The lawsuit challenging Kamehameha Schools’ admissions policy isn’t just about race or education — it’s about who we are as a community.
The group behind the case, Students for Fair Admissions, is the same organization that successfully challenged affirmative action on the continent. Now they’re arguing that Kamehameha Schools’ long-standing preference for Native Hawaiian students is unconstitutional.
But Hawaiʻi is not the continent. What’s being challenged here isn’t a college admissions policy — it’s a legacy of justice, born out of cultural survival.
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For generations, Native Hawaiians were denied opportunity in their own homeland — through the loss of land, the suppression of language, and the dismantling of traditional systems of knowledge. Kamehameha Schools was founded by Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop to restore what was taken and ensure that Native Hawaiian keiki could be educated, empowered, and equipped to lead their people forward.
When an outside group calls that mission “unfair,” it misunderstands fairness itself. Prioritizing Native Hawaiian students isn’t exclusion — it’s restoration. True equity acknowledges where harm began and focuses on setting things right.
A noted philanthropist, Bernice Pauahi Bishop left funds that led to the creation of Kamehameha Schools. (Bishop Museum)
As someone who is not Native Hawaiian, I know Kamehameha’s mission doesn’t belong to me. But silence from allies enables misunderstanding to grow. Non-Hawaiians — especially those of us in positions of influence — have a responsibility to speak up and affirm that uplifting Native Hawaiian children strengthens all of Hawaiʻi.
When Kamehameha Schools empowers Native Hawaiian keiki, our entire state benefits. Our classrooms, communities, and economy grow stronger when those once pushed to the margins have access to opportunity.
That’s why this lawsuit should concern everyone, not just Native Hawaiians. If we allow the narrow logic of legal challenges from the continent to redefine what fairness looks like here, we risk losing something far deeper — our ability to honor our history and pursue equity in our own way.
Yes, there’s always room for improvement. Kamehameha Schools can continue expanding its reach to support more lower-income Native Hawaiian families who still face systemic barriers. But the mission itself — to protect, educate, and restore — deserves unwavering support.
Defending Kamehameha Schools is about more than a single policy. It’s about affirming Hawaiʻi’s right to define fairness on our own terms — rooted in aloha, accountability, and respect for Native Hawaiians whose heritage and culture will always define these islands.
Restoring opportunity to Native Hawaiians is not favoritism. It’s justice.
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