A Look at Asian American Studies - Emery McKee - Ryan Caragher - Emma Rohrer - Gabe Velazquez

When Hawaii became a state in 1959, the US military saw it as a win and was a boost to the Hawaiin economy. But it wasn’t such a win for the indigenous Hawaiians. Much of their lands were appropriated and taken from them and used to training camps for US soldiers. Land was taken by the private Bishop State and used for private development. The native were pushed aside and forgotten about and lost their traditional farms. Eventually, native Hawaiian’s started protesting. The slogan of the anti eviction struggle was, “‘land for local people, not tourists’ quickly became a rallying cry that resonated far beyond Kalama Valley, as activists called attention to the violent displacements wrought by tourism and militarism throughout the islands.” Today, Native Americans in the US are mounting similar protests against the taking of their native lands. This issue was sparked by Trump's 4th of July event that was held at Mount Rushmore. This event provokes many protesters saying, “Mount Rushmore is a symbol of white supremacy and racial injustice in this country and that the four faces carved on that mountain are the four faces of colonizers who have committed genocide on Indigenous people…” The issues of the US appropriating native land and prioritizing military and economic gain over native people’s rights are parallel. This shows that western beliefs are continuing to be ethnocentric by disregarding the rights of indegnous people and their lands.

LAND FOR THE PEOPLE