Hawaii lawmakers consider changing McKinley school name
March 17, 2021 GMT
HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii lawmakers will consider measures that would rename the state’s oldest public high school to remove President William McKinley.
Two House resolutions seek to acknowledge McKinley’s role in the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom by changing McKinley High School’s name to Honolulu High School, Hawaii Public Radio reported Tuesday.
McKinley signed a resolution annexing Hawaii in 1898. Hawaii became a U.S. territory in 1900 and a state in 1959.
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“Besides McKinley’s role in the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom we also learned about the indoctrination of students during that time and how students were forced to basically pledge allegiance to America,” said Jodi Kunimitsu, a math teacher at Maui High School and the state chair for the Human and Civil Rights Committee of the Hawaii State Teachers Association.