NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

Every year, at some point during at least one of my classes I'll mention the name "Janet Benshoof." It isn't a name commonly known on Guam, at least among the general population, but it was a name that was notorious for a short period in the early 1990s, and one that probably deserves more attention. Janet Benshoof was the ACLU attorney who came to Guam to lead the fight against the strictest and harshest anti-choice, anti-abortion law within the US and its empire as of 1990.

She was the only person arrested under that harsh anti-abortion law that made national headlines. Reading her obituary though I saw that her work was truly international, joining causes for the betterment of women's lives across the globe. In her obit below from the New York Times there is even a section that deals with her time in Guam and a quote from Former Governor of Guam Joseph Ada.

One day I'm gonna write an article about that time in Guam's History, because it represents a f…

Infotmasion put i siudat (mismo songsong, lao i maga'songsong para i Islan Guåhan) gi Fino' Chamoru. Hu tuge' este para un curriculum project dos años tåtte. Ya-hu bei na'huyong guini lokkue', sa' hu Tango' na guaha estudiante pat otro e'eyak ni' sesso manmambisisita guini gi este na blog, ya ma kekealigao este na klasen tiningo'.

**********************

Put iya Hagåtña
Guåhan i mås dångkolo’ na isla gi islas Marianas. Hagåtña i kapitåt na siudat. Gaige meggai na ofisinan gobietno giya Hagåtña. Gaige lokkue’ i gima’ i Gobietno yan i Lihelaturan Guåhan.
I Plåsa de España mahåtsa desdi i tiempon Españot; manggaige guihi i kosas yan estorian i manmasusedi gi duranten i tiempon Españot. Gaige i Plåsa gi fiʹon i gimaʹyuʹos Dulce de Maria Cathedral-Basilica.  Dångkolo’ este na gumaʹyuʹos ya ma silelebra i gipot Santa Marian Kamalen gi diha ocho gi Disembre guini. Dångkolo’ este na silebrasion giya Guahan. I hinenggen Katoliko gi tiempon Españot  ha gof tul…

As a contemporary colony, Guam doesn't get much attention anywhere.

In a world where colonialism isn't supposed to exist anymore, being a colony isn't that great.

When you try to articulate your colonial existence people tend to respond in a number of different ways.

They may dismiss the colonial nature of your situation since it can't be as bad as colonialism was in the past.

They may dismiss your complaints because you come from a small island that should be grateful to be colonized, especially by the most powerful country in the world.

They may attempt to correct you and say that Guam is really a territory not a colony. Or a dependency and not a colony. Or a protectorate and not a colony.

The United Nations is one of the few places where the idea of there being colonies left in the world isn't controversial, although this remains a salient topic in only certain parts of the bureaucracy.

For example, a place like Guam doesn't have much representation or powe…

My personal metric for determining candidates who get my vote boils down to these three things: 1. Do they speak Chamorro? 2. Are they supportive of Chamorro language, culture and rights? 3. Do they support decolonization and are they open to considering independence as a political status for Guam?

This election there are fewer Chamorro speakers than ever, especially at the senatorial level. But that's why I was grateful that so many candidates (such as those in these images) were willing to participate in a Chamorro language forum where they used the Chamorro language in their responses even if it was difficult for them. I've also been impressed with the number of candidates who are expressing an openness to decolonization and the possibilities of Guam becoming independent. Biba Ha'anen Botasion! Biba Chamorro! Biba Guåhan!

I spent some time recently with former Governor of Guam Joseph Ada. It was a very enlightening experience and one that I will most definitely be writing about or incorporating into my research and activism with regards to Guam's decolonization. There was one thing that stood out though, especially when comparing the time when Joseph Ada was Governor (1986-1994) to the current moment under the leadership of Governor Eddie Calvo. In both eras Guam's political status remains a fundamental unresolved issue that leaks out and affects so many other aspects of life, even if the general population doesn't understand it or accept the connections. During the term of Governor Ada, the Government of Guam was well organized and focused on negotiating with the US Congress and Feds over the proposed Commonwealth status. These negotiations eventually failed under the term of his successor Governor Carl Gutierrez, but the negotiation of a new, transitional political status for Guam that w…

Hu gof agradesi i sinaonaon este na kandidatu gi i Inadaggao Lengguahen Chamoru gi ma'pos na simana. Mas ki dos siento na taotao manannok ya ma ekungok este na ocho mamfino' Chamomorro put diferentes takhilo' na asunto gi kumunidåt-ta på'go. Hu nå'i este siha dångkolu na respetu. Magof hu na bei anunsia na in kekeotganisa un otro na dinanña' taiguni para i otro'ña na simåna. Siempre bei na'huyong i infotmasion på'go pat agupa'. Biba Chamorro! Biba Chamorro Studie gi UOG!

Si Yu'os Ma'ase to the candidates who participated in the Inadaggao Lengguahen Chamoru held last week at the University of Guam and organized by students from the Chamorro Studies Program. They are from left to right in this photo: Senator Tom Ada, Senator Rory Respicio, Senator Dennis Rodriguez, Joe San Agustin, Wil Castro, Fernando Esteves, Eric Palacios and Senator Mary Torres. Due to the community response, a second Chamorro language forum may be schedu…

Two letters to the editor on recent and not so recent activities related to Guam's decolonization.

For those who don't know, there are three political status options that are outlined per local and international law for Guam's future, integration (statehood), free association and independence. Each of these status has a task force that is mandated to educate the community about their status. These task forces are volunteer and have always been, although public law does indicate that the Commission on Decolonization is supposed to provide funding and support for their outreach.

But there is little written into the law about the structure of these task forces or details about their obligations. They are supposed to have a certain amount of members and they each have a chairperson who gets to serve and vote on the Commission itself, but other than that, they are amorphous and nebulous non-governmental organizations. The business of government usually moves slowly, unless the…