The history books say Hawaiians and everyone else living in Hawai`i at the time voted overwhelmingly to become the fiftieth US state on August 21, 1959, fifty-two years ago today.

Yet nothing is further from the truth.


Actually only thirty-six percent of all eligible voters voted in the 1959 statehood vote. And yes, ninety-four percent of that thirty-six percent did vote for statehood.

But who were those voters? They were overwhelmingly Americans who had settled in Hawai`i to live, along with the US military and their family members.

The truth is, sixty-four percent of all eligible voters never voted at all.


And the vast majority of Hawaiians boycotted the vote entirely.

So a small minority voted for statehood, and those voters overwhelmingly were foreign settlers and the US military.

And ever since that tiny minority voted, the US imprint on Hawai`i has been large.

Amy Brinker is someone who has worked diligently to break that hold in one very big way - to legalize the sale of hand-pounded poi, the staple of Hawai`iʻs indigenous diet.


Hear her fascinating tale this week on
Hawai`i’s award winning Voices Of Truth – One-On-One With Hawai`i’s Future.

MONDAY, August 22nd At 5:30 PM O`ahu, `Olelo, Channel 53
MONDAY, August 22nd At 6:30 PM Maui – Akaku, Channel 53
MONDAY, August 22nd At 7:00 PM & FRIDAY, August 26th At 5:30 PMHawai`i Island – Na Leo, Channel 53
TUESDAY, August 23rd At 7:30 PM & THURSDAY, August 25th At 7:30 PM SATURDAY, August 27th At 8:00 PM - Kaua`i – Ho`ike, Channel 52
“ Indigenizing The Law - A Visit With Amy Brinker”

When first year law student Amy Brinker moved from Galveston, Texas to attend the University of Hawai`i, she discovered to sell or even give away hand-pounded poi, the staple food of Hawaiians, was illegal. New to Hawai`i and not Hawaiian herself but wanting to make a difference, she did the only thing she could - she set out to change the law. Before long she found herself meeting with legislators who were asking her to craft a bill they could pass. Donʻt miss our interview with Amy as she tells the story of her fight to legalize hand pounded poi and the amazing changes she has now brought to all Hawai`i
- Watch It Here

Now you can become a fan of Voices Of Truth on Facebook by clicking Here and see behind the scenes photos of our shows and a whole lot more.


Voices Of Truth interviews those creating a better future for Hawai`i to discover what made them go from armchair observers to active participants. We hope you'll be inspired to do the same.

Voices Of Truth now airs on local access stations in Cape Town, South Africa, Sweden and 50 cities across the US. Check your local listings.

If you support our issues on the Free Hawai`i Broadcasting Network, please email this to a friend to help us continue. A donation today helps further our work. Every single penny counts.

Donating is easy on our Voices Of Truth website via PayPal where you can watch Voices Of Truth anytime.

For news and issues that affect you, watch Free Hawai`i TV, a part of the Free Hawai`i Broadcasting Network.

Please share our Free Hawai`i Broadcasting Network videos with friends and colleagues. That's how we grow. Mahalo.



Enhanced by Zemanta

You need to be a member of maoliworld to add comments!