Ewa Elementary School has a statue of Abraham Lincoln.
On Friday, February 10, 2023, the school had its annual celebration of Abraham Lincoln's birthday. It's a day when classes perform songs and the parents come to watch.
A first grader went on stage solo with a sign protesting the celebration of Abraham Lincoln. He allegedly feels that Lincoln is racist and that we should celebrate Hawaii & Filipino cultures instead.
Hawaii News Now video about the protest at https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=587404822880792
KITV article & video on the protest https://www.kitv.com/news/first-grader-at-ewa-elementary-protests-against-lincoln-day/article_5c77e9d8-aa84-11ed-b05b-cf66aba3219c.html
Security escorted the student and the father (Kaniela Ing, activist and former state legislator) off the stage.
As Mr. Ing was leaving campus, he had his son and the sign on his arms. A large man ripped the sign that Ing was holding. Ing was still holding his son, making the large man's action even more threatening.
Obviously, the large man was wrong to put Kaniela Ing and his son in danger.
However, I believed that Kaniela Ing is being dishonest in claiming that it was his first-grade son's idea to go on stage with the sign.
According to many witnesses saying their piece on social media, they saw Mr. Ing coach his son before him going on stage solo.
Ing is now saying we don't know his son.
No, but I do know about 1st graders. I was a substitute teacher for 13 years. I'm familiar with how each grade level students are.
There's no way in hell that I would believe a 1st grader would go on stage to protest a historical figure that most students his age don't even know much about.
Look, when I was in elementary school, I did amaze people by memorizing the name of presidents. The whole thing took a life of its own and people kept asking me about it years later.
But at the time, did I know all the nuances of the president's various policies? No.
And would I have gone on stage solo with a sign protesting a commemoration of that president when I was in elementary? Hell No!
After all, even the smart children are still just children. They may know some facts but they haven't really had the chance to understand the nuances of government policy. And they sure as hell haven't yet figured out how to articulate all of that in front of strangers.
That's not a knock on that 1st grader. It's just basic knowledge of childhood development.
In fact, I went to a high school named after another president (William McKinley) who had a very problematic history as he was the president when the US took over Hawaii.
And what did the students there think about William McKinley when I was there? They never talked about it. The student's minds were mostly focused on sports, entertainment, fights, gossip, sex, and other teenage stuff.
As for the staff, they treated it like a dark secret that shall not be discussed. The only mention of McKinley's legacy was in the school's newsletter (The Pinion) that was published for Black & Gold Day in my senior year!
It was only later in life that I went on social media to criticize the school's name and advocate for the school to be renamed Honolulu High School.
(learn more at
https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2018/05/put-tiger-statue-on-oval.html
https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2022/08/associated-press-on-mckinleyhonolulu.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urMaL-gWuhc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e7262z_cGo
I don't criticize Kaniela Ing for having legit concerns about how history is taught to our students. I don't criticize Ing for criticizing how schools have sugar-coated the legacy of Abraham Lincoln.
In fact, I have praised him in the past for pointing out that former senator Daniel Inouye is a rapist and that we shouldn't be naming things after him.
learn more at https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2018/03/dan-inouye-was-rapist.html
But it's dishonest for him to claim that it was his first-grade child's idea to go on stage solo with a sign protesting the celebration of Lincoln. Especially when witnesses have said he coached his son into it.
If Ing wanted to protest Lincoln's celebration, he should've gone on stage himself and spoken his piece. I would've respected that more because at least that would be more honest than sending his child to do the dirty work for him.
Also, his wife (Khara Jabola-Carolus, another activist) also posted pictures of her son holding signs about political issues that a child his age just wouldn't understand the nuances of.
Yes, parents do pass on their values to their children. That's what parents do.
But many political issues come with many nuances and complexities that even some adults can't comprehend, but we're supposed to believe a 1st grader can know it all? Really?
And I get that some parents bring their children to protests to teach them the value of activism. I also understand that many parents can't make other childcare arrangements and therefore bring their children along for the ride, knowing that their children still aren't able to process what the protest is about.
We have to remember that children are very impressionable. They do what they think will please their family and friends. The opinions they express are usually a regurgitation of what they heard from family and friends. Their social circles are still small, and they haven't yet been exposed to viewpoints from those outside their social circle. And they sure as hell haven't yet read well-written expressions of viewpoints different from their own.
So no, I don't think that 1st grader was ready for prime time in political activism. No 1st grader is.
Now, when he gets to high school and has read opposing viewpoints, and has developed a record of rebelling against family, peers, and school officials, then I'll know he's ready for prime time.
Who knows, maybe by the time he reaches high school, his family will move to the urban core of Honolulu, and he can make a legit and well-reasoned speech about why we should take down William McKinley's statue and rename my alma mater Honolulu High School.
By then, I would say that the kid's protest is legit!
Until then, it's best to lay low, accumulate knowledge, expose oneself to opposing viewpoints, practice debating issues when the cameras are off, practice writing out essays about the issues, and THEN, he can be ready for prime time.
