By Asian Americans for Community Action
Mokoli'i island is an islet in Kane'ohe Bay, Hawai'i and part of Kualoa
Regional Park. It is one of the most picturesque spots on Oahu. Let's
work together to ensure businesses, news outlets and governmental
agencies use the proper Hawaiian name and eliminate references to the
racist nickname, "Chinaman's Hat" that is offensive to so many of us.
For many of Hawaii's 200,000+ residents of Chinese heritage, the
use of the slur "Chinaman" is analogous to the use of the N-word to refer to African Americans. The use of the C-word is unacceptable, and as the colloquial name for Mokoli'i Island, runs counter to Hawaii's respect for ethnic diversity and spirit of aloha.
Currently, racially and ethnically offensive names of public places and institutions are being changed across the United States, with action at the federal, state and local levels. The federal government is in the midst of renaming 660 mountains, rivers, lakes and remote islands. The
NFL football team previously known as the "Washington Redskins", is now the Washington Commanders. The MLB baseball team formerly called the "Cleveland Indians" has been renamed the Cleveland Guardians. California's "Squaw Valley Ski Resort" is now called Palisades Tahoe.
Since March 2022, nearly 20 organizations have eliminated the racist nickname from their websites and publications, including Hawaiian Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Hawaiian Tourism Authority, Getty Images, TripAdvisor, Viator and Wikipedia, but more work is still needed.
Your support is essential to successfully eliminate the racist nickname from our local vocabulary and the consciousness of Hawaii's millions of visitors - once and for all. By updating your website and publication, you will be part of the solution to eliminate the racist nickname and preserve the dignity of Mokoli'i.
If you have any questions, or are aware of additional websites and/or publications that need updating, please contact us at aaca.mokolii@gmail.com.
AsAmNews is incorporated in the state of California as Asian American Media, Inc and has an application for non-profit 501c3 status with the IRS pending. Check out our Instagram account. Go to our Twitter feed and Facebook page for more content. Please consider interning, joining our staff, or submitting a story, or making a financial contribution. We are committed to the highest ethical standards in journalism. Please report any typos or errors to info at AsAmNews dot com.
The post OpEd: Racist nickname for Hawaii landmark must go appeared first on AsAmNews.