The truth spoken by a true Hawaiian Wahine Heroine. Meet Haunani Kay Trask

Oh mo kako over my I am honey cake Trask a descendant of the peel any line of Maui through my mother and of the Kohaku McCully a line of kawaii through my father I grew up on the coal outside of Oahu and I reside now in hey yeah one of the ah who was surrounding cunning or Hebei my people the Hawaiian people have been in these islands since the time of Papa and vodka or according to the archaeologists for over 2,000 years tonight I'm going to relate a story that begins with the genocide of a native people and ends with an attempt to silence one of their survivors and fiercest defenders namely myself it is a story of white cultural and economic imperialism in its broadest outlines and of white hegemony and white racism on this campus specifically it is a story of the politics of academic freedom as the politics of white racism let me tell you now first how a white foreign world that is the world of the Holly came to occupy the world of the native that is the world plans in 1778 a white foreigner came to our land with a pestilential ship load of other foreigners they wanted women water food and general recreation for which they gave Hawaiians syphilis gonorrhea tuberculosis and ideas of predatory Christianity capitalism and individualism 42 years later in 1820 a different class of aggressive Holly animated by the hatred of all things dark and sexual brought easels chicken pox and a virulent determination to replace the Hawaiian world with the holly world they were called missionaries and they were bent on conversion of my people and the disposition of our lands and waters by this time that is 18:20 three quarters of a million Hawaiians were dead directly the result of the coming of the Holly conveniently for the missionaries the Hawaiian universe had collapsed under the impact of mass death the Fertile field of conversion was littered with the remnants of Holocaust a holocaust created by Holly and celebrated by Holly as the will of a Christian God by the 1880s most of our lands were owned by the same white American foreigners who had convinced our Chiefs that private property would give our people everlasting physical life in 1893 when Hawaiians were but 5% of what they had been at contact and when most of our arable lands were in the hands of foreigners the American marines invaded and occupied our country overthrew and imprisoned our chiefly leaders and forcibly took Hawaii in 1898 we were annexed to the United States against the wishes of the Hawaiian people by 1900 all Hawaiian language schools were closed political and economic life was dictated by the Holly and American institutions overtook the last vestiges of Hawaiian culture from this point forward into the 20th century Hawaiians became increasingly like other native peoples conquered and subordinated in their own homeland now we suffer a declining population continued land dispossession and ongoing destruction of our cultural ways as a nation and a people Hawaiians are no longer self determining for Hawaiians American colonialism has been a violent process but for violence of mass death the violence of American Mission izing the violence of cultural destruction the violence of the American military once the United States annexed my homeland a new kind of violence took place the violence of educational colonialism where foreign powers replaced Native Hawaiian values where schools like the University of Hawaii ridicule Hawaiian culture and praised American culture and where white men assumed the mantle of authority deciding what is taught who can teach even what can be said written and published in colony Hawaii the university stands atop the educational pyramid of the state people of color comprise over 70% of the student body while the faculty are over 70% Holly for Hawaiians the situation is worse 13 tenured Hawaiian faculty compared with nearly 660 tenured college faculty the situation is called institutional racism enter into this white male University a white male student named Joey Carter lately come from the American South where whites are not only dominant but where white supremacist organizations are on the rise complaining in a public letter to the student newspaper call ale mr. Carter mistakenly says that words like quote Holly dominated society and quote and quote puppet Holly governments and quote are racists that the word haole is like the word that weights oppression repression persecution and domination of non-whites is quote supposin as opposed to actual that he was chased and beaten by locals because of his skin and eye color and finally that people are individuals as opposed to members of historical groups who quote classify themselves as they like clearly mr. Carter was feeling uncomfortable in Hawaii where white people do not have the usual majority nor the unquestioned ability to categorize others as they so lovingly do on the american continent quickly following on this letter came dozens of replies in Kaleo including one by myself in which mr. carter was instructed about his place his history and his role in hawaii educating mr. Carter I explained that quote Holly is in fact one of the few surviving Hawaiian language descriptions in common use in Hawaii I went on to say that Carter's appeal to quote individual exemption from the power and privilege of white hegemony is itself a typical American ploy to avoid responsibility for an ugly and vicious history that visited genocide on American Indians slavery on Africans peonage on Asians and dispossession of both lands and self-government on Native Hawaiians I informed mr. Carter that he is a direct beneficiary as are all white people of racism that is a system of power in which one racially identified group dominates and exploits another racially identified group for the benefit of the exploiting group in the United States people of color do not have the power to practice races against white people the same is true in Hawaii particularly in regard to Native Hawaiians who are contrary to mr. Carter's beliefs not free to classify themselves but are legally classified by the American government regarding flood quantum Hawaiians are 50% of more blood-quantum are Native those of less blood-quantum are not native finally I argued that the