Cover Photo: Randy Robertson via Flickr
Randy Robertson via Flickr

Hawaiian Authors on the Island’s Literature

“I usually emphasize that I am a hapa author,” says Kahakauwila. “It’s a political move.”

Shark Dialogues

This is Paradise,

This is Paradise

uokalani to abdicate the throne. The overthrow of Queen Liliuokalani was the brainchild of a group of American businessmen and sugar planters who were displeased with her decision to reinstate a version of the Hawaiian constitution that restored power to the monarchy (previously reduced by her predecessor and brother, King Kalakaua, under pressure from the British monarchy). Queen Liliuokalani also reinstated voting rights for Native Hawaiians under her new constitution, angering many of Hawaii’s white businessmen, who had the goal of overthrowing the monarchy and seeking annexation by the United States via their 13-person Committee of Safety. By the time Hawaii became a state in 1959, reparations for the illegal takeover had still not been made. Presently, the US has not responded to Hawaii’s push for independence with any support.

Shark Dialogues,

Kaylen Ralph is a Chicago-based freelance journalist who contributes to online publications including Glamour.com, Refinery29.com, Girlboss.com and Rewire.org, among others. In 2013, she co-founded The Riveter Magazine. Currently, Kaylen is co-editing an anthology featuring contemporary longform journalism by women that is forthcoming from The Sager Group in Fall 2018.

www.kaylenralph.com