Here’s a program that might be of interest to some readers.
According to the website of the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii, there will be a special program next month featuring a reenactment of the two famous 1930s Massie case trials.
Professor David Stannard, author of a major history of the Massie case, summarized the importance of the events in a 2001 column published by the Honolulu Adveritser, which is well worth reading.
In the first trial, five men charged with raping the Thalia Massey, the wife of a naval officer, were released when the jury deadlocked after a three week trial and a mistrial was declared.
And in the second trial, “socialite Grace Fortescue, along with several accomplices, was charged with the murder of the well-known local prizefighter Joseph Kahahawai. Fortescue was the mother of Thalia Massie, who had brought charges that Kahahawai was one of a group of men who had raped her,” according to the Wikipedia summary of the cases.
Fortescue and her co-defendants were convicted of manslaughter, but under heavy pressure, including threats of imposing martial law on the territory, Hawaii Gov. Lawrence M. Judd commuted the 10-year sentences to a single hour, to be served in his office. Shortly afterwards, the defendants were allowed to board a navy ship and leave the islands.
The reenactment is presented in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. It is sponsored by the Federal District Court, the Federal Bar Association-Hawaii Chapter and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association-Hawaii.
I’ll request additional details about the planned program, and post them here when received.
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Didn’t Coney Black write a book about this?
Yes.
It would be interesting if some investigative reporter could find out what (or who) has prompted this particular very old case to be selected for re-enactment at this particular time. It seems that the Hawaiian grievance industry feels a need to throw another log on the fire to rekindle racial divisiveness and bolster demands for entitlement programs or political power. Auwe!
My EXACT thought !
Completely agree.
I don’t know you, but I have observed your racist comments on various columns for some years now. And btw racism = prejudice + power, so please don’t try to say a disenfranchised group is racist. Prejudiced? Absolutely can be. Racist if they don’t hold the power? Absolutely not.
Why do you live somewhere where you so obviously hate the people of that land?
You act as if the Kanaka Oiwi don’t have real and actual reasons to have grievances. Um, theft, murder, deceit?, disrespect? IN THEIR OWN HOME? Are these your values? Because they are the values you are standing strong on with comments like this. Only the willfully ignorant, or straight racist could say such things, so firm in their ignorance and white supremacy.
Justice was not done in the Massie case. It is Hawai’i’s Emmett Till. Sorry, but you don’t get to sweep it under the rug because you refuse to acknowledge the carriage of injustice, and for you to even question the why at this time of the re-enactment screams obnoxious.
People that look like you have stolen everything from them, and continue to do so, with pens these days, instead of weapons, (though the military and weapons are all up in the housen now). How would you feel if you were in their place? Would you just sit there and take it?
You have incredible nerve.
Thank you Lelaine. You said it much better than I did.
Having visited Hawaii three times on month-long vacations during a 10 year period starting in 1982, I chose to move here knowing and welcoming the fact that my race would make me part of a minority, and have been a permanent and happy resident in Kane’ohe since 1992. I have demonstrated my love and respect by investing the time and effort to study and understand Hawaiian history, culture and language better than 95% of ethnic Hawaiians. I have lived in Hawaii for more years than a majority of ethnic Hawaiians have lived on this planet. I support and defend unity and equality. Most important: I believe we are all equal in the eyes of God regardless of race, and we should all be treated equally by our government regardless of race. The minority among ethnic Hawaiians who are racial activists vehemently oppose both of those principles, which is why I oppose those individuals.
Most ethnic Hawaiians are proud of their native heritage and also proud to be Americans. They support unity and equality for all people regardless of race. My civil rights activism is in opposition to those few who assert racial supremacy.
The racial situation in H (Hawaii) is reversed from what it is on M (mainland). M: the activists who push a racial agenda, asserting racial supremacy and race-nationalism, are Whites. H: the activists who push a racial agenda, asserting racial supremacy and race-nationalism, are ethnic Hawaiians — they say Hawaiian blood is magic. They preach a creation legend taught in “Hawaiian studies” programs in government and private schools that would be a theological justification for Hawaiian religious fascism — that people with a drop of the magic blood are children of the gods and siblings to the land in a way nobody ever can be who lacks a drop of the magic blood. H: the activists believe ethnic Hawaiians have a right to create a government for themselves based solely on race, at the expense of everyone else. They think ethnic Hawaiians own these islands and everyone else is merely a guest who might be allowed to be second-class citizens but only if the master-race allows it. The leaders and their followers think ethnic Hawaiians have a right to hundreds of racial entitlement programs paid for by taxpayers of all races. Those metaphysical and political beliefs are historically, legally, and morally wrong. Historians note a similar belief system called “blood and soil” that prevailed in Germany in the 1930s, and resulted in war and racial holocaust. I’m proud to stand up for what’s right, in opposition to racism.
