NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

Published on Friday, December 30, 2011 by CultureStrike Ethnic Studies Ruling Escalates Arizona Schools Struggle by Michelle Chen While students were on their holiday break, Arizona issued a disturbing wake-up call to anyone who thought the education system had evolved to reflect America’s diversity. In a legal challenge to a controversial law passed in 2010, an administrative law judge pummeled a flagship educational initiative by supporting restrictions on programs based on Latino history and culture. Tucson students occupy a school board meeting  The judge decided that the curriculum used in Tucson’s Mexican American studies programs was biased against white people, apparently because it advocates critical historical perspectives and emphasizes struggles of indigenous and Latino communities, as well as the links between that legacy and contemporary politics. The ruling comes as no surprise, as the struggle between the school district and school superintendent

Courtesy of Famoksaiyan Friends: From We Are Guåhan: DoD Refuses Public Involvement in Additional Firing Range Complex Studies June 15, 2011 Eight (8) months after making its Record of Decision (“ROD”), DoD has asked the District Court of Hawaii for a “voluntary remand” to do additional studies on the firing ranges that DoD has planned on building at Pågat Village and the surrounding area. DoD has refused to allow for any public input or participation in these new studies. DoD’s request to add more information to its previous studies comes weeks after an e-mail from JGPO about DoD’s plans for Pågat Village was publicly released. In the e-mail, which was sent seven days after DoD issued its ROD, Major General Bice of JGPO wrote to several high ranking DoD officials that DoD “can get all of the land eventually, including an SDZ [Surface Danger Zone] over Pagat; we have to be patient and build trust with the community first.” The e-mail from JGPO also said that DoD could get P

More updates and information on the situation in Gangjeong on Jeju Island, South Korea. The first comes from Sung Hee Choi who runs the very informative blog No Base Stories Korea . She is currently in Jeju and working with the villagers of Gangjeong. According to her most recent update, protestors were forcibly prevented from setting up a vigil outside of the Jeju Assembly building, two of the protestors were injured by police. According to Sung-Hee: Yesterday, while I was in the village, the Pan Island Committeee Against the Military Base confronted the Jeju City authorities and police as the city did not allow the activists' tent vigil in front of the Island assembly. One member was arrested and two women - of whom one was greatly wounded in her face - were carried to the hospital. The second comes from the blog Ten Thousand Things , which gives more information on the ecological importance of Jeju and Gangjeong, and why it is a travesty for a Navy base for US and South Korean

Below is what I'll be doing for the next three days, the Fourth Chamorro Conference. Posting on this blog will naturally suffer, but at least it is for a good cause. ******************* Hafa adai todus, Please join us for I Mina' Kuattro na Konferensian Chamorro. *PLEASE PASS THE WORD...* There's a group of people who worked hard to organize and coordinate I Mina Kuattro Na Konferensian Chamorro. This project has no budget but a lot of committed and passionate people desiring to bring everyone together to develop a vision and action plans for the advancement of Chamorros. It is our hope that we can *come celebrate our collective progress and find common ground, as we work to address current and future challenges as a community and chart our course . * *Our Mission: * *To advance and promote the sustainable cultural, economic, and community development of Chamorros based in our indigenous cultural values; to educate our people; and to promote research

Daily Yomiuri Shimbun Decision on Futenma Relocation Unlikely Until at Least 2011 Satoshi Ogawa / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent Aug. 22, 2010 WASHINGTON--It has become almost certain that essential details of the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture will remain unresolved until at least 2011, as the Japanese and U.S. governments have basically agreed to abandon the Aug. 31 deadline they set earlier. The two governments agreed Thursday on the outline of a report--to be released by working-level experts from both countries by the end of this month--regarding an exact location for the Futenma replacement facility and the design of its runway, according to sources familiar with the matter. The outline calls for the forthcoming report to incorporate two plans as "feasible options" for the relocation facility: two runways in a V-shaped formation or a single runway, with the understanding that the facility will be located on the shore

Mungga en fanmaleffa! Don't forget! Next week at UOG is the conference "CHinemma’, Nina’maolek, yan Inarespetu para Direchon Taotao" which translates to "RESISTANCE, RESILIENCE, AND RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS" and is the 7th Meeting of the International Network of Women Against Militarism. A small image of the poster is on the left. If you would like to download the poster click here . If you would like to register for the conference click here . If you just want to know more, head to the conference blog . If you are a UOG student who is interested in possibly getting some extra credit for your classes, contact me at mlbasquiat@hotmail.com . Here's some articles from the Marianas Variety and The Pacific Daily News about the conference. I'll be posting the draft schedule soon. ************************** Family, human rights issues top forum agenda Monday, 07 September 2009 03:09 by Jude Lizama Marianas Variety News Staff HUMAN rights and family issue

We're about a month away from the very exciting Guma'Famoksaiyan gathering to take place May 23-25, 2008 in San Diego, California. For those who don't know what this gathering will entail, let me post a description below: In times past, knowledge, skills, family and village histories were passed down to the younger generations through different guma’ or houses, such as the guma’saga’ or the family home, or the guma’ulitao, the bachelor’s house. In these spaces young Chamorros, would be given the crucial knowledge of their family, clan and village genealogy, and also be imparted the necessary skills for tasks such as planting, fishing, navigation, debate and weaving. Through this inter-generational sharing, young Chamorros would be prepared to be productive, respectful and active members of both their clan and their village. As Chamorros and their islands face uncertain futures due to various economic, health, environmental, military and social concerns, it is crucial that