A new lawsuit accusing a private K-12 school in Hawaii of racial discrimination against non-Native residents is triggering painful memories of colonialism across the state.
“It’s upsetting to a lot of people, and it’s upsetting to me,” said Kealahou Alika, a semi-retired United Church of Christ pastor, denominational leader, and an alumnus of Kamehameha Schools, the institution targeted in the legal action.
The school, which has campuses on three islands, was founded in 1887 by a descendant of Hawaiian royalty to provide education to native-born people excluded by exclusively White schools.
