[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 20 (Tuesday, March 1, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 1, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
           TRIBUTE TO MS. GLADYS KAMAKAKUOKALANI AINOA BRANDT

  Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, I would like to take this opportunity to 
recognize Ms. Gladys Kamakakuokalani Ainao Brandt. I commend and pay 
tribute to Ms. Brandt's lifelong commitment to education and to 
improving the quality of life of native Hawaiians.
  From 1983 until 1989, Ms. Brandt dedicated her time and energy as a 
member of the board of regents for the University of Hawaii. On May 16, 
1993 Ms. Brandt addressed the graduates of the University of Hawaii 
with an eloquent speech entitled ``Some Reflections of the Thoughts and 
Words of Queen Lili'uokalani.'' I ask unanimous consent that her 
statement be made part of the Record.
  There being no objection, the statement was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                    Statement by Gladys K.A. Brandt

       Candidates for graduate degrees, members of the Board of 
     Regents, President Mortimer, faculty, family members, 
     distinguished guests and friends:
       I am honored to be with you on this occasion that 
     celebrates the distinguished academic achievements and 
     talents of our graduate degree candidates. This annual ritual 
     honors the eternal search for truth and meaning.
       When President Mortimer first asked me to deliver today's 
     graduation address, I declined. I did so because I am 86 
     years old, and I no longer have the energy that was 
     characteristic of my past years. However, President Mortimer 
     asked me to take a few days to reconsider my decision.
       After several days of reflection, I agreed to speak on two 
     conditions to which the President assented. First, that my 
     remarks would be, of necessity, brief and simple. Second, 
     that he would never ask me again.
       But truly, I agreed to speak with you mainly because I felt 
     it was my responsibility to do so. It seems to me that 
     someone who has had the good fortune to live a life as long 
     and as fulfilling as mine, has an obligation to find some 
     words to offer new graduates as they face the challenging and 
     demanding worlds of service, research, and commerce.
       But the task of preparing remarks that would have 
     inspirational value and interest for you proved far more 
     difficult than I had anticipated.
       I thought to myself that by this point in your educational 
     careers, it is likely that most of you may have participated 
     in a half-dozen graduation ceremonies, each filled with the 
     usual commencement rhetoric that is forgotten in hours, 
     perhaps even in minutes after the speaker leaves the podium, 
     or maybe never heard at all.
       My message finally started to take shape as I reflected 
     upon the theme which was selected for this commencement: E 
     Ho'opili Mai, come together.
       This theme is a timely reference to Hawaii's observance of 
     the centennial anniversary, of the overthrow of the Hawaiian 
     Monarchy. One hundred years ago, Queen Lilli'uokalani, the 
     last member of Hawaiian Royalty to preside over a sovereign 
     Hawaiian nation, agreed to relinquish her crown to preserve 
     the lives of her people and to put their fate in the hands of 
     a nation she felt was committed to justice.
       Her action, tragic and humiliating though it was for her 
     and her loyal followers, was a major turning point in the 
     evolution of today's Hawaii.
       The decision to relinquish control and rule was not an easy 
     one for this strong and courageous woman. But she was wise 
     enough to see that an armed struggle with the militia and the 
     U.S. Navy would be for naught, and that lives lost to 
     preserve a throne would serve no cause, no honor, and no 
     reasonable destiny.
       In the days that followed her concession, she wrestled with 
     her choice and its consequences for the Hawaiian people, 
     hoping to find some large meaning in her act that would 
     justify the course she was forced to follow. Was her act to 
     be the death knell for her people and for a way of life that 
     had existed for over a thousand years?
       Surely, no one could have called for resistance more 
     deservedly than she, for she was betrayed by people to whom 
     she had offered friendship and trust. Surely, no one could 
     have called for war more justifiably, for she wronged by a 
     nation whose principles she had openly admired and embraced.
       It was during this time of trial and sorrow, that the 
     Queen, who was a gifted and prolific musical composer, wrote 
     ``The Queen's Prayer,'' a song, whose words have become a 
     legacy not only for her people and her land, but for people 
     everywhere who seek peace. It is the timeless message of the 
     Queen's words during the days that she was imprisoned in a 
     single room in Iolani Palace that I offer you today, on this 
     special occasion.

     Mai nana i no 'ino
     Na hewa o kanaka
     Aka e huikala
     A ma 'ema'e no

     Oh, look not on our failings,
     Nor on the sins of men.
     Forgive with loving kindness
     That we might be cleansed.

       In the words of the ``The Queen's Prayer'' were captured a 
     wisdom and beauty that transcend time and place, words that 
     are as meaningful for the turbulence and chaos of our time 
     and age, as they were for her and her people in the waning 
     years of the nineteenth century.
       Imagine! At a time when anger would have been 
     understandable, when hatred would have been warranted, when 
     violence would have been justifiable, this gallant woman, 
     symbol of her people and her culture, wrote of forgiveness 
     and aloha; of those forces that bring people together; of E 
     Ho'opili Mai. This is the stuff of true heroes and heroines. 
     This is the stuff of dignity and nobility.
       What uncommon character! The day may have belonged to the 
     rebels, but the future would belong to her. For in choosing 
     peace, she preserved the opportunity for her people to once 
     again be proud of their Hawaiian identity, and for citizens 
     from around the world to learn and experience the feeling and 
     value of aloha.
       I share all of this with you because graduation will launch 
     many of you into positions of responsibility and decision-
     making. Although the choices you may be asked or even forced 
     to make may not have consequences for a nation of people, as 
     did those of Queen Lili'uokalani, your choices will 
     nevertheless be important. You, too, will be faced with 
     conflict. You will be asked to make decisions of conscience. 
     You will be asked to speak against oppression, and to choose 
     between impulse and restraint, and between aggression and 
     peace. And at that point in time, when your conscience is 
     torn and your values are in turmoil, turn then to the example 
     of that noble woman who once led a small Polynesian nation.
       Onipa'a, be steadfast in your beliefs. Imua, go forward. 
     And be a force for harmony. Stand against those who preach 
     hate and destruction; against those who speak of division and 
     separation; against those who seek power to impose their will 
     upon others.
       Remember the words of this Queen of Hawai'i, whose vision 
     was greater, more enduring, more humane, and ultimately more 
     powerful than the weapons of her antagonists. She understood 
     that the concept of aloha was so broad that it could 
     encompass and balance both the courage of conviction and the 
     graciousness of forgiveness.
       Just months before her passing, she offered the following 
     words:
       ``. . . You must remember, never cease to act because you 
     fear you may fail. The way to lose any earthly kingdom is to 
     be inflexible, intolerant and prejudicial. Another way is to 
     be too flexible, tolerant of too many wrongs and without 
     judgement at all. It is a razor's edge. It is the width of a 
     blade of pili grass. . . It is to hear what is not said, to 
     see what cannot be seen, and to know the unknowable, that is 
     aloha.''
       And so I urge you on this special day, to draw inspiration 
     from the spirit of Queen Lili'uokalani and the theme selected 
     for today's ceremony. . . E Ho'opili Mai! Let us come 
     together, so that we may better know, even as chaos and 
     confusion abound, that in words and deeds inspired by aloha, 
     resides the beacon of hope. Aloha.

                          ____________________