Governor Willis Bradley Issues Proclamation. US Naval Governor Willis Bradley created a Bill of Rights for Guam on 4 December 1930 modeled after the first 10 Amendments to the US Constitution. The bill also included the right of writ of habeas corpus and the privilege of voting in local elections regardless of race or sex.
Bill of Rights for Guam 1930 Read Post »
Rita Guevara Sablan (1926-2003) was a wife and mother of 10 children, an active member of her community, and businesswoman who left a legacy – Sablan Enterprises.
Rita Guevara Sablan Read Post »
Peter Charles Siguenza, Jr. (1951 – 2020) was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Guam established in 1996 by the Organic Act of Guam. Prior to his appointment as the first Chief Justice for Kotten Mas Takhelo Guåhan, Siguenza served for 12 years as a trial judge in the Superior Court of Guam.
Peter C. Siguenza, Jr. Read Post »
Davis v. Guam is a key court case which addresses the question of who is able to participate in the process to determine Guam’s future political status. The case, which was challenged in US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, has far-reaching implications for the future of Guam’s self-determination efforts.
Challenge to CHamoru Self-determination: Davis v. Guam Read Post »
Memories of the war are just a blur. The sun rose bright and brilliant, the same way it had every Monday before then. Airplane-shaped silhouettes flew across the blue sky, making shadows behind fluffy white clouds. The ocean water flowed deep and teal into the Hagåtña river, washing under Grace Sablan Viegas’s (1933 – 2020) house as it normally did during high tide. She loved to watch the water come in and out with the tide. As the sun rose and the tide flowed, this particular Monday morning turned into one of tragedy.
War Survivor: E. Grace Sablan Viegas Read Post »
Daughter of an American. Tired and hungry were the words Irene Perez Ploke Sgambelluri (1931 – ) used to describe how she felt every day during the war. She was only 10 years old at the onset of the war and instantly, her life was forever changed.
War Survivor: Irene Perez Ploke Sgambelluri Read Post »
The war brought her family closer together. Clad in a white dress and moccasins, Sylvia Iglesias San Nicolas Punzalan (1927 – ) was preparing to honor Santa Marian Kamalen on 8 December 1941 at the island’s annual procession around the capital village of Hagåtña. She was 14 years old, the sun was shining, and her family, along with the rest of the island, had readied themselves for a day of tradition and celebration.
War Survivor: Sylvia Iglesias San Nicolas Punzalan Read Post »
From peace to chaos. It is hard for Maria “Babie” Rapolla Matanane (1929 – 2022) to forget the 8th of December 1941. Her day started early that Monday morning. Her family lived in a small house in Tepungan, located in Piti. She remembers that the family was up early that day preparing for the novena of Santa Maria.
War Survivor: Maria Rapolla Matanane Read Post »
Thankful to the Marines. Rosa Sablan Payne Murer (1924 – 2017) remembered the war as if it were yesterday. With her keen memory and strong voice, Tan Chai, as she was fondly called, started her story with,
War Survivor: Rosa Payne Murer Read Post »
Fond memories of Sumai. Juan Quintanilla Guzman (1934 – 2021), affectionately known as “Major” spent his early childhood in Sumai and fondly remembered what his life was like there just before the war. He had been living with his grandfather’s brother, who was also named Juan, and his wife, Vicenta. The older couple could not have children of their own, so they adopted Guzman when he was five years old. He remembered it clearly, because he was already attending pre-school, which was called pre-primer at the time.
War Survivor: Juan Quintanilla Guzman Read Post »
