violated federal laws because it discriminated residue and remainder of my estate real and entrance to the schools based upon race. I personally personal, wherever situated unto the trustees feel that the Kamehameha admissions policy below named, their heirs and assigns forever, is justiÞed, in that it was created to correct past to hold upon the following trusts, namely: to injustices and help an oppressed people that have erect and maintain in the Hawaiian Islands been marginalized in our society, with no intentions of two schools, each for boarding and day being racist. scholars, one for boys and one for girls, to The history of Hawaii, before it had become be known as, and called the Kamehameha part of America, is very important in understanding Schools. (ksbe.edu) the unique circumstances that Kamehameha Pauahi had the desire to remedy a growing Schools is facing right now. Pre-contact statistics problem, and thus founded, as stated above, the of Native Hawaiians are estimated to be about Kamehameha Schools. The schools were intended to 800,000 (Paulsen). After the arrival of Captain James ÒÉcreate good and industrious men and womenÉÓ Cook in 1778 (Paulsen, par 11), the introduction (ksbe.edu). She felt the key to success was education of common colds and diseases decimated the and a solid foundation in Christian values. To indigenous population. A missionary census of the this day, Princess PauahiÕs vision is still integrated native population shown that from 1778-1832, Native into the curriculum of the Kamehameha Schools. Hawaiian population was cut in half (Schmitt). Over 700 men and women from KamehamehaÕs 3 At the time of Princess Bernice Pauahi campuses graduate each year. However, PauahiÕs BishopÕs birth in 1831, there were approximately vision of a vibrant future for Hawaiians is not without 124,000 Native Hawaiians (ksbe.edu). By the time she controversy. wrote her will in 1883, there were only 44,000 Native An anonymous person, simply known as 62 John Doe, Þled a lawsuit against Kamehameha senate publicly apologized for the overthrow of the Schools, citing section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of Hawaiian Kingdom and acknowledged their inherent 1886 (Paulsen), that guarantees the same rights for sovereignty (Harvard Law Review). every person, regardless of skin color. Kamehameha The joint resolution outlined the history of Schools is Þghting one of the most important cases, the overthrow of the Hawaiian government, and in that the results could mean the removal of its long recognized the illegal oppression and injustices standing policy of admitting Hawaiian children Þrst. done unto the Hawaiian people. There are over 85 Equal admittance of Hawaiian children and those of federal statutes (Paulsen) that provide programs to all other ethnicities would turn Kamehameha into aid Hawaiians exclusively, meaning that Congress just another private school. John Doe, a person with has supported preference policies before. Also, the no Hawaiian blood, was suing Kamehameha for the fact that the will was written before America annexed admittance to any of the campuses (he graduated Hawaii brings up the question: Does American law from high school already), abolishment of the have jurisdiction over an article that was written prior Hawaiian preference policy, and the payment for to the illegal annexation? unspeciÞed monetary damages (Paulsen). From a moral standpoint, Kamehameha John Doe is relying on previously decided Schools is completely justiÞed in helping a cases, which include: Runyon v. McCrary (1976), marginalized community. They are simply on a McDonald v. Santa Fe Trail Transportation (1976), mission to elevate and integrate Hawaiian people into and Rice v. Cayetano (2000) (Paulsen). In the Runyon todayÕs society. Is it so wrong to help an oppressed v. McCrary case, the court decided that attending people that still feel the effects of injustices and a private school constitutes a contract, for the inequalities from over a century ago? The intentions purposes of Section 1981, between the student and of Kamehameha are clearly to help people rather than the school (Paulsen). In McDonald v. Santa Fe Trail show racism and discrimination against others. The Transportation, the court upheld the decision that admissions policy itself is also a preference toward Section 1981 protected everyone, including whites. In Native Hawaiians, meaning that once all qualiÞed Rice v. Cayetano, the court basically decided that the applicants with aboriginal blood have been accepted, public could decide on the appointees of the board of anyone else may be accepted, regardless of ethnicity. OfÞce of Hawaiian Affairs, and that Native Hawaiians This point has been enforced on the Maui campus, constituted a race-based classiÞcation. John Doe in which a non-Hawaiian applicant was accepted argues that the Kamehameha Schools is using its because all the qualiÞed Hawaiians had been accepted preference policy to segregate the Native Hawaiians already. Kamehameha Schools is a very diverse from everyone else, by creating an absolute bar school, in that they accept every ethnic background. (the admissions policy). While John Doe met the There are many people of mixed ethnic backgrounds, scholastic and test requirements, the only basis for meaning that Kamehameha does not discriminate his denial was because he had no Hawaiian ancestry. simply on the basis that a person is Caucasian. From the point of the plaintiff, what it comes down to Kamehameha is a privately owned school is that the admissions policy is racist. funded by a trust and is used for the education of In KamehamehaÕs defense it was stated that the indigenous Hawaiian people, who are still very Kamehameha is a private, non-proÞt school that much in poverty. Kamehameha compensates many receives no federal funding whatsoever. This means students, about 60-65% (Paulsen), with Þnancial aid that none of the taxpayersÕ moneys goes directly to of some sort, while the other students not qualiÞed Kamehameha Schools. Kamehameha SchoolsÕ income for Þnancial assistance already pay a low tuition is generated by its residential, commercial and resort fare. This illustrates how much Kamehameha and leases, and diverse investments (ksbe.edu). its board of trustees care not for the money, but for Secondly, Kamehameha was not created the fulÞllment of moral values set down by Bernice to oppress people of non-Hawaiian descent; Pauahi Bishop. The values taught throughout the rather, on the contrary, it was designed to educate school are to be humble, seek knowledge, and help Native Hawaiians in order to compete and be fully others. These values are clearly not racist. From my integrated into todayÕs society. Statistically, Native point of view, many people simply want money, and Hawaiians are still underprivileged and struggling. with KamehamehaÕs endowment valued at more than Congress even apologized for the illegal overthrow $7 billion and a budget of over $200 million annually and annexation of Hawaii, as stated in the United spent on education (Kamehameha Schools Annual States Public Law 103-150, 103d Congress Joint Report), Kamehameha makes for a large target. If Resolution 19 November 23, 1993. In this apology the Kamehameha had no money to offer, John Doe would ���� likely not seek monetary damages, and probably not even care about being admitted. Another thing that critics tend to forget about is that there were many injustices done to Hawaii, as outlined brießy before. These past injustices may have been committed by a generation that has passed on, but the aftermath can still be seen in Hawaii.