ASSOCIATION OF HAWAIIAN CIVIC CLUBS
A RESOLUTION
NO. 2020 – 38
URGING FUNDING FOR THE COMMISSIONING OF A PLAQUE TELLING THE COMPLETE AND ACCURATE STORY OF THE INVALID ANNEXATION OF HAWAIʻI TO THE UNITED STATES AND THAT IT BE PLACED ADJACENT TO THE STATUE OF PRESIDENT WILLIAM MCKINLEY AT PRESIDENT WILLIAM MCKINLEY HIGH SCHOOL
WHEREAS, at its annual convention in 2009, the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs adopted Resolution 2009-45, supporting the removal through recasting of the “Treaty of Annexation” document carried in the hand of the statue of William McKinley at President McKinley High School in Honolulu by calling on the Legislature and the Department of Land and Natural Resources to take corrective action; and
WHEREAS, shortly after the adoption of Resolution 2009-45, a delegation of Hawaiian Civic Club members met with the principal of McKinley High School who was not receptive to the actions called for in the resolution; and
WHEREAS, in the 11 years since the adoption of this resolution, no further action has been taken on Resolution 2009-45 by any relevant State of Hawaiʻi agency; and
WHEREAS, Resolution 2009-45 accurately documents the history of the invalid annexation of Hawai‘i to the United States; and
WHEREAS, the statue of President William McKinley at its namesake school on O‘ahu portrays a fabricated history that has long-standing political and cultural ramifications; and
WHEREAS, the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs continues to have an interest in correcting the current misrepresentation of the history of Hawai‘i’s invalid annexation depicted by the statue of President William McKinley; and
WHEREAS, the Association recognizes that the plaque is only one of many different ways to deliver the accurate accounting of Hawai‘i’s historical events around the invalid annexation; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs at its 61st Annual Convention held online, in the malama of Makali‘i and the rising of ʻOlekūkolu, this 22nd day of November 2020, urging funding for the commissioning of a plaque telling the complete and accurate story of the invalid annexation of Hawai‘i to the United States and that it be placed adjacent to the statute of President William McKinley High School; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Association urging the State of Hawai‘i through its Department of Education and Department of Land and Natural Resources of the State of Hawai‘i, and the respective complex area superintendent and the McKinley High School administration to partner with the Association in the telling of the accurate story of the invalid annexation of Hawai‘i by the United States of America; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Association commits to work with all interested stakeholders to develop and implement a plan for the commissioning and development of the plaque, its verbiage, location, and aesthetic; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this resolution be transmitted to the Hawai‘i State Board of Education Chairperson, the Hawai‘i State Department of Education Superintendent, the respective Honolulu District Complex Area Superintendent, Chair of the Native Hawaiian Education Council, CEO of the Council of Native Hawaiian Advancement as well as the Governor of the State of Hawai‘i, President of the State Senate, Speaker of the State House of Representatives, Chair of the State Senate subject matter committee on Hawaiian Affairs, Chair of the State House subject matter committee on Hawaiian Affairs, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and all County Mayors.
The undersigned herby certifies that the foregoing Resolution was duly adopted in the malama of Makaliʻi and the rising of ʻOlekūkolu on the 22nd day of November 2020, at the 61st Annual Convention of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs held online.
Hailama V.K.K. Farden, President
