NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

Guam will elect a new non-voting delegate this year and there will also be a change in Adelup, where a new Governor will take over. This means there could be a significant shift in terms of federal-territorial relations for Guam. I don't mean much will change from the federal side, but from Guam, this moment could mean the development of a new approach or utilizing new tools for engaging the federal government on Guam issues. Depending on how you look at the past decade or so there has been some accommodation and some antagonism. From Congresswoman Bordallo, there was quite a meeting of minds over military buildup issues and the US Department of Defense, but that came at the cost of her representing the interests of the people of Guam. Bordallo was well-liked by many of her colleagues and well liked by the US military, but in my opinion, had long become detached from changing attitudes on Guam. When the protests and organizing around Prutehi Litekyan emerged last year, Bordallo w

I just finished up an interview on the issue of war reparations for Chamorros. This past week a group of politicians, who are part of the non-profit group Guam World War II Reparations Advocates announced their intent to file a lawsuit against the US government on behalf of Chamorros who endured Japanese occupation from 1941-1944 and who waiting for some form of compensation for close to 30 years. I've included an article on the lawsuit below from The Guam Daily Post. I also wanted to share a quote from my interview, in which I responded personally to what I felt about the possibility of reparations being granted today. Gof annok gi ineppe'-ku i minala'et-hu. Fihu iyo-ku grandfather ha faisen yu' put este na asunto, ya kao sina mohon ma risibi este na salape' para i pinadesen gera. Lalalo' yu' sa' matai i nanan biha-hu tres anos tatte na tiempo ya matai si grandpa gi ma'pos na sakkan. Anggen un diha ma na'i i taotao-ta este, hafa i bali-na angg

I collect Guam mentions from national and international media and this one has to be one of the more interesting ones I came across this year. ******************* How Guam Stole Christmas by Kimberly Robinson http://www.bna.com/guam-stole-christmas-b57982065502/ December 23, 2015 Every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot ... But the Guam officials sued in this Ninth Circuit case , did NOT! On (the eve of) Christmas Eve, they asked the U.S. Supreme Court to step in and revive their expedited tax refund process that was struck down by the Ninth Circuit in the summer season. Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason. It could be that their heads aren’t screwed on just right. It could be, perhaps, that their shoes are too tight. But some think that the most likely reason of all … is that the officials wanted to keep expediting their own refunds while making the majority of Guamanians wait months or even years for their

I nobia-hu Isa ha ayuda mama'tinas Forum gi UOG gi painge put "sexual harassment." Gof impottante este na asunto, lao ti meggai umadmimite este. Ti meggai tumungo' put este na asunto. Guaha famalao'an yan lalahi lokkue', mansinexual harassed, lao ti ma tungo' na ayu hafa masusedi. Hinasson-niha na ossitan ha' pat linachi ha', ya taya' sina u macho'gue put este. Maolek na ha hatsasayi hit este na babao gi UOG. Gi fino' Audre Lorde, ti prinitehi yu' ni taisangan-hu. Siempre ti prinitehi hao lokkue'. Estague iyo-na Live Blog ginen i Forum gi painge. ******************* 5:50 – Excited to see Mary Camacho Torres, senator-elect, and Prof. Ron McNinch in the audience.  Approximately fifty to sixty students are currently present. 6:07 – Dr. KB begins speaking.  “Sexual harassment at the University of Guam.”  Intersectionality.  Privilege, domination, and oppression.  —Imbalance of power relations regarding gender, class

--> I've spent quite a bit of time this past week talking about the term native inhabitants. It is something which is at the crux of how decolonization law is written in Guam, but is confusing since it is different than the way that most people feel or talk about decolonization. There is a spiritual and human movement and process which is wide-reaching and brings together anger, resentment, dreams, hopes, practical concerns and justice. This is decolonization in general, and it is something that more and more people on Guam accept as being an important and necessary part of life. It has not been an easy conversation, many people resisted it in certain forms, such as cultural for a long time. But we can thank the last two generations of Chamorro/Guam activists for helping create the conditions whereby "self-determination" is an acceptable and positive part of daily discussion, wrapped up in the feelings that people have for an improved, more pro

From " Ten Thousand Things " An informative and touching article on Okinawa and the way the traumatic past weaves its way into the present. This is one of the dynamics that Avery Gordon refers to so poetically and so aptly as "ghostly matters." The way in which boats off the coast of Okinawa today don't simply remind people of the horrors of the past, but keep that past and all the injustice that comes with it, alive. Protestors of the past and those of today can have the same ghostly threads about them. They represent stories, memories and dreams that refuse to die, even if governments do their best through force, through coercion, through tokens, to make sure they are forgotten. The article is below: ************************ Henoko on August 14, 2014. (Photo: Chie Mikami on FB ) Film director Chie Mikami on August 14, 2014, on location at Henoko : "I saw so many boats in the sea around 7a.m. It reminds me of the history of Okin