Newsweek Op-ed: Lahaina's History Must Be Central to Rebuilding After the Fire

On July 3, Newsweek published ACHP Chair Sara Bronin's op-ed on the need to restore Lahaina's Native Hawaiian cultural sites following last year's devastating wildfires.

Bronin writes: "Lahaina will rebuild… The crucial question is this: Can Lahaina rebuild in a way that honors and restores the Native Hawaiian history and heritage reflected in the destroyed sites and buildings?… I firmly believe it can and must."

To encourage such efforts, Bronin proposes an exemption from certain regulatory review processes for any site restoration activities led or managed by Native Hawaiian organizations. This recommendation follows the ACHP's adoption of a new Policy Statement on Indigenous Knowledge and Historic Preservation earlier this year.

Read the full op-ed in Newsweek.