Thousands expected for march on 125th anniversary of overthrow

Thousands are expected to join today’s march and Iolani Palace rally marking the 125th anniversary of the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy.

“The day has really turned out to be an amazing show of unity,” organizer Trisha Kehau Watson said Tuesday. “There’s been a huge response. It’s overwhelming.”

The event, called “Onipaa Kakou,” will also feature live music, hula, speeches and ceremonial protocol to remember Queen Lili‘uokalani, Hawaii’s last monarch, the events of the 1893 overthrow and their impact in the islands.

Most of the events will take place at Iolani Palace, Lili‘uokalani’s former home, but for an hour, starting at noon, the stage will move to the Capitol Rotunda next door for music and speeches.

That building already will have been busy for the opening day of the state Legislature, and organizers of “Onipaa Kakou” say they are hoping to show lawmakers a message of “truth and unity.”

“We want to educate people about what happened to our people in 1893, and we want to show the unity that exists in the Hawaiian community today,” organizer Walter Ritte said in a release Tuesday.

It was on Jan. 17, 1893, that Western businessmen and missionary descendants, backed by U.S. Marines, toppled the queen. One hundred years later the U.S. formally apologized for its role in the overthrow, and a centennial observance attracted more than 20,000 to Iolani Palace.

Today’s 9 a.m. peace march will begin at the Royal Mausoleum at Mauna Ala and head down Nuuanu Avenue before turning on Beretania, Richards and King streets. Attendees to the Iolani Palace events are asked to gather at the Kamehameha Statue at about 10 a.m.

Organizers will be giving away 1,000 free event shirts, provided by Hawaii’s Finest Clothing, and are encouraging attendees to wear black and bring pink carnations.

At least a couple thousand children are expected to attend, and they will carry carnations into the palace, just as visitors would bring flowers to the queen when she lived there, Watson said. All the flowers will be left at the statue of Lili‘uokalani at the Capitol.

At 10:45 a.m. the Hawaiian flag will be raised above the palace at the same time of day it was taken down during the overthrow.

Parking will be available at the Blaisdell Center for $6, and there will be shuttles to the palace from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Parade shuttles will also run from 7 to 9 a.m.

The day is being planned by Hui Ku Like Kakou, the Royal Order of Kameha­meha I, the Kalihi Palama Culture and Arts Society, ʻAina Momona, Kameha­meha Schools and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, among other organizations.

For more information, go to onipaakakou.org or facebook.com/onipaa125.