Synopsis: Arizona is on a roll. Minorities beware. The governor just signed a bill banning the teaching of ethnic studies classes in the public schools.

‘Auhea ‘oukou, e nā hoa kūpa‘a ma hope o nā ‘ōlelo a me nā ‘ike o ka po‘e ‘ōiwi o ka honua nei, aloha mai kākou. I kēlā pule aku nei a i ia pule aku, ua pūlima ‘ia e ke Kia‘āina o Arizona, ‘o Jan Brewer, kekahi pila e pāpā ana i nā ‘ike o kēlē me kēia lāhui kiko‘ī ‘a‘ole e a‘o ‘ia ma loko o nā kula aupuni o ia moku‘āina. A ‘oiai ‘o ka ‘ike o ka po‘e Latino ka mea i a‘o nui ‘ia ma laila, he mea ho‘okae Latino ka hana. A ‘o ke kumu ho‘i i hāpai ‘ia ai ua pila nei, ua mana‘o ‘ia he mau kumuhana ho‘oulu kipi a hō‘eu‘eu kū‘ē paha ia, a he mea kaulike ‘ole ke a‘o ‘ia o nā ‘ike o kekahi lāhui me ke a‘o ‘ole ‘ia o ko kekahi.

He aha lā kēlā ‘ano? He haku‘epa ho‘ohuoi na ka po‘e e minamina nei i ka hapa ‘ana mai o ko lākou mana kala‘ihi e ho‘omauleho ai i ka po‘e komone‘e e ‘imi wale nei i ola no ko lākou mau ‘ohana. ‘O ka mālama ‘ana i mau papa e ho‘opa‘a ai i ka ‘ike a me ka ‘ōlelo o ka po‘e Latino e māhuahua nei ma Arizona, he hana wale nō ia e ha‘aheo ai nā keiki i ko lākou lāhui pono‘ī a e mālama ‘ia ai ho‘i ka ‘ike o kona mau kūpuna i ‘ole e nalo loa aku.

Ua ‘ōlelo ‘ia he po‘e ‘Amelika kākou a ‘o ka ‘ike ‘Amelika wale nō ke a‘o ‘ia ma loko o nā kula aupuni. ‘O ka mea ‘āpiki na‘e, ‘a‘ohe wahi ‘ano o ka ‘ike Latino i ‘ō‘ā pū ‘ia ma loko o ia mea he ‘ike ‘Amelika. Ke helu ‘ia nei ka po‘e Latino he po‘e ‘Amelika, ke koikoi ‘ia nei na‘e e ho‘opa‘a i ka ‘ike o kekahi lāhui ‘ē, ka ‘ike ho‘i o ko ha‘i mau kūpuna, a ‘o ka ‘ike na‘e o ko lākou mau kūpuna pono‘i, ke ho‘okae ‘ia nei he kohu pala kūkae ka hoa like i hehi ‘ia e ka wāwae a hauka‘e ‘ia ai i ke kāma‘a. Ke no‘ono‘o a‘e, ‘o ka nānā ‘ole ‘ia o ka pono o ia po‘e, e like me ka mea i paipai ‘ia ma kēia pila, ‘o ia ‘i‘o nō paha ka mea nāna e ho‘oulu kipi a e hō‘eu‘eu kū‘ē. ‘A‘ohe hewa o ia mea he ha‘awina pili i ka ‘ike o kahi lāhui kiko‘ī!

Pehea lā e ‘ike ‘ole ‘ia ai ke ‘ano ho‘okamani o ia hana? Eia nō kahi po‘e komone‘e ke ho‘okae nei i kekahi po‘e i komone‘e ma hope mai. ‘O ka ne‘e ‘ana mai o kekahi lāhui malihini i ke kulāiwi o kekahi po‘e ‘ōiwi me ka noho pa‘a ‘ana ma ia ‘āina, ua poina ia mo‘olelo. Ua na‘i mai ua po‘e malihini lā i ka po‘e ‘ōiwi me ke kipaku pū aku iā lākou mai ko lākou ‘āina aku. A i ke kū ‘ana mai o nā malihini i ka moku, ua lilo ‘o ko lākou ‘ike ka ‘oi a ho‘oki‘eki‘e ‘ia a‘ela ma luna o ka ‘ike ‘ōiwi. ‘O ia ihola nō ke ‘ano o ka hana kipi! Ua ‘ike nō paha ke kipi i ke kipi, he alanui i ma‘a i ka hele ‘ia e nā kūpuna. A ‘oiai, ua hana ‘ia e ka haole, ke ho‘oili nei ‘o ia i kona ‘ano hewa i luna o ka po‘e Latino e komone‘e nei i kēia mau lā.

Me he mea lā, ke mana‘o nei ka po‘e luna aupuni o Arizona ē he mea kūpono ke komone‘e mai o ka po‘e ‘ili ke‘oke‘o ma ke kulāiwi o ka po‘e ‘ōiwi. He mea ia e pono ai ka ‘āina. A ‘o ke komone‘e mai na‘e o ka po‘e ikaika o ka ‘ili ma ia ‘āina nō, he mea ia e hewa ai ka ‘āina. ‘Akahi ho‘i ka ho‘okamani!

E ho‘ouna ‘ia mai nā leka iā māua, ‘o ia ho‘i ‘o Laiana Wong a me Kekeha Solis ma ka pahu leka uila ma lalo nei:
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a i ‘ole ia, ma ke kelepona:
» 956-2627 (Laiana)
» 956-2624 (Kekeha)

This column is coordinated by the Hawaiian Language Department at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, supported by the Initiative for Achieving Native Hawaiian Academic Excellence.