Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Saturday, December 21, 2024 74° Today's Paper


Off the news: McKinley plaque contextualizes annexation

It’s an ongoing teachable moment: On Monday, a new plaque fronting the namesake statue at President William McKinley High School was unveiled, to address misrepresentation and provide important context of Hawaii’s annexation history.

“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,” begins the plaque, installed after advocacy by the the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs. The plaque further urges all to learn more about the 1893 “illegal overthrow” of Queen Liliuokalani, which led to the 1898 “invalid annexation” of Hawaii under McKinley.

A complicated history, well worth learning and remembering — not just by school alumni but all of Hawaii.

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