Keli’i Akina`s Kamehameha Day Message

News Release from Akina Campaign

HONOLULU, HAWAII--June 10, 2016 – In commemoration of Kamehameha Day, Keli’i Akina, candidate for Office of Hawaiian Affairs Trustee-at-Large, has released the following statement:

The legacy of a great individual lives long beyond the times in which he lived.   This is true of Kamehameha whose visionary leadership transformed Hawaii forever.

First, Kamehameha created a single, unified Hawaii, bringing together separate island kingdoms into one nation.  The State of Hawaii perpetuates this vision of a united people creating a united future.

Secondly, Kamehameha opened the door for Hawaii to become a land of equality for all races.  He appointed his trusted friend John Young to be Chief of the Big Island, granting this man of European ancestry status as a Hawaiian who is today buried at the Royal Mausoleum.

Citizenship in the Kingdom of Hawaii would eventually reflect that Hawaiians are inclusive.  Kamehameha III immortalized this value in the 1840 Hawaiian Constitution that declares: "God hath made of one blood (koko) all nations of men to dwell on the earth in unity and blessedness."

Kamehameha is great because his legacy lives on in the Aloha Spirit which welcomes all people to Hawaii as equals.

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About Keli’i Akina

Keli’i Akina, Ph.D. is 2016 candidate for Trustee-at-Large in the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, a state-wide position for which all registered voters in Hawaii are eligible to vote.   Akina is the President/CEO of Grassroot Institute and on the adjunct faculty of Hawaii Pacific University. He is also a plaintiff in the US Supreme Court case Akina v. State of Hawaii which stopped a race-based election in 2015.

To learn more about Keli`i Akina, visit and leave a message on his  Facebook site:  https://www.facebook.com/AkinaForOHA/?ref=hl