HONOLULU – Dozens of people gathered this weekend to honor the life of a major figure in Kalaupapa history. Bernard Punikaia would have been 95-years-old on August 29.
This is an early birthday party for Punikaia, one of the founders of the nonprofit Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa, a group of Hansen’s Disease patients who lived on the Molokai peninsula – and their descendants. Punikaia was known as a fighter for civil rights.
Wally Inglis, a longtime friend of Punikaia, noted how “the disease really took a toll on Bernard; his features were very disfigured. A lot of people might be initially intimidated but that, but he rose above it with inner strength” to command respect in any room…