Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 1, Number 6, 1 August 1984 — Kamehameha Valedictorian Sees Challenges, Improvements A head [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kamehameha Valedictorian Sees Challenges, Improvements A head

"A new era of Hawaiian history is here. Hawaiians are emerging from the overthrow of the monarchy and the eeonomie, political and social hardships we have endured for many years." So goes the opening lines of 1984 Kamehameha Schools graduate Maile Loo in her valedictory address at the 94th commencement exercises. "Although there should be mueh optimism for the future, we cannot forget the realities facing Hawaiians today," she went on. Miss Loo, daughter of Solomon and Virginia Loo of Kailua, cites facts from the July, 1983, report of the Native Hawaiian Education Assessment Project whieh lists among its findings: • Hawaiians, adults as well as teenagers, are overrepresented among the state's unemployed. • Hawaiians are disproportionately represented on state social welfare rolls. • In general, Hawaiians are underrepresented in high status managerial and professional jobs, while they are overrepresented in occupations that tend to be of relatively low status. • The educational achievement of Hawaiians is quite limited. Hawaiians are severely underrepresented in four-year polleges. The 1979 University of Hawaii at Manoa enrollment showed that only two percent of the students were Hawaiian or part Hawaiian whereas they make up 17 percent of the state's population. "The final report contains many more findings like these. We cannot deny these data and we should not try to hide them," the 1984 graduate continued. She noted there-are some positive indicators for optimism in reversing these findings. "Our eanoe," she declared, "is not sinking helplessly." More Hawaiians, she pointed out, are seeking and getting elected to public office and the creation of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs by the 1978 Constitutional Convention was another positive indicator for optimism. OHA trustees, she explained, are elected by Hawaiians only and the organization is attempting to protect the interests of the Hawaiians. "Although these two indicators are part of the political system, there are other positive indicators such as the increased activities in eanoe clubs, hula halaus, Hawaiian civic clubs and many other service and professional organizations," Miss Loo added.

"All of these give opportunities to eontribute to the overall improvement of Hawaiians, if we want to." To help sustain this momentum, she offered a few suggestions "from my limited view and experience." • Be well-informed Hawaiians. I am sure eaeh of us has made or will make many tough decisions in the future. Unless we seek and get good information, we will not be making informed decisions. • There is power in group unity. To date Hawaiians and Hawaiian groups have not shown unity of purpose. However, I believe they are seeing more and more that group action seems to be more effective than isolated, individual acts. Get active when you think it is appropriate for you. "Things are changing and we ean eaeh take part in shaping the future of Hawaiians and Hawaii in our own way," she declared. It is her hope that if another NHEAP report is published 50 years from now that its findings will be of a more positive nature. "Hopefully, by that time, Hawaiians will have assumed a more equal social position, new eeonomie power and political prominence in our own state," she concluded. Miss Loo, who entered Kamehameha in the seventh grade, will study computer engineering at Stanford University in the fall.

Maile Loo