Statehood Day - Hawaii's Forgotten Holiday
Friday August 17, 2007
It was 48 years ago next Tuesday that Hawaii was admitted as the 50th state of the United States of America. The anniversary in Hawaii was originally called Admission Day and later changed to Statehood Day.
Statehood Day is "celebrated" on the third Friday in August. This is today; but if you aren't a state worker who gets the day off, or one of the few native Hawaiian protesters or statehood supporters who gather at the 'Iolani Palace, you never would know it's a holiday. No official celebrations are held.
Statehood Day has become a totally absurd holiday in Hawaii which should either be eliminated or celebrated as the large majority of Hawaii's citizens support statehood. We invite you to read our feature - Statehood Day - Hawaii's Forgotten Holiday and let us have your opinion in our comments section.
Comments
Let me correct one typographical error, and then offer more information for readers of “About.”
Hawai’i was admitted as a State in 1959, so therefore 2006 is the 47th anniversary, not the 37th as the typo would have it.
Here is some important information:
HAWAII STATEHOOD — A Brief History of the 110-year Struggle to Achieve Statehood (1849-1959), and Current Challenges. Includes links to other webpages describing the Great Statehood Petition of 1954 with 120,000 signatures; the anti-statehood resolution that passed the Hawai’i Senate in 2001; the statehood celebration resolutions that died in the legislature in 2002 and 2003; the excellent Statehood Day message issued by Governor Cayetano in 2002 and the lukewarm message by Governor Lingle in 2003; the lack of any celebration in 2005 but the existence of a small anti-statehood rally at the Maui War memorial; and links to news reports and commentary about controversies over flying the U.S. flag at ‘Iolani Palace and other places following the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center of September 11, 2001.
http://www.angelfire.com/hi2/hawaiiansovereignty/statehoodhistandcurr.html
Regarding the attack on the Statehood Day celebration on August 18, 2006: Here’s a compilation of news reports and commentary:
http://www.angelfire.com/planet/bigfiles40/statehoodday2006.html