NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

The one the reasons why so many scholars, activists and often times community members feel the need to rethink or rearticulate or reimagine "Liberation Day" is because of a recognition of hope integral it is or has been to our relationship to the US. World War II changed dramatically the relationship between the Chamorus of Guam and the US. It changed it somewhat from the US perspective, but it was dramatically altered from the Chamoru side of the equation. Chamorus who felt a clear distance to their colonizer, even if some were eager to be patriotic, prior to the war, emerged from the war eager to find whatever way possible to express their loyalty, their newfound attachment to America. But as I've written many times before, what Liberation Day does as the basis for Chamoru identity in an American context, is create the Chamoru as a subordinate subject, a minor footnote, that must always be superpatriotic for fear that America will withdraw funds, support, recognition an

Going through my files tonight trying to find stuff for my Guam History class that I'll be teaching starting tomorrow and I came across the following list. Every March, people on Guam celebrate Chamorro month. This is a wonderful change from the past when there was little to no positive public recognition of Chamorro culture, language and peoplehood. But at the "national" level, March is also supposed to be a month for celebrating women, as Women's History Month. The list that I found in my notes was from the American Association of University Women and their Guam Chapter, after they researched a list of Chamorro female "firsts" to be presented March of 1991. The list is very interesting and informative even if some of their choices could be questioned. Some of the names might be familiar to you, whereas others might be lost to history. ********************** Rosa Roberto Carter First Chamorro woman to be president of a university (UOG) Doris Flor