You define racism as prejudice + power. The prejudice some ethnic Hawaiians have toward “haoles” is amply shown in countless verbal and physical attacks. The political power held by ethnic Hawaiians is astounding. They are the only group that has many hundreds of racial entitlement programs paid for both government and private agencies — programs where someone who wants to get the benefit must first prove they have a drop of the magic blood. The most well-known private one is Kamehameha Schools — since it’s privately funded a lot of people think it’s OK; but just imagine the outcry if a comparable school, with endowment of $15 BILLION was open only to haoles.
The hundreds of government-funded racially exclusive programs are both illegal (14th Amendment equal protection clause) and morally outrageous. This is real POWER which, even according to your definition, is racism. No other racial group has anything like it, nor even seeks anything like it. According to its most recent annual statement, in June 2022 OHA had $823 Million dollars stashed away and keeps getting tens of millions more from the legislature every year, and thinks it has the right to use the money exclusively “for the betterment of Native Hawaiians”. The racially exclusive Hawaiian Homelands got $800 Million from the legislature last year. OHA & DHHL are on top of all the other government money ethnic Hawaiians receive while also getting the same government services as everyone else, like schools, roads, etc. So don’t tell me ethnic Hawaiians are poor, downtrodden people who cannot be racist because they lack power — they have far more political and social power in Hawaii than any other ethnic group.
TL:DR
All I will say is that you demean the phrase “civil rights” when used in this context. Caucasity will never be the oppressed people on this planet, since they are the ones who have caused most of the death and destruction upon it, and continue to do so, and continue to make up the vast majority of the power structure on it, who make laws to benefit themselves and to freeze everyone else out.
Yes, humans are equal in the eyes of god or the universe of whoever. However, not every humans’ history is equal. And that is what we are talking about here.
How convenient for the conquerer/colonizer to say they don’t have to take the facts of these histories into account.
It’s extremely self-serving, but such is the audacity of caucasity.
Conklin inevitably tends to overstate his case rather severely, but shallow wokest cant like “People that look like you have stolen everything from them, and continue to do so,” “Caucasity will never be the oppressed people on this planet, since they are the ones who have caused most of the death and destruction upon it,” and “such is the audacity of caucasity” are baldly racist oversimplifications that ignore relevant history, current events, and context, especially with regard to Hawaii.
Such pseudo-intellectual drivel underscores that Conklin does include valid points with his alienating avalanches.
A little knowledge is dangerous.
Hoping folks will notice that Mr. Conklin admits he believes that he understand Hawaiian history & culture “better than 95%” of native Hawaiians. Just WOW!
Arrogance and superiority complex win the day!
Actually, I have to stand up here for Ken Conklin. I think he is correct when in saying he is more widely read and familiar with the details of modern Hawaiian history than most. He happens to reach unpopular conclusions, but I have to respect his grasp of historical detail.
Ian:
Thank you for flagging the May 11th reenactment of the Massie-case trials. I regret not being to go and hope it will be videotaped and made available on the Internet.
Thanks, too, for the link to David Stannard’s 2001 newspaper column. It’s an excellent reminder of how American racism and hypocrisy crossed the ocean and corrupted the justice system of the then Territory of Hawaii. Hats off to: William Heen, Robert Murakami, William Pittman, Albert Cristy, John Kelley, Abigail Kawananakoa, George Wright, Frederick Makino, and the 24 jurors.
I’ll order Stannard’s book. I’m embarrassed not to have already read it.
Warren Iwasa
Below are some links to materials on the Massie case. The PBS links will greatly please the folks who feel a desire to delve more deeply into it. But first I want to show the context of how the nearly century-old Massie case is used for propaganda nowadays to arouse feelings of victimhood, “righteous” anger, anti-Caucasian and anti-American hatred not only to raise racial and political solidarity among Native Hawaiians but also to elicit feelings of guilt among today’s Caucasians and American politicians, who might then be more open to reparations in the form of hundreds of millions of dollars per year in racial entitlement programs and also special race-based rights and political power.
The Massie case from nearly a century ago is like the mummy in those old horror movies who keeps getting revived to terrify people. Every few years, when a new generation of high school and college students might not have heard about it, there’s a wave of publicity to revive it. Whenever there’s major political activity by OHA or Bishop Estate, Massie comes up as a reminder of victimhood, colonialism, oppression, etc. against Native Hawaiians. Here’s an example setting the political context for the propaganda in the links provided below:
In Spring and Summer of 2005 the Akaka bill to create a Hawaiian tribe and give it federal recognition was being aggressively pushed in Congress. Some leading Senate Republicans filibustering against it reached a compromise on other issues whereby they agreed to let it come to the floor for a vote as the first item on the agenda after the August recess. Then Hurricane Katrina wrecked the whole Senate schedule, and the bill did not come up until a year later when it was fiercely debated for 2 days and then fell 4 votes short on a cloture motion. But anticipating that the debate would happen in 2005, Senators Inouye and Akaka, and Hawaii Democrats, launched a nationwide propaganda campaign in Spring/Summer to publicize the Massie case to arouse public opinion (and lay a guilt trip on Senators from all the States) that Native Hawaiians are owed reparations as victims of American racism, colonialism, and oppression.
