Hawaiian rights march
is scheduled for Sunday
A coalition of native Hawaiians is planning a "March for Justice" in Waikiki on Sunday "in response to attacks on Hawaiian rights."
Vicky Holt Takamine, head of the sponsoring 'Ilio'ulaokalani Coalition, said the 8:30 a.m. march from Saratoga Road and Kalakaua Avenue to Kapiolani Park is being held the day before a hearing on the Arakaki vs. Lingle federal court lawsuit challenging the legality of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.
But it was prompted by the recent federal court order requiring Kamehameha Schools to enroll a non-Hawaiian boy pending a decision in a lawsuit filed by his mother challenging the schools' Hawaiians-only preference policy for admissions.
The march will be followed by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs' Family Day program for a discussion of Hawaiian issues at the family level, said coalition spokeswoman Piilani Smith.
The march is about social and economic justice, Takamine said.
"This is about meeting the educational needs, the housing needs and the welfare needs of the Hawaiian people," she said.
"This is about protecting private alii trusts, whose lands are solely dedicated to serving the needs of our Hawaiian people," she said. "This gathering is uniting Hawaiians and all others who support Hawaiians to express our commitment to protecting Hawaiian rights."
