Under the United States Constitution, we are all entitled to equal protection under the law, no matter what our race is. When the State of Hawaii only allowed Native Hawaiians to vote for OHA Trustees, it was violating the constitution.
Akaka Bill supporters believe that by pretending that Native Hawaiians are a tribe, they can ignore the constitution.
Every Native Hawaiian only program would be just as worthwhile if it did not discriminate by race. A Japanese child can learn to speak Hawaiian. A Portuguese man can run a taro farm. A Chinese woman can require help with diabetes.
Helping individuals in need, regardless of their race, is the only way to cure our social ills. Judging people by their blood and assigning resources based on race only makes things worse.
He Hawai’i au; he mau Hawai’i kakou a pau. I am Hawaiian; we are all Hawaiians.
He Hawaii au - Colorblind OHA - MP3 (unknown, 4,169 hits)