Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 14, Number 9, 1 September 1997 — Federal policy and native classification [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Federal policy and native classification

Aloha nui mai ... e nā pōki'i Hawai'i ... this Trustee article, my seventh of 46, highlights the status of pending federal pohcy that will impact the collection of data and statistics on Hawaiians. The "Race and Ethnic Standards

for federal Statistics and Administrative Reporting" is in Statistical Policy

Directive 15 of the Uthce ot Management and Budget. It is referred to as OMB Directive 15.

This standards policy was originally issued in 1977 (no amendments have been made since that time) and had been developed in cooperation with federal agencies to provide consistent and comparable data on race and ethnicity for an array of statistical and administrative programs. In 1977 the driving force to estabhsh data standards was vovernment aeencies'

requirement to fulfill new responsibilities to enforce CIVIL RIGHTS LAWS. (Data was needed to monitor equal access to housing, education, employment opportunities, etc., for populaūon groups, such as Hawaiians, that historicaIIy had experienced discrimination and differential treatment because of race or ethnicity.) The categories represent a political-social construct designed to be used in the collection of racial and ethnic data about major broad population groups, and are not anthropologically or scientifically based. The OMB Standards: 1) do provide a minimum set of categories used across the Federal government for data on race and ethnicity; 2) do indicate that self-identification is the preferred means of obtaining information about an individual's race and ethnicitv; and 3) do provide categories that are not only used in the decennial census, but also in data collection in areas such as school registration, housing assistance and medical research. The OMB Standards do not determine eligibility for participating in any federal programs; The review of the OMB Standards Policy began four years ago to enhanee the accuracy of demographics collected by the federal government. The starting point for review was the current minimum categories for data on race and ethnicity that have provided 20 years of information. The review process included four public hearings and the work of an interagency committee comprising 30 federal agencies that produce and use data on race and ethnicity.

Senator Daniel K. Akaka successfully advocated for a pubhc hearing in Hawai'i during the review process. Supported and guided by testimony from Native Hawaiians and others, Senator Akaka continues to advocate amending this OMB Directive 15 so that key categories that before listed only American Indian and Alaskan, will also include Native

Hawaiian. He also is advocating that terminology be changed from

Hawaiian to Native Hawaiian. On July 9, the recommendations to omb regard-

ing Hawaiians, were published in the Federal Register, with a deadline for public comment and response by Sept. 8. Concerning the change of terminology it says, "The term Hawaiian should be changed to Native Hawaiian." Concern-

ing the classmcation (definition issue) of Hawaiians it says, " Hawaiians should eonhnue to be classified in the Asian and Pacific Islander category." The Aug. 9, recommendation on the classification issue is directly opposed by Native Hawaiian individuals and groups and Senator Akaka. On Aug. 6, representatives of Ka Lāhui Hawai'i, the U.H. Mānoa - Hawaiian Studies Center, the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs (also their mainland and O'ahu councils), KSBE, Alu Like, OHA, DHHL, Native Hawaiian Advisory Council, NHLC, Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, State Data Center, Department of Health, Papa Ola Lōkahi, E Ola Mau, Native Hawaiian Community Based Education Learning Centers, Hui 'Imi, 'Aha Pūnana Leo, U.H. Hilo, State DBEDT, the Native Hawaiian Bar Association, and the Honolulu Star Bulletin, conferred with the a representative of the U.S, Bureau of the Census and a representative of the federal interagency coordination eouneil. Following the departure of the federal represenatives, the Hawai'i participants identified tasks and timelines for integrating and coordinating the Sept. 8 responses to successfully argue against "maintaining Hawaiians in the Asian Pacific Islander category" and argue for amending classification to include Native Hawaiian in the definitions sections of the OMB Directive 15 category along with the American Indian and Alaskan Native. I mua e nā pōki'i a inu i ka wai 'awa'awa, 'a'ohe hope e ho'i mai ai.

At9> C9HtiH~ t0 0lAV9t9itz ... tA*t kcy tAte^9fUf tA*t U(o7€ LuteA ohL y atmetitah lnaiah ah4 4L**kAH, wiLL *L*o 4HtLuAe Nt (tUe MAVA44AH.

{^AUHAHi ApoLiOHA Trustee, At-Large

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