National Park Protection (1980-present)
In 1980, Kalaupapa was officially honored as a National Historical Park due to Congresswoman Patsy Mink's heavy advocacy, protecting the aesthetic integrity of the settlement and the rights of the remaining patients.
Personal photo excerpt of one of Patsy Mink's legislative proposals for the Kalaupapa National Historical Park (Feb. 19, 1975).
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"The Kalaupapa settlement constitutes a unique and nationally significant cultural, historical, educational, and scenic resource...[Patients] went there first as prisoners of their disease [and] are insisting that they be allowed to remain until they die...[as prevention of] the dislocation or displacement of any patient or former patient presently in residence at the Kalaupapa settlement." "The Legacy of Father Damien is immortal; it is part of our history and must be cherished in memory." |
Photo courtesy of Mary Ann Chang.
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"On December 22, 1980, President Carter signed Public Law 96-565 which established the Kalaupapa National Historical park and officially recognized the importance of Kalaupapa's history to the nation and the world."
-Anwei Skinsnes Law and Richard Wisniewski, Kalaupapa and the Legacy of Father Damien (1988)
"The residents' stories and experiences make Kalaupapa National Historical Park unique. The park stands as a monument to their ability to endure and overcome, both physically and spiritually, not only disease but man's inhumanity to man."
-Anwei Skinsnes Law and Richard Wisniewski, Kalaupapa and the Legacy of Father Damien (1988)
In 2009, a memorial that forever engraves into the nation’s awareness the names of the 8,000 people who were forcefully sent to Kalaupapa was constructed, culminating the years of dedication by patients who passionately fought for their rights.
"They asked us what we want to do with Kalaupapa and we all said we like it the way it is. They should leave it alone. But with a memorial. We hope that memorial will come soon. While we’re all still living. I asked if our name will be on that memorial. They said ‘yes’. I said ‘well I hope so’. I said ‘I will come around and see it’. They said, ‘What do you mean?’ I said ‘I’d like to see if my name is going to be on that memorial’. They should put everybody’s name, not only those who have passed on but those who lived till the very last minute. I think you should acknowledge that too.’"
-Kalaupapa resident Gloria Marks, in an interview with Natalie Kestecher (2008)
Photo courtesy of Blaine Fergerstrom.
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"Perhaps the greatest acknowledgement of the importance of remembering all the people who were sent there is the fact that President Obama signed legislation authorizing Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa to establish a memorial at Kalaupapa with the names of everyone sent there who had leprosy. This is an important recognition of the value of each individual to this history." |