NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

In less than a week, a new Governor will take power in Guam, as will a new non-voting Guam delegate and a number of new senators will be sworn in for the island's legislature. I have certain hopes for the new crop of leaders. There is great potential for them to learn lessons from the past, especially on the topic of decolonization. In recent years, the small, but significant maturation of the community on the topic, is part of the fact that for decades it has been circulating in conversations and political agendas. For a long time, rhetoric around decolonization wasn't worth much to voters, and wasn't really worth it. That is why for decades it was rare for politicians to share what their personal preference would be for Guam in terms of political status. It wasn't that they didn't have opinions or thoughts on it, but it was either something politically risky or simply  taibåli.  For the past few years, I've been interviewing Guam politicians from the previ

Towards the end of last month I spent two nights in a row editing this video with  Edgar Flores in response to the protests and public hearings that had been taking place. Both Edgar and I were at the public hearing at the Liheslaturan Guåhan on a Friday where we heard dozens speak about their concerns and frustrations about the US military buildup and in particular the use of Litekyan for a firing range. We were both there the following day when a group of youth organized a demonstration in front of Andersen Air Force Base and witnessed their act of civil disobedience as they temporarily blocked the gate. The video is meant to help people understand why people were willing to undertake such an action, by using the testimonies of two young passionate and articulate student members of Manhoben para Guåhan.

On Saturday my kids and I were driving up to the Litekyan demonstration organized by Manhoben para Guåhan at the front gate of Andersen Air Force base. When we were almost there, a half dozen Guam police vehicles rushed by us. We quickly parked and ran over to the demonstration site across the road from the gate. We could see the line of police cars and also, to our surprise, a line of protestors blocking several of the lanes to the gate. Both kid s cried "ti malago' yu' ma'aresta!" and "mungga' yu' ma'aresta."  When we got to the demonstration site and got a better look at the line of protestors, we saw the outline of my dad and their grandfather. I walked across to join him and learn more about what was happening, Akli'e' disobeying me and sneakily walking behind me. We embraced him and he gave us an overview of what happened during the protest. I felt so proud of him that he had joined the others to symbolically bl

On August 30th I'll be presenting at the 2nd Annual Marianas History Conference at UOG. Here is the schedule thus far for those who might be interested in attending. The website to find more information is: http://marianashistory.guampedia.com/ And here is a video of two of the organizers Dr. Anne Hattori (from UOG) and Rita Nauta from Guampedia giving an interview on KUAM News Extra: Tentative Conference Schedule Thursday, August 29 5:30 pm Welcoming Reception: Paseo, Hagåtña Friday, August 30 8:30-9:30 am Keynote Address, Dr. Keith L. Camacho, CLASS Lecture Hall, UOG 9:30-10 am Break 10 – 11:30 am Session 1 (A and B) Session 1A: Chamorro Agency in the Spanish Marianas David Atienza: The Mariana Islands Militia and the Establishment of the “Pueblos de Indios”: Indigenous Agency in Guam from 1668 to 1758 Carlos Madrid: 1800´s in the Marianas: A Nation in the Making Mariana Sanders, Francine Clement and Carla Smith: Social Realities and Legal Regulations