US Jurisd.2Qxd
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Colonies in Question Supporting Indigenous Movements in the US Jurisdictions A Report from the FUNDING EXCHANGE Written by Surina Khan OCTOBER 2003 2 ABOUT THE FUNDING EXCHANGE ABOUT THE FUNDING EXCHANGE The Funding Exchange is a national network of publicly-supported, community- based foundations. A unique partnership of activists and donors, the Funding Exchange is dedicated to building a base of support for progressive social change through fundraising for local, national and international grantmaking programs. The national office of the Funding Exchange network is located in New York City. Funding Exchange programs serve its member funds along with donors and grantees around the country. The grantmaking program of the Funding Exchange includes three activist advised-funds: The Saguaro Fund supports organizations that serve communities of color and that are organized and led by members of those communities. The fund supports organizing for human and economic justice, with an emphasis on labor, youth, women, immigration, environmental and economic justice issues. The focus is on groups that engage in grassroots organizing; emphasize leadership development; actively involve the rank and file through empowerment, mass education and politicization; prioritize networking and collaboration; and participate in coalitions and organizations doing multi-issue work. The OUT Fund for Lesbian and Gay Liberation supports organizing projects working to build community among lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgender people. The OUT Fund seeks projects that address the politics of race, class, gender and sexuality as integral to systems of oppression while working to develop lasting coalitions with other progressive causes. The Paul Robeson Fund for Independent Media supports independent film, video, and radio projects created by grassroots organizations and independent media producers on critical social issues. Named to honor the life and work of the distinguished singer, actor and civil rights activist, the Paul Robeson Fund for Independent Media supports preproduction and distribution of film and video, and all stages of radio production. FUNDING EXCHANGE 666 Broadway, Suite 500 In addition, the Funding Exchange has special funding initiatives and also New York, NY 10012 publishes an annual docket which features organizations that are seeking funding. phone 212.529.5300 For more information about the Funding Exchange or to learn more about how to fax 212.982.9272 support organizations through the Funding Exchange grantmaking programs, www.fex.org contact the national office. Second Printing, December 2003 3 CONTENTS About the Funding Exchange 2 About the Author 4 Acknowledgements Methodology Introduction 5 Overview of the Jurisdictions 6 Population, Income, and Geography 6 A Range of Issues: Tourism, Environment, Labor, and Immigration 6 A Legacy of Colonization 8 The Role of the United Nations 8 Social Consequences of Colonization 9 The Hawai’i Connection 9 The Effects of Militarization 10 Community Response to Militarization 11 Environmental Activists Respond to Militarization in CNMI 11 The US Navy and Vieques 12 Global Implications of US Militarization 12 Economic Overview 13 Effects on Local Economies 14 Impact of Economy on Organizing 14 Community Organizing 15 Indigenous Rights Work in Guam 17 Cultural Preservation 17 Organizing Infrastructure 17 Philanthropic Support 18 Activist Advice to Funders 20 Conclusion 21 Appendix I: US Territories and Freely Associated States 22 US Territories American Samoa 22 Guam 22 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands 22 Puerto Rico 22 US Virgin Islands 23 US Freely Associated States Federated States of Micronesia 23 Republic of the Marshall Islands 23 Republic of Palau 23 Appendix II: The Philippines: Colonization, Independence and Continued Militarization 24 Appendix III: Selected Glossary of Organizations 25 Endnotes 27 4 ABOUT THE AUTHOR color. The staff of the Funding Exchange Surina Khan is a longtime progressive activist provided an enormous amount of support and and writer. She has written extensively about inspiration. I am grateful to all the Funding right-wing movements, progressive movement Exchange staff and want to especially thank building, sexual rights, immigration, and Charlene Allen, Ellen Gurzinsky, Marcia Gallo, transnational organizing. Her research and Peter Diaz, Jerry Snee and Angela Moreno. writing have been published in many Many people took the time to share their publications including AsianWeek, Trikone, The valuable perspectives and point me to various Boston Phoenix, The Gay and Lesbian Review, resources. Many people took the time to share The Hartford Advocate, Boston Magazine, and their valuable perspectives and