New law officially designates September as Hawaiian History Month in Hawaiʻi

The enactment of Act 167 designates September as Hawaiian History Month in the State of Hawaiʻi, a long-fought victory for Native Hawaiian advocates.

The new law honors the enduring legacy of Queen Liliʻuokalani and recognizes the many contributions of the Native Hawaiian community to Hawaiʻi’s past, present and future.

Signed into law on Tuesday following years of advocacy, the measure reflects decades of efforts by the Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī Coalition—a partnership established in 2007 to educate residents and visitors on Hawaiʻi’s true history and the culture that makes the islands unique. The group also hosts the annual ʻOnipaʻa Celebration at ʻIolani Palace to honor Queen Liliʻuokalani and spark public engagement through history, culture and the arts.

The Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, a founding member of the Coalition, which advocates for raising up Hawaiian voices in government, education and society, applauded the historic law following its passing.

“This recognition is long overdue,” said Dre Kalili, president of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs. “Introducing and advocating for legislation like this is exactly what Prince Kūhiō envisioned when he founded the Hawaiian Civic Club movement in 1918.”

O’ahu Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole was the lead sponsor of the bill, SB 1051. “By designating September as Hawaiian History Month, the State affirms our collective responsibility to tell the full story of Hawaiʻi—rooted in Native Hawaiian leadership, resilience and cultural excellence,” Keohokalole said.

In 2019, delegates to the Association of Hawaiian Civic Club’s 60th annual convention on Maui adopted a resolution urging the state to formally recognize Hawaiian History Month. That call to action, aligned with the Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī Coalition’s long-standing work, laid the groundwork for the bill’s passage with overwhelming legislative support. The bill unanimously passed in the Senate on Tuesday, June 3, 2025.

The Association said this new designation is expected to expand opportunities for schools, community organizations and cultural practitioners to promote Hawaiian history education, increase public awareness and inspire civic participation grounded in aloha ʻāina.

“Securing Hawaiian History Month is not just a symbolic act—it’s the continuation of a kuleana we’ve carried for more than a century,” Kalili added.

More information about the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs is available at www.aohcc.org.