I read with dismay the recent challenge by a non-Hawaiian to the system of reparations established to redress the theft of Hawaiian lands by the Sugar Barons in the 19th century.

After the “Great Mahele,” the Hawaiians had their land, gifted to them by King Kamehameha III, stolen from them through deceit and outright robbery.

Prince Jonah Kuhio Kahanianiole, Hawaii’s territorial congressional representative, convinced Congress this wrong needed to be corrected and Congress agreed, establishing Hawaiian Homelands.

This is not discrimination. It is payment for the larceny committed on the Hawaiian people.

Had this theft not occurred, these Hawaiians would have most likely inherited this land from their ancestors.

These suits by the privileged against the oppressed are despicable and not worthy of any court’s time.

Hawaiians are not a race, they are a people with a storied history those who bring these ridiculous actions should study.

Paul Janes-Brown
Pukalani