The Fire This Time event is the first of its kind to showcase Chamorros and the impacts of U.S. colonization on the island of Guam and how it ripples throughout the Chamorro diaspora nationally and internationally. Often times, Guam, the Micronesian region and its people are invisible in public discourse about colonization. Our event adds a much needed dimension, voice and perspective from a current U.S colony to the development of strategies for the national and international struggle against colonization.

Our movement’s biggest challenges are:
• Invisibility of Chamorros and our issues caused by colonization within larger U.S. social movements
• Misinformation about the complex political relationships between U.S. Non self-governing territories and other Pacific Island nations and the United States
• U.S. opposition to Chamorro self-determination and decolonization
• Health and environmental disparities caused by the militarization of our lands and lives
• Privatization of our natural resources
• Physical distance between organizers and resources in the U.S. to those on Guam and the Micronesian region and vice-versa

Our workshop will:
• Provide basic geographic awareness of Guam and the Micronesian region
• Provide a deeper understanding about the complex political relationship past and present between the Non-self governing territory (aka Colony) of Guam and our Administering power the United States
• Highlight resistance struggles that are being fought on Guam and in the U.S.
• Provide an indigenous Chamorro perspective to the impacts of colonization that ripples throughout the Chamorro diaspora and the causes of our many political/economic/social/cultural/spiritual ills
• Build solidarity and create coalitions with other social movements.

Our 4 hour workshop will provide a well-rounded and holistic workshop that will be interactive and contain scholarly, artistic, performance and spiritual components. It will be conducted in English and our printed materials will also be in English.

Our event is mainly an awareness raising workshop and we are hoping to build solidarity and elicit input and feedback from workshop attendees in order to develop strategies and alternatives to our dire situations. Our participation in the USSF is a strategy in itself that we are currently using to mobilize our community to outreach and seek the help of the larger U.S. social movement community. This is the first time we have come together to educate and raise awareness of our issues and struggles within the larger U.S. social movement.