[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.
____________________