Some problems won't rise to the surface on their own but need an advocate to bring them to light. The nonprofit legal group Kokua Legal Services has been fulfilling that critical function for one of Hawai'i's neediest populations: Micronesians.

Kokua has spent a year pursuing complaints of housing discrimination against Micronesians by running landlord "tests" — having two callers posing as potential renters to see if the landlord responds differently based on the ethnicity of the caller. The campaign has produced enough evidence for two lawsuits to be filed, one of them settled, and several investigations in the works.

Discrimination against Micronesians and other underprivileged groups is worse than the statistics would suggest, the experts say, because relatively few of the victims know their rights or have the inclination to file a complaint. So the "test" approach has clear advantages and should be used more frequently by agencies that work to uphold civil rights.

Larger-scale landlords are aware how much flagrant bias can cost them in financial settlements, but more educational outreach to small, mom-and-pop landlords on housing discrimination laws should be a priority for these agencies.

Kokua Legal Services has performed a necessary service that may deter some landlords from applying an illegal bias in dealing with these migrant residents as well as other disadvantaged groups. Their work also underscores the lack of legal services to such populations.

But the rest of us have a role to play, too, in deterring discrimination. Social service organizations such as Kokua and the Legal Aid Society can launch investigations but informational tips will provide a starting point. Anyone who finds hints of discrimination in rental advertising or in conversations should pass along that lead (see box).

Tolerating bias against one group makes it easier to commit bias against another. Upholding fair-housing laws, ultimately, protects everyone.