On behalf of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, the members of its Board of Directors declare that they stand in support of and in solidarity with their community members at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) who were subjected to verbal and physical violence last Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019.
“We condemn the behavior of the perpetrators, who, as self-proclaimed law enforcement officers, created an environment of fear at the OHA headquarters, inflicting bodily and emotional harm on some of our public servants,” the clubs’ Jan. 24, 2019, press release said.
“Further, we denounce the atmosphere of misinformation and rhetoric that has emboldened those representing the ‘Kingdom of Atooi’ to believe that the use of violence is an acceptable form of civic engagement or advocacy,” the statement continued. “We use our voice today from the clear foundation of our traditional saying, ‘ho‘okahi leo ua lawa,’ or ‘one voice should be enough,’ which reminds us that to actualize a flourishing lāhui we must heed and resonate the voices of our kūpuna that keep us accountable and on the path of peace that was set forth by our Queen Liliuʻokalani over 126 years ago.
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The Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs has been a recognized advocate of the Native Hawaiian community since the movement’s founding by Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana‘ole in 1918. There are 66 individual clubs located throughout Hawai‘i and the United States.
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