An hour-long documentary on the Massie case was televised nationwide in 2005 as part of the PBS series “American Experience”, with the Hawai’i broadcast on April 18. A preview of that TV program was published in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin of April 17 at:
http://starbulletin.com/2005/04/17/features/story2.html#jump
[This Star-Bulletin link is now dead, but the date in it will enable subscribers to the newspaper’s paid archives to find it]
As part of the coordinated media push to revive outrage over the Massie case, book reviews were also published of David Stannard, “Honor Killing.” See:
http://starbulletin.com/2005/04/17/features/story2.html
[This Star-Bulletin link is now dead, but the date in it will enable subscribers to the newspaper’s paid archives to find it]
and
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Apr/17/il/il16a.html
A massive Massie webpage was also created by PBS to provide research resources for the TV audience. The webpage includes interviews with Hawaiian activists, recommended classroom activities for social studies teachers, etc. See:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/massie/index.html
The PBS Massie webpage also includes a timeline emphasizing ethnic Hawaiian victimhood and American oppression. The timeline includes many events from the history of Hawai’i that are irrelevant to the Massie case, and leaves out any comparisons to racism elsewhere. The purpose of the timeline and associated materials for classroom teachers is to convince people that the producers are focusing on the Massie case because it is just one more typical example in a horrifying 200-year history of oppression.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/massie/timeline/index.html
The last three events in the timeline are typical in their irrelevance to the Massie case and their portrayal of ethnic Hawaiians as victims of American oppression.
1941
Devastation from bombing at Pearl Harbor December 7: Nine years after the Massie case, the Japanese attack the U.S. Navy at Pearl Harbor, precipitating America’s entry into World War II.
1959
June 27: A majority of Hawai’i’s electorate vote to accept statehood, which has been offered by the United States. Many Native Hawai’ians vote against it, however. [Note from Ken Conklin: 94% of all voters said “yes” to Statehood. Even if all 6% of the “no” votes were cast by the 20% of the voters who were ethnic Hawaiian, there would still be 70% of ethnic Hawaiian voters voting “yes”: do the arithmetic]
August 20 1959: Hawai’i becomes the 50th U.S. state. President Dwight Eisenhower signs the proclamation and orders the stars on the existing American flag rearranged. He addresses the American people by radio, saying, “we will wish for [Hawai’i’s] prosperity, security, and happiness.”
[Note from Ken Conklin: I guess this final item in the history is supposed to evoke a feeling of irony or sarcasm: now their fate is sealed]
Know our history.
Interesting how some commentators object to learning/teaching the racist or unhappy parts of our history, yet don’t object when other more white-centric parts of history are glorified. (I.e, Pearl Harbor, Missionary stories). Yes The Massie case is a SIGNIFICANT part of Hawaii’s history. All of Hawaii should know what happened. Bring it on!
Anticipating the likelihood of such comments, I included a clickable link inside my name where you will find a webpage that explains in detail how and why this new resuscitation of the very old Massie case is part of a decades-long dangerous campaign of racial divisiveness through constant reassertion of victimhood claims (some of which are devastatingly true, like Massie). In my comments here about the Massie case, I showed the enormous nationwide and local publicity about Massie in 2005 and how the timing of that publicity was motivated by political demands in Congress for a form of Hawaiian sovereignty. I’m just wondering now: what is the motivation of the timing of this current revival of Massie? It’s no accident. Maybe related to OHA’s big push for rezoning of its Kaka’ako parcels, with TV ads and repeated newspaper commentaries by OHA’s CEO? Or maybe something really huge is coming up, like OHA spending a hundred million dollars to invoke 43CFR50?
Here’s the title of the webpage: To read it, google the first 5 words or click on my name.
Critical Race Theory Hawaiian-Style: A Peculiar Ideological Combination Alleges Actual Native Hawaiian Victimhood; Asserts Native Hawaiian Inherent Racial Supremacy; Expresses Anti-U.S. and Anti-White Hostility; and Demands Asians in Hawaii to Ally with Native Hawaiians in the Interest of Social Justice.
i would very much like to attend the reenactment of the Massie Kahahawai trial in Federal Court.
Three other books to read about the Massie case: Local Story by John Rosa (2014), Something Terrible Has Happened (1966) by Peter Van Slingerland, and a collection of linked poetry about the case by four local women writers, What We Must Remember. Life is too short to wade through Conklin’s animated, anxious responses, but the fact remains that a terrible injustice was done, and that while the Territorial judicial system worked, the intervention by racist politicians on the mainland overwhelmed it. I think often of Joseph Kahahawai’s headstone on which his family noted “Killed” rather than “Died”.
Mahalo nui for the additional reading resources!