The Lo chapter released on the Hanapepe Massacre centennial

HANAPEPE — Ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Hanapepe Massacre, which took place on Sept. 9, 1924, Catherine and Karl Lo announced the release of the Lo chapter, “Shrouded in Mystery: The Unveiling of the Hanapepe Massacre.”

This release is a special edition, limited to 100 copies in observance of the 100th anniversary of the Hanapepe Massacre.

Catherine and Karl both served on the volunteer Hanapepe Massacre Research Committee that was chaired by Michael Miranda of Lihue.

The Lo chapter touches on the 1924 Filipino Strike in the Territory of Hawaii and included Kauai. The chapter will identify the 16 Filipino plantation workers who were massacred while on strike in Hanapepe for worker rights.

The chapter covers the search for the grave where the 15 Visayan and one Ilocano plantation worker are buried. The grave was shrouded in secrecy and mystery for nearly a century.

Additionally, the Lo chapter reveals the identities of the four county police deputies who died and the locations where they were buried.

For more information on the availability of the Lo chapter, email cath.khylo@iCloud.com, or call 808-724-7238.

On Sept. 9, 2006, the Kauai Filipino Centennial Celebration Committee dedicated a concrete marker in the Hanapepe Town Park in memory of the 16 Filipino workers killed by police during a territory-wide strike of Filipino plantation workers, and four police officers who were killed.

ILWU Kauai Division Director Clayton Dela Cruz represented the ILWU at the dedication ceremony.

The 1924 Hanapepe Massacre was an important event in Hawai‘i’s labor history, but most people probably never heard about it, and our school children don’t learn about it, the ILWU said.

The marker is a very good thing because it will remind people about the hardships and tragedy faced by the Filipino sakada and the working people of Hawaii.