Editor's note: Office of Hawaiian Affairs Chair Haunani Apoliona is responding to the political cartoon above. For the record, Hawaii Reporter and Grassroot Institute of Hawaii have no legal ties and are not "partners." In addition, the Grassroot Institute is a non-profit organization and has taken no position on the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act, known as the Akaka Bill, except to educate the public about it. Since its inception 6 years ago, Hawaii Reporter has had a policy of printing all editorials received, as long as they are clear and not libelous.
Hawaii Reporter is showing its true colors by highlighting the highly offensive cartoon titled “Cow Inoa.”
While pretending to be a news site with selected placements of respectable columns and letters, Hawaii Reporter leaves a long trail of smears against all things that don't fit its partner, the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii. One of the key missions of the Grassroot Institute is to kill the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act, which seeks to protect programs for Native Hawaiians.
This cartoon is an openly racial slur, a display of a “small mind.”
Where is the humor in comparing Native Hawaiians to cows? Is “Hawaii Reporter” saying that Native Hawaiians should be “good cows” and sit back and “graze” while watching opponents of Hawaiians dismantle programs that benefit the bottom-line of the state of Hawaii by providing assistance to Native Hawaiians?
Does Hawaii Reporter make this same kind of comparison using any other ethnic group? We highly doubt it.
But then again, Native Hawaiians are an easy target -- groups that are disenfranchised are usually easy pickings for those who would rather we just stay still while others trample over us.
This cartoon is merely a racist piece of propaganda. OHA and all those raised in Hawaii don’t find it funny at all. The cartoon should be pulled and the secret author publicly identified.
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs will continue to fight to better the conditions of Native Hawaiians.
Haunani Apoliona is Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.
HawaiiReporter.com reports the real news, and prints all editorials submitted, even if they do not represent the viewpoint of the editors, as long as they are written clearly. Send editorials to mailto:Malia@HawaiiReporter.com
