NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

 I am excited this week to sit in a Zoom room with other members of Independent Guåhan to reflect on our role in making possible the Fanohge March for Chamoru Self-Determination on September 2, 2019.  If you aren't familiar with it, this was a historic day. More than 2,000 people marched in support of the rights of the Chamoru people to self-determination and also marched in support of Guam becoming something other than an unincorporated territory. The event was organized by a collective of volunteers, including all three political status task forces and a number of community groups. If you want to learn more about that day, learn some inspiring stories, but also hear some reflections on what has happened in the time since, tune in this coming Wednesday (9/15) at 12 noon Guam time, live on Facebook. 

The Fanohge Coalition formed earlier this year in part as a way of continuing the energy that was captured during last year's Fanohge: March for CHamoru Self-Determination. So far the group has written letters to elected leaders, organized forums and is planning to also send out a candidate survey this month. The Fanohge Coalition is made up of 37 different groups, and represents a wide swatch of Guam society. There are political status task forces, non-profits, small businesses and cultural organizations. Some are more conservative, some are more progressive. All are united however by the idea that the Chamoru people deserve to be treated with dignity in their own land and part of that is protecting their right to self-determination. Another unifying aspect to the coalition is the belief that Guam's political status should be changed to something more equitable. The coalition isn't untied by any particular options, but believes that a new status where Guam and its communit

Fanohge Coalition Announces Delegate and New Senatorial  Candidate Virtual Forums in August   The Fanohge Coalition, which is comprised of 37 community organizations, was recently formed in the hopes of promoting the issues of CHamoru self-determination and political status change in the 2020 Guam election. It is the hope of the Coalition, that the elected leaders of Guam be knowledgeable about and engage seriously in changing Guam’s political status and pursuing just redress for the CHamoru people. In early August the Fanohge Coalition will be holding two virtual forums, one for those running to be Guam’s non-voting representative to the US Congress and one for the non-incumbent candidates seeking election to  I Liheslaturan Guåhan.  The tentative dates are as follows:               Congressional Delegate Candidate Forum – August 5 th , 10 am.              Non-Incumbent Senatorial Candidate Forum – August 6 th , 10 am.   Both forums will be livestreamed on the Fanohge Coalition’s Face

 

Next Friday,  February  21st, from 4:00 - 5:30 pm, Senators Kelly Marsh-Taitano and Jose "Pedo" Terlaje will be holding the first of their public safety roundtable series called "Håle' Kumunidåt: Social Science Solutions to Drugs, Crime and Other Problems."  Over the past year, the senators have attended many public safety forums and hearings and there has always been a consistent theme from police officers, social workers and others; these issues are complex and have deep roots. To tackle them the island has to use multi-prong well-informed approaches, and the Håle' Kumunidåt roundtable series hopes to provide a space for developing somme of those ideas.  The first roundtable will focus the questions, "How did we get here? What what can we do next?" and we'll be hearing from historians, social workers, political scientists and mental health specialists. The public is invited to attend at the Public Hearing Room of the Guam Congress Buil