Kenneth R. Conklin
Encyclopedia
Kenneth R. Conklin is a retired schoolteacher who moved to Hawaii
from Boston
in 1992 and currently lives in Kāneʻohe. He is an opponent of the Hawaiian sovereignty movement
, accusing those within it of preaching racism
and apartheid, and has also sought to overturn existing laws and practices whereby preference is given to persons of Native Hawaiian ancestry. He once taught a controversial course on Hawaiian Sovereignty at the University of Hawaii.
Conklin has compiled or written a considerable number of documents and essays regarding Hawaiian Sovereignty, covering Hawaiian politicians, Hawaiian Sovereignty activists, and Hawaiian Sovereignty opposition. He has described himself as having a deep respect for Hawaiian culture and spirituality, but not for what he considers race-based politics.
In 2000, after being barred from applying for nomination papers in June because he was not of Hawaiian ancestry, Conklin was one of 13 plaintiffs in a controversial lawsuit Arakaki v. State of Hawai'i challenging the requirement that candidates for election to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs
board of trustees be Hawaiian. The suit, argued by attorneys H. William Burgess
and co-counsel Patrick W. Hanifin, claimed the restriction violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment
, the Fifteenth Amendment
, and the Voting Rights Act
. In August, U.S. District Judge Helen Gillmor issued a judgment allowing non-Hawaiians to run for OHA trustee. Conklin then ran unsuccessfully for OHA trustee in November 2000, placing 4th out of 20 candidates for one "at large" seat. (The winner, Haunani Apoliona, took 58,264 votes or 15.7%, and Conklin took 18,115 votes or 4.9% - there were also 117,597 blank votes or 31.7%)
In 2003, Conklin helped start Aloha For All, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation founded by Burgess and former Honolulu Advertiser publisher Thurston Twigg-Smith
with the mission of opposing race based programs and benefits in Hawaiʻi. Kenneth Conklin participates regularly in "Aloha for All" activities, and has written many articles on their behalf, such as this statement of Basic Principles.
On March 1, 2007 Conklin published Hawaiian Apartheid: Racial Separatism and Ethnic Nationalism in the Aloha State.
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
from Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
in 1992 and currently lives in Kāneʻohe. He is an opponent of the Hawaiian sovereignty movement
Hawaiian sovereignty movement
The Hawaiian sovereignty movement is a political movement seeking some form of sovereignty for Hawai'i. Generally, the movement's focus is on self-determination and self-governance, either for Hawaiʻi as an independent nation, or for people of whole or part native Hawaiian ancestry, or for...
, accusing those within it of preaching racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
and apartheid, and has also sought to overturn existing laws and practices whereby preference is given to persons of Native Hawaiian ancestry. He once taught a controversial course on Hawaiian Sovereignty at the University of Hawaii.
Conklin has compiled or written a considerable number of documents and essays regarding Hawaiian Sovereignty, covering Hawaiian politicians, Hawaiian Sovereignty activists, and Hawaiian Sovereignty opposition. He has described himself as having a deep respect for Hawaiian culture and spirituality, but not for what he considers race-based politics.
In 2000, after being barred from applying for nomination papers in June because he was not of Hawaiian ancestry, Conklin was one of 13 plaintiffs in a controversial lawsuit Arakaki v. State of Hawai'i challenging the requirement that candidates for election to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs
Office of Hawaiian Affairs
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is a semi-autonomous entity of the state of Hawaii charged with the administration of 1.8 million acres of royal land held in trust for the benefit of native Hawaiians...
board of trustees be Hawaiian. The suit, argued by attorneys H. William Burgess
H. William Burgess
H. William Burgess is an attorney who lives in Hawaii. He and his wife Sandra Puanani Burgess, who is of Chinese, Filipino and Hawaiian ancestry, are opponents of the Hawaiian sovereignty movement and of government programs that benefit Native Hawaiians preferentially...
and co-counsel Patrick W. Hanifin, claimed the restriction violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment
Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was adopted on July 9, 1868, as one of the Reconstruction Amendments.Its Citizenship Clause provides a broad definition of citizenship that overruled the Dred Scott v...
, the Fifteenth Amendment
Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits each government in the United States from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's "race, color, or previous condition of servitude"...
, and the Voting Rights Act
Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of national legislation in the United States that outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the widespread disenfranchisement of African Americans in the U.S....
. In August, U.S. District Judge Helen Gillmor issued a judgment allowing non-Hawaiians to run for OHA trustee. Conklin then ran unsuccessfully for OHA trustee in November 2000, placing 4th out of 20 candidates for one "at large" seat. (The winner, Haunani Apoliona, took 58,264 votes or 15.7%, and Conklin took 18,115 votes or 4.9% - there were also 117,597 blank votes or 31.7%)
In 2003, Conklin helped start Aloha For All, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation founded by Burgess and former Honolulu Advertiser publisher Thurston Twigg-Smith
Thurston Twigg-Smith
-Biography:Twigg-Smith is a fifth generation Hawaii resident. He was born in 1921 in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is the son of William and Margaret Thurston Twigg-Smith , making him the great-great grandson of Asa and Lucy Goodale Thurston as well as Lorrin Andrews — who were pioneer missionaries to the...
with the mission of opposing race based programs and benefits in Hawaiʻi. Kenneth Conklin participates regularly in "Aloha for All" activities, and has written many articles on their behalf, such as this statement of Basic Principles.
On March 1, 2007 Conklin published Hawaiian Apartheid: Racial Separatism and Ethnic Nationalism in the Aloha State.