point me to Sojourner and her essays have been various resources. I am especially appreciative anthologized in several books. She is currently a of the following people for everything they have consultant to a number of social justice shared with me, including putting me in touch organizations including the National Center for with activists in the jurisdictions; directing me to Human Rights Education, Political Research websites, articles, and books; and most Associates, and the Funding Exchange, providing importantly for sharing their insightful assistance in the areas of research and writing, perspectives: Prescott Chow, Vince Crisostomo, organizational and project development, Claire Shimabukuro, Barbara Lee-Jackson, Caryn strategic planning, and fundraising. From 2000- Hodge, Lola Sablan-Santos, Javid Syed, Kale 2002 Surina served as the Executive Director of Fajardo, Daniel Lee, Jade Danner, Puanani the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Burgess, riKu Matsuda, Alex Silverio, Madeleine Commission, and prior to that she was a Adamson, Betsy Brill, Scot Nakagawa, Goretti research analyst with Political Research Masayos and Jennifer Terry. Associates, a think tank and research center that studies, analyzes and publishes on the METHODOLOGY political Right. From 1996-2002 Surina served Research for this report was conducted from on the OUT Fund for Lesbian and Gay Liberation February to August of 2003. During this time, I and is a former board member of the Funding reviewed literature including books, magazines, Exchange. newspapers, and selected articles about the history and current realities of the jurisdictions. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Extensive research on the internet helped to Several people contributed to the identify community organizing efforts in the conceptualization of and research for this jurisdictions. I corresponded with approximately report. Prescott Chow, an activist member of the 25 activists who work in the jurisdictions Saguaro Fund, was the first to bring up the specifically in Puerto Rico, Guam, US Virgin importance of increasing the Funding Islands, Palau and others who work with the Exchange’s grantmaking to include all of the US entire region of the Pacific but from outside the jurisdictions. His vision and foresight sparked jurisdictions in places including Hawai’i, Fiji and discussions within the Funding Exchange and the US mainland. Contacts with activists on the broadened the conversations to include the other islands was difficult to make, which other two activist-advised funds: the OUT Fund underscores the need for further work in for Lesbian and Gay Liberation and the Paul building relationships with people in the region, Robeson Fund for Independent Media. I’m best done by meeting people in person and grateful to all the members of these funds for traveling to the jurisdictions, which I was not the insight of our early conversations, and able to do. especially to the Saguaro Fund, which this year celebrates ten years of grantmaking to progressive activists working in communities of INTRODUCTION 5 INTRODUCTION COLONIES IN QUESTION In the Spring of 2002 the Funding Exchange activist-advised Supporting Indigenous Movements funds (the Saguaro Fund, the OUT Fund for Lesbian and Gay in the US Jurisdictions Liberation, and the Paul Robeson Fund for Independent Media) by Surina Khan held a joint meeting in Puerto Rico, one of fourteen territories held by the US. That meeting continued discussions initiated earlier by activist members of the Saguaro Fund about the importance of increasing the Funding Exchange’s grantmaking in Puerto Rico as well as expanding it to include the other US jurisdictions, which are made up of the fourteen US territories and three freely associated states, and planted the seeds for this report. Neither a comprehensive history nor a complete survey of political organizing efforts, the aim of this report is to identify the complexity and range of issues in these island nations particularly as they relate to the current forms and implications of US colonization, militarization, and cultural hegemony. n many ways, the This report examines the strategic US militarization of the jurisdictions and jurisdictions are a forgotten the impacts of this militarization on land use, local communities, phenomenon—their status in the environment, health, and the economy. It looks at local economies and I industries in relation to modernization, development, and globalization. This international community as part report surfaces some of the different community needs as well as existing of the US makes them ineligible organizing efforts in the jurisdictions and points to the enormous need for for many international programs greater financial resources to support community organizing efforts. because they are