Racial Politics Hits Native Hawaiians - State Wrestles With Entitlements

sfgate.com via LA Times ^ | Sunday, September 1, 2002 | Kim Murphy, Los Angeles Times

[American Preservative]

Kahului, Hawaii -- When 13-year-old Joseph Dickson applied to the Kamehameha Schools, a prestigious network of private schools for children of Hawaiian ancestry, he was sure he would get in. He had good grades, he played football and wrestled, the interview went well.

Then Dickson, who is half-native Hawaiian, got the news: Kalani Rosell, a boy with straight A's but no Hawaiian ancestry, got the slot. School trustees said they admitted the first non-Hawaiian student in 36 years because there were no other "qualified" native Hawaiian applicants.

The decision startled Hawaiians and contributed to an already rancorous debate statewide about race, preferences and sovereignty.....Since this article originated from the LA Times, click here to read the rest of the story.....

[KantianBurke]

When was the last time the island state voted for the GOP in any sort of election? if ever?

[Verginius Rufus]

Hawaii cast its electoral votes for Nixon in 1972 and for Reagan in 1984. Three other times the Republican Presidential nominee lost the state by extremely narrow margins (115 votes in 1960).

[Red Jones]

it is so interesting that the civil rights laws of the federal government apparently don't apply in hawaii. Also, it is interesting that these laws don't apply in las vegas. In las vegas many casinos hire 100% recent immigrants rather than americans to work as dealers.

[bandleader]

What's This,"Racism In Paradise"????

[Jack Black]

I see no reason why if a private school wishes to educate only Hawaiians they should forfit their tax exempt status. They are still a school. Do all female schools not qualify for tax exemptions? They do. I see no difference. This is not to say that I find the idea of race based admissions a good one. Only that a key part of being free is the right of free association. Hawaiians should enjoy that right also.