Racism in Hawaii

While I read Judy Rohrer's excerpt, many things came up that I have experienced before. Most of the article relates to my personal life in some way, and it conjured up many thoughts and questions I have had in the past. What does 'haole' mean in Hawai'i? Not just the literal meaning (foreigner) but how is it used? Who does it apply to? Is it a racist word? While reading Haunani-Kay Trask's story, it made me feel different. I felt angry, I asked myself, why does this happen? How could University of Hawai'i administrators treat Trask in such a derogatory way? She came forward to speak her mind on what was righteous and just from her perspective. White male supremacy is all too common. In Hawai'i, it is all around us. And although we like to think that the University system is not all about politics, this brought out an ugly side of our UH system. The philosophy departments response to Trask's publication appalled me. She spoke up on the matter and responded to Joey Carter's racial accusations, and the philosophy department stigmatized her for it.  Haole is used in countless different contexts. Calling someone a haole can be a mild form of humor sometimes, while other times it can be used in a very serious manner. Classifying the word haole is difficult to do. I liked one way Rohrer described the difference: haole at Kamehameha Schools compared to haole at Punahou School. That is one comparison I grew up with since my father is a Hawaiian language teacher at Kamehameha Kapalama while other family members attend Punahou. Racism while growing up in Hawai'i schools is pretty common. I believe the problem lies in having so many different cultures and ethnicities in Hawai'i, and the hostile way the Hawaiian Government was overthrown by 'haole' people. We all have different perspectives on life, and that plays a role too. Fixing this problem will take a large community effort. I believe all the wrongs that happened during the overthrow, and the overall treatment of Native Hawaiian people, need to be made right and be amended. 
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