Hawaiian Civic Clubs celebrate installation of plaque at William McKinley statue to correct misrepresentation of Hawaiʻi’s history

The Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs today unveiled a plaque at the President William McKinley High School campus at the statue of the school’s namesake to address the misrepresentation of Hawai‘i’s invalid annexation history. The statue holds a “Treaty of Annexation” document that was never ratified by the United States Senate as called for by the US Constitution and portrays an inaccurate history, according the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs.

Since 2009, the AOHCC has advocated for the correction of this portrayal of history around this statue, and in 2020, it called for the installation of this plaque.

“We are grateful for the cooperation of the Hawai‘i Department of Education and the administration of McKinley High School for supporting the installation of this plaque,” said Julian Ako, past 1st Vice President of the AOHCC who spearheaded this effort. “We celebrate this achievement in correcting this historical misrepresentation, acknowledging that the plaque is just one means of addressing the broader issue of accurately representing our history.”

AOHCC leaders say this ongoing concern underscores the long-standing political and cultural ramifications of this historical distortion.

This week, the AOHCC holds its 65th annual convention in Waikīkī. Founded by Prince Kūhiō in 1918, the Hawaiian Civic Club movement is the oldest Native Hawaiian community-based advocacy movement. 

The AOHCC is a not-for-profit organization that is a confederation of 59 individual and autonomous Hawaiian Civic Clubs located across Hawai‘i and across the continental United States. With more than 3,500 members, the clubs advocate for improved welfare of Native Hawaiians in culture, health, economic development and education.