SFFA vs. Kamehameha Schools: Beyond Affirmative Action and the Implications for Indigenous Communities

Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), the same group behind the Supreme Court case that ended race-conscious admissions in higher education, has now filed suit again Kamehameha Schools, a private K-12 institution in Hawai’i founded by Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop to advance the wellbeing of Native Hawaiian students. The lawsuit argues the school’s admissions preferences constitute racial discrimination against non-Hawaiians.

In the wake of affirmative action being overturned in college admissions in 2023, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders – routinely folded into AAPI data and policy frameworks – were largely overlooked in the national conversation. This panel will explore the legal and political stakes of SFFA’s new case and what it means for Native Hawaiian self-determination.

Lunch will be served.

This event is co-sponsored by the HKS AAPI Caucus.

Speakers Include:

• Randall Kekoa Quinones Akee, Faculty Director of the Project on Indigenous Governance and Development at Harvard Kennedy School and Julie Johnson Kidd Professor of Indigenous Governance and Development
• Kaeo Yuen, Native Hawaiian student at Harvard College and a 2024 graduate of Kamehameha Schools
• Velika Yasay (moderator), Second-year Master of Public Policy student at the Harvard Kennedy School focusing on efforts of decolonization, Indigenous rights, and restorative justice (TBU)

About the Speakers:

• Randall Kekoa Quinones Akee is the Julie Johnson Kidd Professor of Indigenous Governance and Development and faculty director of the Project on Indigenous Governance and Development at Harvard Kennedy School, a role made possible by the Endeavor Foundation. He previously served as a professor and department chair at UCLA and has held senior research and policy roles with the White House Council of Economic Advisers, the National Bureau of Economic Research, Brookings Institution, and other leading institutions. His work focuses on labor economics, economic development, migration, and inequality, particularly as they affect Indigenous communities across the United States, Canada, and the Pacific. He has extensive experience working directly with Native and Indigenous communities and has contributed to national policy discussions, including service on a U.S. Census Bureau advisory committee on racial and ethnic populations.
• Kaeo Yuen, born and raised in Hawaii, is a Native Hawaiian student at Harvard College and a proud 2024 graduate of Kamehameha Schools. He serves as president of the Harvard Undergraduate Hawaii Club and works with the Harvard University Native American Program (HUNAP), supporting Indigenous community-building on campus. Through his own academic journey, Kaeo has seen how culturally grounded education empowers Native Hawaiian students and brings opportunity. He stands in support of Kamehameha Schools’ mission to provide educational opportunities for Native Hawaiian students.
• Velika Yasay (moderator) is originally from Kalihi, Hawai’i, currently pursuing her Master in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. Her interests intersect decolonization, technology, and racial justice. She also holds a bachelor’s in anthropology from Willamette University in Oregon and an alumna of the PPIA JSI program at Carnegie Mellon University on their Data Analytics Track. She is passionate about the importance of storytelling as tool for policymaking and systemic change.

Event Details

Registration is required for this event using the link above. This event is in person and open to Harvard ID holders. Please register using your Harvard email address.

The Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asia & the Ash Center encourages individuals with disabilities to participate in its events. Should you wish to enquire about accommodation, please contact our events team at info@ash.harvard.edu prior to the event.

Additional questions? Email the Ash Center events team at info@ash.harvard.edu.