Aug. 13, 2026
Mahalo nui for the aloha, patience and unity you continue to show as our community stands in defense of the vision and kauoha of Ke Aliʻi Bernice Pauahi Bishop. Since the legal challenge from Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) first emerged, ʻohana, friends, neighbors, colleagues and all others who love Hawaiʻi have responded with strength and humility, reminding us that Ke Aliʻi Pauahi’s legacy is not to be viewed as a mere inheritance. It is a royal charge grounded in generations of aliʻi care that we are called to protect and carry forward.
As this legal process continues, we remain committed to keeping our community informed about key developments. That commitment is especially important as challenges to other Native Hawaiian-serving programs emerge, including recent lawsuits targeting the Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program and the Hawaiian Homes program adminstered by the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. While this legal challenge is important, it is only one part of a much larger story — our enduring work to develop the ea necessary for a thriving and self-determined lāhui. The future of our lāhui will continue to be shaped by how we educate our haumāna, steward our ʻāina, care for one another and strengthen the relationships that sustain our communities. That is how our ea is lived, strengthened and carried forward every day.
— This summer, Ke Kula ʻo Kamehameha took the important step of moving to dismiss the lawsuit, and will continue to vigorously defend Ke Ali‘i Pauahi’s legacy. To date, filings have focused on whether the plaintiffs have met all procedural requirements to bring these claims. The court has not yet considered the merits of the legal challenge to the admissions policy.
— Community support continues to grow across Hawaiʻi and beyond. More than 43,000 people have signed in support of Kamehameha Schools’ admissions policy, while communities across the pae ʻāina, on KS campuses and at alumni gatherings across the continent continue to come together in support of Ke Aliʻi Pauahi’s vision.
Stay connected, learn more and add your voice of support: https://www.ksbe.edu/ola-pauahi
In May, our community lifted our collective voices for Ke Aliʻi Pauahi at the 106th Annual Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Song Contest. Centered on the theme “Pauahi Nona Ka Lei: Songs Honoring Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop,” the program honored her life, legacy and enduring love for Hawaiian learners. As haumāna joined the generations of mele recordkeepers that came before them, they reminded us why this cause matters. Ke Aliʻi Pauahi’s vision lives through our keiki, our ʻōlelo and the vibrant moʻolelo of our people. Song Contest became a collective lei of aloha, woven by haumāna, kumu, ʻohana, alumni and friends who continue to stand for her will, her legacy and our lāhui.
This quarter’s featured educational resource is “Poinaʻole Kuʻu ʻĀina Kau I Ka Hano,” a mele aloha ʻāina by Kumu Hinaleimoana Wong. The mele calls upon kānaka to remain steadfast, paddle forward together and stand with courage for ʻāina and lāhui. As we build awareness and advocacy for Ke Aliʻi Pauahi and her kauoha, this song offers a meaningful way to begin conversation. Listen together, read the words and ask what it means to “hold firm to your paddle” in this moment. Let this mele remind us that advocacy begins with aloha, grows through understanding and is strengthened when we stand together.
Find this resource and others in our E Ulu Koa, E Ola ke Ea Waihona resource kit.
For Ke Aliʻi Pauahi. For our haumāna. For our lāhui.
E ulu koa, e ola ke ea.
Ola Pauahi, Ola Hawaiʻi