17 Facts About Abraham Akaka

Abraham Kahikina Akaka was an American clergyman.

Abraham Akaka's mother was of Hawaiian ancestry, and his father was of Hawaiian and Chinese ancestry.

Abraham Akaka delivered his messages in both the Hawaiian and English languages.

Abraham Akaka was born in Pauoa, Hawaii, on the island of Oahu, the fourth of eight natural children and two adopted children, in the family of Kahikina Akaka and Annie Kahoa Akaka.

Abraham Akaka was of Hawaiian ancestry through his mother and Hawaiian-Chinese ancestry through his father.

Abraham Akaka's paternal grandmother was Hawaiian-Chinese, and his paternal grandfather was born in China.

Abraham Akaka attributed his older brother's interest in physical fitness to his childhood Tarzan role-playing.

Abraham Akaka received his BDiv degree at Chicago Theological Seminary in 1943.

Abraham Akaka was chosen as Hawaii's 1939 delegate to the World Student Christian Conference in Amsterdam.

Abraham Akaka likened various races of the earth to ukulele strings, each unique in its pitch, but creating beautiful results when played together as one.

Abraham Akaka strummed his ukulele throughout his sermon, with background accompaniment from the church choir, and Nixon invited him to lead a service at the White House.

Abraham Akaka was so ubiquitous that local lore during his lifetime was that each structure in Honolulu had received his invocation.

Abraham Akaka was a proponent of statehood for Hawaii, and one of several Hawaii residents who testified before the United States Congress on January 17,1948.

Abraham Akaka pressed the need to fully incorporate the territory into the union.

When new board members were appointed in 1962, Abraham Akaka was appointed chairman, at which point he became active on a national level, joining the Rev Martin Luther King Jr.

Abraham Akaka used his public position as a forum to defend the Bishop Estate's adherence to the intent of the will of Bernice Pauahi Bishop, when it faced a legal challenge on its "Hawaiians only" admission policy at Kamehameha Schools, and its hiring of Protestant-only teachers.

Abraham Akaka was equally vocal in his opposition to the appointment of Matsuo Takabuki as trustee, rather than someone of Hawaiian ancestry.