Senator wants

Hawaii

Senator wants Hawaiians classified

HAWAII senator Daniel Akaka is pushing for legislation for a definitive classification for native Hawaiians. Senator Akaka says the significance of revising the race and ethnic standards would mean guidelines for the measurement of race and ethnicity in Federal data collection.

The standards, he says, determine all Federal activities, including civil rights compliance, statistical reporting and general programme and grant administration. Currently, native Hawaiians are listed as part of the “Asian or Pacific Islander” category. In announcing the hearings, Akaka said native Hawaiians are defined as native Americans in a number of Federal laws, but they constantly fall through the cracks for lack of a consistently inclusive Federal policy.