DNC passes resolution condemning lawsuit against Kamehameha Schools

At its meeting in Los Angeles this month, the Democratic National Committee unanimously passed a resolution condemning the Students for Fair Admissions lawsuit against Kamehameha Schools and reaffirming the political status and inherent sovereignty of the Native Hawaiian people.

The resolution was introduced by Hawaiʻi DNC National Committee Member Bronson Silva and co-sponsored by the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi DNC delegation, which includes Chair Derek Turbin, Vice Chair Mina Morita, DNC Hawaiʻi National Committee Member Juanita Kawamoto, along with a broad coalition of national DNC leaders.

“The Students for Fair Admissions lawsuit represents a dangerous and deeply misguided attempt to distort civil rights law and erase the political status of Native Hawaiians,” Turbin said. “By adopting this resolution, the DNC is standing with our Native Hawaiian community and affirming the rights of our indigenous peoples to sustain their own institutions. I am proud that the Hawaiʻi delegation helped lead this effort.”

Morita, who graduated Kamehameha Schools Kapālama in 1972, said, “The resolution recognizes that Native Hawaiians hold a distinct political status, as consistently affirmed by federal law, and that Kamehameha Schools’ admissions policy is rooted in this political classification, not race. We truly appreciate the DNC, and the partyʻs grassroots affiliation throughout the country, willingness to learn about this issue and take a stand against this lawsuit.”

Kamehameha Schools was established in 1887 through the will of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, who sought to uplift Native Hawaiians amid the catastrophic population loss, land dispossession and cultural suppression that preceded and followed the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893. Today, the institution serves more than 7,000 students annually across three K–12 campuses and 30 preschool sites, and invests heavily in Hawaiian language and cultural revitalization, local food systems, aloha ʻāina restoration and community education programs.

Silva, who spearheaded the national resolution, said, “The Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi will always defend Native Hawaiian rights to self-determination and the Aliʻi trust institutions that have supported our community for generations.”

Silva is a graduate of the Kamehameha Schools Hawaiʻi class of 2008.

“As a private trust, the Kamehameha Schools is a cornerstone of Native Hawaiian education and community vitality,” he said. “The SFFA lawsuit is a fundamental misapplication of civil rights law, and we strongly oppose any attempt to weaponize federal courts. We stand shoulder to shoulder with our community in kapu aloha to defend the will of Princess Pauahi with dignity and civility.”

The Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi thanked its members and partners who worked to ensure the DNC adopted the resolution.