hatred and fear people of color have of white people is born of experience the experience of white violence I closed my statement by suggesting that if mr. Carter did not like Hawaii our language or our ways of doing things he could leave since Hawaiians would certainly benefit from one less Holi in our homeland and I might say in response to ken Kipnis that mr. Carter never was a student in my class I have never met or seen or spoken with mr. Carter my article was published on September 19th five days later on September 24th Larry Loudon who refuses to debate with me chair of the philosophy department and himself a recently arrived Holly in Hawaii wrote a letter to Vice President Paul un demanding my public reprimand for voicing such views and arguing that I was an administrator and therefore a spokesperson for the university his request was followed by a philosophy department resolution called quaintly a statement on racism in a khadeem alleging that my public replied to mr. Carter was racist condoned quote violence against a member of the university community solely because of his social identity and opinions end quote and consequently betrayed a quote most basic professional responsibility and quote which they defined as a quote special duty to protect and sustain the fragile atmosphere within which ideas can be assessed on their merits and code specifically the philosophy department alleged that my invitation to Carter to leave Hawaii was similar to a white professor declaring black students unwelcome and proposing that they return to Africa we have a color problem here this resolution was sent by Larry Loudon to vice-president you and on October 15th requesting that I be removed removed from my position of alleged administrative authority they need to read the contract those people on philosophy this resolution was distributed widely to the press by Larry Levine and others and was answered by President Simone on November 2nd assuring his good friend quote Larry and quote that quote administrators may not speak for the University of Hawaii without appropriate consultation with senior officers of the University and quote does this sound familiar the president ended his letter by saying that his administration does not condone creating called and unfriendly intimidating a non-supportive environment for faculty and students and quoting on November third the faculty union reaffirmed academic freedom at the University thank God somebody did quote for the expression of all points of view regarding the racial issues recently raised on the Manoa campus and the darting fair and open debate about race colonialism and any other related issues in Hawaii the Union went on to reaffirm that I was not an administrator on November 8th president Simone announced his intention to conduct an investigation into my statements thus violating all semblance of confidentiality which is very concerned about protecting regarding white male sexual Harrisons [Music] Symone told the advertiser by phone from Japan that he believed I was an administrator he doesn't read the contract either and that administrators must accept quote the principle that some things are better off not said publicly in court I think it's clear that Simone had made up his mind by this point I mean I think that's clear to everybody while Simone conducted his investigation the Faculty Senate began their own triggered by the same philosophy department resolution for the first time in its history the Faculty Senate another white male bastion decided to investigate a fellow faculty member for written public statements without precedent and without procedures the Faculty Senate moved ahead on the basis of the philosophy department resolution thus by the middle of November the witch-hunt had begun in earnest and the white male boy's club was hysterical indeed white men led the charge with people like Gary fuller of geography comparing me to Hitler and Saddam Hussein and Dick Miller of the last school telling the Faculty Senate that my thinking was similar to that which led to the rise of Nazi Germany and which resulted in the internment of japanese-americans ken Kipnis my worthy opponent told one of my faculty supporters that the Hawaiian movement was like the KKK and that I would have to decide whether I wanted to be a professor or a member of the Hawaiian movement charges of impending violence against white people serviced everywhere with the most virulent being made by Larry Loudon proclaiming that I was quote giving hunting licenses and quote to my students and other Hawaiians to quote beat up on Howie's this is the same Larry Loudon who talked a show and news who i'm glad is here tonight that my quote brand of radicalism did not belong in a university while attacking a rally in my defense as a form of terrorism on the campus despite numerous calls on my part and out of my supporters for Loudon and others who disagreed with me to come forward and debate is this University or not I was charged and condemned as a racist the phenomenon known as McCarthyism where individuals are accused falsely and never given an opportunity to confront or disprove disprove their accusers began to characterize the Catholic campus atmosphere hate calls and hate mail began appearing in Hawaiian studies Kaleo ran a poll asking if students thought I was a racist they didn't run a poll asking if they thought Larry laden was a racist stickers stickers began to appear on campus attacking the person personally and raising the specter of white supremacist groups the Faculty Senate proceeded as did al Simone both determined to condemn me without once speaking with me indeed most of my accusers had never read or thought seriously about my statements they would content to read what the philosophy department had said and of course this is where the problem begins the philosophy department like Joey Carter is ignorant of scholarly and novelistic studies and portrayals of racism especially by those by black Americans and by Africans thinking that racism is a matter of color and not of history and power the philosophy department intentionally misread my statements which Larry Laden intentionally and viciously recast saying that I was justifying violence against mr. Carter but I never justified violence against mr. Carter I