The youngest state in our nation deserves more than a toast, according to Jeff Yang today in his homage to and reflections about Hawaii. For one, the state’s racial, cultural and ethnic diversity is like no other. In this regard, Mr. Yang cites JFK’s declaration in the midst of the civil rights unrest that “Hawaii is what the United States is striving to become.”
“Two months later, a baby boy was born at that city's Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women & Children who would grow up to exemplify the ideals cited in Kennedy's speech -- America's first multiracial, multiethnic, multicultural president, Barack Hussein Obama.”In his article, Mr. Yang also cannot help but compare the challenges that JFK faced in his generation with those our president is dealing with now, including conspiracy theories borne of ignorance and fear and the desire to maintain the status quo. Then, President Kennedy was subject to widespread rumors that his Catholic faith divided his loyalty between his country and the Vatican. Now, recent polls indicate that one out of very ten Americans still believe that President Obama wasn’t born here and therefore should not have been eligible to run for president.
“It was fear, not hatred, that led many to whisper about Kennedy, and a similar fear is visible in the eyes of protesters raging against Obama's agenda.I agree with Mr. Yang that Hawaii’s dramatic history should serve as a blueprint for addressing the challenges we face in our time. Fifty years ago today, with 40% of Hawaii’s population being Japanese Americans, the efforts of visionaries countered the opposition that fed on fear and anxiety.
“The fear then was of the unknown changes a racially integrated America might bring to the lives of white Americans. The fear today is of the next logical step beyond integration, into a future where the lines between peoples and nationalities are blurred entirely by racial blending and globalization.”
“During that period, a diverse group of the island's community leaders fought to maintain ties across racial and ethnic lines, to forestall a mass internment of Hawaiians of Japanese ancestry, and ultimately, to pave the way for Hawaii's second-class standing as a territory to be replaced with the protected status of statehood.”
Before Jeff Yang’s “bottoms up” toast to 50 years of the 50th state, he reflects on the “fundamental concept underpinning Hawaiian society” that has been preserved to this day, “the spirit of aloha, an ideal of love, openness, nonjudgement, and generosity.” Okole maluna!
I also call upon that spirit of aloha to descend upon the rest of our nation now and remove the log in the eyes of many who are still overcome by fear and anxiety. Amen?
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