It was 50 years ago today, on August 21st, 1959, that the Hawaiian islands officially became the 50th state in the union. In honor of reaching the big 5-0, how about a little slice of celebratory Hula Pie?

Some Suggested Reading
In case you weren’t aware, statehood in Hawaii to some Native Hawaiians and their supporters is a very controversial subject. It was certainly not something I was aware of when we started visiting the islands with frequency, and a subject I have been following for about a year now.

This statehood milestone has given rise to more media coverage of these issues of Hawaiian sovereignty and, combined with the power of the Internet, information and history surrounding this movement has never been more accessible. I wanted to share a few news articles and links for those who are interested in learning more.

• News Article: The Effects of Statehood differ among Hawaiians – The Maui News
• Special News Section: 50th Anniversary of Statehood – The Maui News
• Blog Post: Hawaii celebrates its 50th anniversary of statehood, sort of – Hawaii Magazine
• Magazine Article: The Akaka Bill – Maui Magazine, July-August Issue
• Wikipedia Article: The Akaka Bill

My Opinion
One of my primary rules here for this blog is not to engage in politics or enter into these types of debates. There are many other forums and places that are better suited for such. I realize that is a cop out for not sharing my own views here, and I apologize.

I will say that ever since I fell in love with the Hawaiian islands (particularly Maui) as a visitor a few years ago, I have done everything I can to support the land, her people, and their culture. I do my best to live Aloha and share that spirit with as many people as I can, and through as many channels as I have access to here on the mainland. I have connected with, and met in person, some of the greatest people I know through talking story and sharing experiences with Hawaii, more so than any other place I’ve visited. That is one of the many things that continues to draw us back to the islands year after year.

I have done my best to understand the debate over statehood and the views on both sides. Of course, in the end I am truly just an outsider looking in on the entire matter, and therefore I only play the role of an observer with goals to stay as informed and educated on the subject as possible. I’m not one to try an influence others one way or another on most topics, and this is one of them. At best, my hope is to share the information that I come across that I feel is helpful to others.

Talk Story
Again, my intent here is not to start a debate or argue for or against statehood. I would still love to hear your thoughts, though, and if you have a link or two that you’d like to share, please feel free to do so.

Also, if you are planning to celebrate this anniversary, I’d love to hear about those stories, too.

Mahalo,
– Kris