tokuon

カメハメハ・スクールズとネイティブ・ハワイアンと差別？
（今回、日本語で書くのが難しいので、皆さん、どんどん私の日本語を直して下さい。）

Appeals court rejects Hawaiians-first policy
控訴裁判所は「ネイティブ・ハワイアン優先」の政策を否定
Akaka bill backers, foes weigh ruling
アカカ上院議員の法案の弁護者も反対者も裁定を重視
Princess’ legacy (history of Kamehameha Schools)
姫様の遺贈（カメハメハ・スクールズの歴史）

The issue at stake Kamehameha Schools’ admission policy which allows
only children with Native Hawaiian blood to enter. The school was sued
by a non-Hawaiian student attempting to enter the school for
unconstitutional racial discrimination, and attempted to fight the case
by arguing that its admission policy was constitutional as an
affirmative action policy. However, the court ruled against it saying
that the blanket no-admission policy to non-Hawaiians amounted to
racial discrimination. Meanwhile, Senator Akaka’s bill that will
formally recognize the Hawaiian people as an indigenous group (like
Native Americans) and allow Hawaiians to form their own government,
etc. is up for vote by Congress in September.
この問題は、ネイティブ・ハワイアンの血を持
つ子供のみ入学させるというハワイのカメハメハ・スクールズの政策に関する。この学校は入学しようとしていたネイティブ・ハワイアンの血を持っていない子
供に憲法違反の人種差別の理由で訴えられたので、自分のポリシーがアファーマティブ・アクション（積極的差別解消政策）のため、合憲性があると論じ、訴訟
を反対しようとしていた。しかし、控訴裁判所の裁定はカメハメハ・スクールズの政策が人種差別と同様であって、原告の側に判定した。一方、ネイティブ・ア
メリカンのようにネイティブ・ハワイアンを土着民族として正式に認識しようとするアカカ上院議員の法案は今年9月に議員会で投票が行われる予定。

My thoughts: This is a complicated issue. On one hand, I am opposed
to racial discrimination. On the other, I grew up in a house next to
Kamehameha Schools knowing that I would never be able to attend the
institution. Yet, neither I nor anyone I have ever met from Hawaii has
questioned, much less opposed the school’s Hawaiian-only policy. We
were raised and taught in school about the past and present
discrimination faced by Hawaiians.

The Hawaii we know today was built upon not just land but a country
stolen from the Hawaiian people, and I believe that most people raised
in Hawaii do not begrudge this effort to better the situation of
Hawaiian people. Their island culture/lifestyle was never suited for
contemporary American society and they continue to be the ethnic group
with the worst financial situation, the worst living conditions in
Hawaii.

I have always thought that if the courts were forced to rule on the
Hawaiian-only policy, they would be forced to rule against the policy.
However, I never thought the day would come when anyone would be so
righteous as to challenge it, and now that that day has come, I am
deeply angered and saddened. Hawaiians do not enjoy recognition as an
indigenous people by the Federal Government like other Native
Americans. The bill introduced by Senator Akaka would change that and
allow Hawaiians to continue their struggle for a better life. The
question should not be whether affirmative action is or is not racial
discrimination, but whether the haves and have-nots can be categorized
according to ethnic group. There are thousands of poor children in
Hawaii in a similar situation to Hawaiian children. They should be
helped, yes, but society has also a responsibility to redress past
wrongs, and Kamehameha Schools’ policy attempts to do just that. This
is a sad day.