justified our right as Native Hawaiians to resent Hollies who come here and complain about my land and my culture and my history that's what I said I explained the long history of white violence against people of color precisely to educate mr. Carter since the philosophy department wasn't doing that about his place and his history it is white people and not people of color who have a history of violence against others it is muhuali who stole my land took our government destroyed our nationhood and suppressed our culture it is white people who created laws to divide Alliance by blood-quantum it is white people who created institutions or into our ways of life it is white people who brought capitalism to away in other words it is white people who have exploited and oppressed Hawaiians for their own benefit and the least people like mr. Carter could do is be a little more understanding of that history like most Holly mr. Carter did not know or want to learn any of this but if I did not argue for violence against the Holly then why did the philosophy department say that I did the answer I believe lies in the fears and resentments of Holly themselves here in Hawaii Holly have grown very accustomed to the myth of racial harmony put out by the politicians and the tourist industry they live in predominantly white or Asian neighborhoods and if they know anything at all about Hawaiians it is that we have a funny unpronounceable language we appear we appear on television as activists or other lawbreakers trying to stop development and and we have a deep wound called the overthrow when the all-white American government took our sovereignty yes Holly and Hawaii are very nervous because they know wrongs were committed in their names and for their benefit so when an operative native woman educates one of their own about his white history and his obligations to natives their fears and their angers spill over into crazy accusations that if we examine reflect back on their own sick history of violence as France phenom and Malcolm X and Angela Davis and in googy and a host of other black people have taught us dark-skinned and dark people are the classic bogeyman of the Holly white people know that over all over the world people of color have been brutally and unjust unjustly treated by white imperialism they know our grievances are real so they imagine how much more violent we would be to them then they have been to us because we have a real history of grievances this is why every demand for respect and recognition of dignity on our part is read always as a sign of violence this is why white people so fear black people in the United States despite the fact that it's white people who have a history of violence against black people and not the other way around white violence has a long history and a sick history in the world in the Americas in the Pacific in Hawaii in Hawaii white power and white racism are alive and well on this campus where else but in a colony what a native woman be investigated by three committees for exercising her right as a native and a citizen to publicly criticize a white man where else but in a colony would wake administrators talk babble about quote responsible speech do they mean the responsible speech of Larry Loudon defending certain forms of sexual harassment in a student publication called voices do they mean the responsible speech of Ian Reed another white man arguing the mental inferiority of women in the same student magazine do they mean the responsible speech of Dick Miller accusing me publicly in the Faculty Senate of creating an atmosphere similar to the one that leads to Nazi Germany and the internment of the Japanese mr. Miller doesn't know his history white people white people made not to germany white people intern Japanese not Hawaiians thank you very much in the long history of Hawaii it is white people who have a violence against Hawaiians Filipinos Japanese alright why is their speech responsible and my speech is not responsible speech in other words as it is defined by white men creates the parameters of academic freedom white men can say all the manner of dangerous violent and false things in fact absolute lies and they are protected their speech is protected but I have told the truth I've told the truth I'm willing to debate the truth of what I said but nobody wants to debate the truth they just want me to shut up all right I've got two minutes so I have to skip part of this but I want to end I know I know I think this should be this should be one hour I want to say something about mr. Carter's response he wrote a public statement and he should be responsible for his statements instead of running away and relying on the philosophy department but now I want to quote from because it's very important you know the climate the whole thing is my climate I create climate you know I make rain snow thunder lightning I create a climate of racial intimidation at the scribble of my pen notice how powerful Hawaiian women are right let me say what Tom guessing has just concluded in his investigation which I assume is not confidential since I was the one who was attacked but I don't have to wait for the Office of Information practices and Kaleo release the confidential information I'm gonna release it right here publicly Tom get things found the Dean of Students quote I have found no evidence that dr. Trask who has never met or spoken with mr. Carter discriminated against him in regard to his race or color I have found considerable evidence that hostile environment in regard to race or color exists at the University of Illinois this condition existed prior to mr. Carter's college and dr. trusts responds it is very dangerous for all of us on this campus who prize public debate and thank God margitta Ronnie and did this because there were so many cowards who would not co-sponsor this to be because they are terrified of the truth thank God much he did this who by the way is a person of color and customer Ron the fact is that we are living in dangerous times where is our president I submit to you that he is protecting white male power thank [Applause]

Channel: Kikahuna Waialae

Views: 49,662

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Id: gDtwKzmdSHQ

Length: 21min 44sec (1304 seconds)

Published: Mon Nov 05 2018