Honoring Hawaii's True Heroes

We Should Be Turning Inward, Not Outward, to Find Inspiring Figures for Our Communities

In response to growing protests about the name of McKinley High School, I wanted to share my thoughts on the matter.

As a historic preservation professional, I don't support the arbitrary removal of monuments. I think this is a very dangerous, slippery slope. Liberals cannot be vigorously fighting to save national monuments under the Antiquities Act one day but then cheer the destruction of those listed on the National Register the next. This strikes me as dangerous.

This does not mean I don't support the removal of monuments erected in the name of racism and white supremacy. I believe they should be moved, removed, or reinterpreted. There are processes for going about such things; those processes should be followed.

As we have learned from this administration: terrible men can become Presidents. This was the case with President McKinley. The 25th President was not unlike the 45th President. While a hero to some, he was a fan of war and openly racist to non-whites. McKinley launched the U.S. into a period of violent, global military imperialism.

McKinley colonized Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines for the U.S. He ordered military action in the Philippines that would cost 200,000 Filipino lives. Despite promises to give Cuba independence, he would keep Cuba under the control of the U.S. military.

It was McKinley who pushed through the annexation resolution of the Hawaiian Islands, despite the fact that his predecessor President Grover Cleveland had withdrawn the treaty and ordered an investigation into the U.S. actions in Hawai‘i with the intent of returning active rule of the Kingdom to Queen Lili‘uokalani. In 1993, Public-Law 103-150 acknowledged "the illegal overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii on January 17, 1893" by the U.S. Congress and McKinley's role in this act, "which resulted in the suppression of the inherent sovereignty of the Native Hawaiian people."

In light of this history, the statue that stands today facing Beretania Street does not belong here in Hawai‘i. It should be offered to President McKinley's Presidential Library in Ohio. If they are not interested in it, it should simply be removed. (Following proper laws and regulations for doing so.)

Additionally, Hawai‘i's schools should be named for individuals who enriched our history and culture. Hawai‘i has its own heroes. We must do a better job of looking to our own history and remembering them.

One of the original homes of McKinley High School was Keōua Hale, the palace of Princess Ruth Ke‘elikōlani. Keōua Hale was larger than ‘Iolani Palace. Princess Ruth Ke‘elikōlani was a noble and powerful ali‘i. Her lands would become a significant portion of the Bishop Estates. She was a staunch defender of traditional cultural practices.

In my humble opinion, for her tremendous contributions to our culture, to education, and considering her palace served as one of the first homes of the school, the school should be renamed to Princess Ruth Ke‘elikōlani High School.