The Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs unveiled a new plaque Monday at the President William McKinley High School campus. The plaque, placed near the statue of the school’s namesake, seeks to address Hawaii’s contested annexation history and the statue’s representation of it.

The statue depicts President William McKinley holding a “Treaty of Annexation” document, which, according to the association, was never ratified by the U.S. Senate, as required by the Constitution. The portrayal, the group asserts, promotes an inaccurate narrative of Hawaii’s annexation.

Hawaii became a U.S. territory during McKinley’s administration.

In 1911, a decade after McKinley’s assassination, a bronze statue of him was unveiled in front of the school. In McKinley’s right hand is a scroll inscribed with the words “Treaty of Annexation.”

Although the association’s plaque was installed Sept. 9, its formal unveiling took place Monday, coinciding with the 107th anniversary of Queen Lili‘uokalani’s death. The event included a blessing by Kahu Hailama Farden, the association’s immediate past president.

The association — a nonprofit organization and confederation of 59 autonomous Hawaiian Civic Clubs across Hawaii and the mainland advocating for Native Hawaiian welfare in culture, health, economic development and education — has pushed for historical corrections to the McKinley statue since 2009.

In 2020 the organization specifically requested the addition of a plaque. Previously, the association in an unsuccessful effort had proposed altering the statue to remove the document from McKinley’s hand.

The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the plaque’s installation, but this year the state Department of Education worked with McKinley High School administration to make the changes.

The newly installed plaque reads, “Hawai‘i was not annexed to the United States by a treaty, as suggested by the statue before you of U.S. President William McKinley with a document in his right hand. Such a treaty was never ratified by the Senate as required by the Constitution of the United States.”

It continues, encouraging viewers to learn the history of the 1893 insurrection led by Western business interests and backed by U.S. Marines, which resulted in the illegal overthrow of Queen Lili‘uokalani and Hawaii’s contested annexation under McKinley in 1898.

The plaque also highlights the protest petitions signed by over 38,000 Native Hawaiians against annexation.

In 1897, McKinley signed an annexation treaty with representatives of the republic of Hawaii. However, the U.S. Senate did not ratify the treaty. Instead, Congress passed a joint resolution requiring only a simple majority in both the House and Senate. McKinley signed this resolution into law on July 7, 1898, formalizing Hawaii’s annexation.

In 2021 a state House resolution sought to rename McKinley High School and remove the statue, arguing that the statue and school name imply widespread Hawaiian support for annexation, despite the 1897 Ku‘e Petitions, signed by 80% of the adult Hawaiian population, opposing it. However, this resolution did not pass.

“We are grateful for the cooperation of the Hawai‘i Department of Education and the administration of McKinley High School for supporting the installation of this plaque,” Julian Ako, past first vice president of the association, who spearheaded this effort, said in a statement. “We celebrate this achievement in correcting this historical misrepresentation, acknowledging that the plaque is just one means of addressing the broader issue of accurately representing our history.”

The ongoing concern highlights the deep political and cultural ramifications of this historical distortion.

This week the association is hosting its 65th annual convention in Waikiki. Founded by Prince Kuhio in 1918, the Hawaiian Civic Club movement is the oldest Native Hawaiian community- based advocacy movement.