Hawaii is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Not many people know, though, that for over 2,000 years this chain of islands was ruled by dark-skinned, Africa-descended kings and queens or that Black people were once critical to island life. But then something changed.
White colonizers came to take over - and Black rulers were removed by force. The influx of colonizers didn’t necessarily change Hawaii’s outward beauty, but many other things changed. Sicknesses killed off our people as more and more diseases spread.
As the whaling industry grew in the 1800s, Black sailors came to the island. Not only was racism minimal there, but our people had the chance to live peacefully, create businesses, build good schools, and grow wealthy from their skills and knowledge. Then came the Civil War.
Racist white terrorists, intent on continuing to grow sugar cane, came to the island, bringing white supremacy and hatred of Blackness with them.
Slowly, as whites married into power, whiteness became more sought after than anything else. Yet even the most racist whites could never erase one important fact.
Black excellence cannot be stamped out! The Black influence can still be felt in Hawaii today.
We must remember that our contributions have positively impacted every single place we’ve stepped foot, including Hawaii. Regardless of white hatred, we must never forget our greatness.