African-American Influence in Guam History Parallels and Intersections By Carla Smith Guam Department of Education carla.smith4@gmail.com Abstract: During an interview on March 27, 2015, Dr. Robert Underwood, stated, “The most salient example that you have to draw from American society about anything that has racial or ethnic dimensions or issues related to discrimination or unfair treatment is almost always rooted in the African American experience. … That’s what makes the African American experience so powerful.” Accordingly, in this presentation, we will examine how the African American experiences of slavery and segregation provided the historical framework for the colonization of the Chamorros under the American administration. We will also discuss the intersections of African American and Chamorro struggles from the early twentieth century throughout the civil rights/decolonization movements. Finally, this presentation will encourage scholars to think outside the box and expand the analysis through which local issues are investigated.
Editor’s Note: This paper, presented at the Marianas History Conference, was not made available for publication. Presentation slides on following page.