The Bishop Estate, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and Hawaii’s largest private landowner, operates the racially separatist Kamehameha Schools, the wealthiest secondary educational institution in the U.S. The 121-year history of the Estate and Schools is a story of race, politics and ultimately, the corrupting nature of power in Hawaii. But issues concerning Hawaiian identity and culture have now reached the mainland. The school system is backing a bill inspired by one of Hawaii’s Democratic senators, Daniel Akaka, that would grant special privileges based on race. The bill, which would give Native Hawaiians the right to create their own government, is now pending in the U.S. Senate.
