Hawaii Statehood Commission Announces Plans For 50th Anniversary Commemoration Activities

August 13, 2008 -- HONOLULU – Members of the 50th Anniversary of Statehood Commission today announced a comprehensive plan to commemorate Hawaii’s golden anniversary of statehood, with a year-long series of events and activities that begin next week.

The 25-member Commission was established in 2007 under Act 140 to develop, plan and coordinate activities to honor the 50th anniversary of Hawaii’s admission to the United States.

The Commission has been meeting since November 2007 with a charge from Governor Linda Lingle to organize culturally sensitive events and programs that honor the past, respect the present and look to the future, and that include both residents and visitors.

To ensure that Hawaii’s youth have a broad and multilayered understanding of statehood’s significance, the Commission has chosen to place a special emphasis on educational outreach for students in grades K-12. The student-specific programs will be executed with support from the Hawaii State Department of Education and the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools.

“The diverse backgrounds and expertise of our members has allowed the Commission to come up with a far-reaching plan that hits on several important areas,” said Kippen de Alba Chu, Commission chair and executive director of ‘Iolani Palace. “The goal of all of the events and
activities we have planned is to engage the public in a lively and thought-provoking discussion about the significance of statehood.”

“I’m proud of the plan the Commission has developed to commemorate this anniversary,” said Governor Lingle. “In emphasizing education and passing on of Hawaii’s rich history to a new generation of leaders, I believe that we are giving this milestone the weight and attention it deserves.

“The plan’s varied components will provide residents and visitors of all ages with opportunities to reflect on how statehood has contributed to the Hawaii of today and the direction we are headed as the youngest and most ethnically and culturally diverse state in America,” the Governor added.

A major highlight of the educational programs the Commission has planned will be the 50 Voices of Statehood, a series of radio and television vignettes recorded for posterity by the award-winning Searider Productions of Wai‘anae High School. Featuring diverse and personal perspectives on statehood from 50 residents from across the island chain, the weekly vignettes will air on six television stations and 60 radio stations beginning August 25, 2008 and last an entire year. The Commission has also created an interactive, online forum so that teachers can incorporate the vignettes into their curriculums.

Other educational components of the Commission’s plan include time capsules at Hawaii schools and a traveling history exhibit, as well as student essay and art contests.

Working in conjunction with the U.S. Mint, the Commission also plans to host a launch event on November 10, 2008 for the Hawaii State quarter in downtown Honolulu, with simultaneous events on the neighbor islands, providing visitors and kama‘āina with an opportunity to complete their 50-state quarter set.

To commemorate the day in 1959 that the U.S. Congress passed the bill which allowed Hawaii to be admitted as a state, the Commission will host a public event at the State Capitol on March 18, 2009, which will include various family activities from noon until 1:30 p.m. in the Rotunda and Capitol grounds. A special joint session of the Hawaii State Legislature has also been requested.

In addition, a Memorial Day commemorative event and an arrival ceremony for the first commissioned submarine named for the State of Hawaii, the USS Hawaii, are being planned for summer 2009 to recognize the invaluable contributions made by the military to Hawaii both before and after statehood.

Coordinated by neighbor island representatives to the Commission and their local planning committees, each county will host several island-specific events to commemorate statehood.

The year-long activities will culminate with a one-day public conference on August 21, 2009 called Commemorating the 50th State: New Horizons for the Next 50 Years, at which local, national and international leaders will gather to discuss topics about Hawaii’s past, present and future, including technology in our daily lives, education for the next generation, the 21st century economy, and a break-out session entitled “Native Hawaiians: Cultural Navigation in a Sea of Change.”

All activities and programs planned by the Commission are supported by state appropriations and matching private funds. More information on the Commission, its members and the commemorative plans may be found at www.hawaii.gov/statehood.

Source: Hawaii Governor

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