[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 194 (Tuesday, December 18, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S15919]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. AKAKA (for himself and Mr. Inouye):
  S. 2502. A bill to provide for the establishment of a memorial within 
Kalaupapa National Historical Park located on the island of Molokai, in 
the States of Hawaii, to honor and perpetuate the memory of those 
individuals who were forcibly relocated to the Kalaupapa Peninsula from 
1866 to 1969, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources.
  Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I rise today to submit legislation that 
provides for the establishment of a memorial within Kalaupapa National 
Historical Park, in the State of Hawaii, to honor and perpetuate the 
memory of those Hansen's disease patients who were forcibly relocated 
to the Kalaupapa Peninsula from 1866 to 1969.
  This tragedy began in 1865 when the Kingdom of Hawai`i instituted a 
century-long policy of forced segregation of those afflicted with 
Hansen's disease, also known as leprosy. Land was set aside in order to 
seclude those who were thought to be capable of spreading the disease. 
Kalaupapa was chosen due to its' isolated and inaccessible location. To 
the south, Kalaupapa faces sheer cliffs with over 2,000 feet in height. 
To the east, north, and west, Kalaupapa is surrounded by an often-
temperamental ocean.
  During this period of time, over 8,000 people were sent there, of 
which, only about 1,300 graves have been identified. Most of those who 
were sent to Kalaupapa before 1900 have no marked graves. Others were 
buried in places marked with a cross or a bare tombstone, but those 
markers have seen great deterioration over time. As a result, there are 
many family members and descendants of these residents who cannot find 
the graves of their loved ones and are unable to properly honor and pay 
tribute to them.
  This monument is to provide closure and a sense of belonging to these 
many family members, who have no knowledge of their ancestors' 
whereabouts. Through this monument, the more than 8,000 Hansen's 
disease patients will forever be memorialized as having been a part of 
the history of Kalaupapa. It also allows the world to recognize and 
learn from the tragedy that took place on Kalaupapa, where mothers were 
taken from their children, husbands from their wives, and children from 
their parents.
  There are a few remaining patients of Kalaupapa alive today, and time 
is running short. For them to live to see this monument, and the memory 
of their friends and those that preceded them honored in this manner, 
would mean so much. It will help to guarantee that the legacy of 
Kalaupapa will live on, and continue to be passed from one generation 
to the next.
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