There's a new plaque at Honolulu's McKinley High School that corrects a misconception of Hawaiian history.
The Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs on Monday unveiled the plaque next to the statue of President William McKinley, which holds a “Treaty of Annexation” document.
But that's not how Hawaiʻi joined the United States. While McKinley submitted a treaty of annexation to the U.S. Senate, the chamber never ratified it with a two-thirds majority vote, as called for by the U.S. Constitution.
Hawaiʻi was later annexed by a joint congressional resolution, which only needed simple majority votes in both the House and the Senate.
It’s a distinction Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs President Dre Kalili says is critical.
"I think the accuracy of the history around significant events in Hawaiian history, especially around the overthrow and the annexation, oftentimes the facts get muddied, and the understanding of the history gets muddied," she said.
"So the understanding sometimes of where our community is today links back to that history. I think to really understand where our community is today, and some of the positions that we take today tie back to some of these historic events."
The association has advocated for the correction of the statue since 2009.
