Over my two decades living, organizing and working in Hawaiʻi, Hawaiian sovereignty has often been posited as foil to American occupation, framed as impractical or impossible, applying only to Kānaka Maoli, or simply a “Native Hawaiian Issue.”
I would argue that now, more than ever, all people rooted in these islands must contemplate this together, for the sake of our earth, our keiki, and future generations.
The history of U.S. involvement in our islands is one of military occupation and environmental destruction. From the illegal overthrow of Queen Liliʻuokalani and the lawful Hawaiian government in 1893, to the present-day use of our lands as training grounds for war, the U.S. military has taken from Hawaiʻi without regard for its people or ecosystems…