Funny how as I go older I remember these disdains of mine and others.

1. LOURDES UNTALAN FLEMING ALONSO
It is kind of funny how I never thought of our island's people in Guam to be prejudice. I know
now that it is a different kind, a subtle one. I was ten years old I when heard a racial slur. The
neighbor’s whispers about our family name (Fleming) being ‘Americano’ and that we looked
‘mixed’, and known to be of ‘Gupalao’ race--- and I remember hearing an adult neighbor said it
out in a disparaging tone. I never repeated it to my Mother as I considered her feelings. Gupalao
is a derogatory word for Micronesian. It was my own feelings of inferiority, for my Mother, of
her dark skin and my curiosity of how she kept to herself and her family. Still I sensed her
power of having a deep sense of herself and probably never even was affected by mine and
others’ ignorance. My Mom’s mix of ¼ blood Filipino and Chamorru and alas, born in Yap
Island, was immediately a gossip item that increased as her art in the garden flourished. While
my Dad , self-employed architect-carpenter with Scott-Marshallese father and CHamoru-Spanish
mother, assimilated into the CHamoru culture as my mother.
Growing up in Guam in the 60's and watching the televised stateside news of the racial
injustices to the Black Americans; possibly redeemed Guam's subtleness, with a sense
of being free of prejudice and racism. I do recall that idealism through the catholic
community in their prosperity detesting such behavior. Yet, at that same time, there was
an air of discrimination through stereotyping towards the Filipinos and other small
population of Palauans and Carolinians in contrast to the high regards given to the
‘Americanos’, which are of Caucasian race.
The close-knit Chamorru neighborhood in Barrigada I grew up in welcomed the White
contract teachers, inviting them to their
fi
estas. There were no Filipino or Outer-
Islanders in our neighbor. I witnessed
fi
rst-hand the effect of such rami
fi
cation of such
discrimination at Ypao Beach. There was a big celebration happening in the park and
being that it was a public park, we freely entered the pavilion, only to be attacked by a
large angry crowd of young Filipino men wielding chains, sticks and one of them had a
machete, we ran like death upon us as fast as we could back to the car. Then into the
late 60's to mid 70's, gangs of outer-island group banded together, a stark contrast to
the 'village gang,' rampant then, the outer-island gang were an angry group of young
men who like the Filipinos, paraded their heritage through violence.
I did not feel resentment against those young men. Instead, I only felt an exhilarating
episode in my lifetime. I did not know it then, but truly, I now can say my parent’s
teachings on values of human kindness despite differences, from the time I could hear,
allowed me that understanding of their rebellious anger. “No group should be made to
feel ashamed of themselves. (Sue, 2007).

2. Why worldview is important in our understanding of cultures? I feel that worldview
is important in understanding culture because it will prevent disparity, hatred and war.
The 'ethnic-cleansing' wars; are prime examples of why having worldview on culture so
vital for survival of the human race. Worldview presses the question even further as to
one's own understanding of one's worldview shaped by one's own culture. In a simpler
thought, it is only when I am truly appreciative and accepting of my culture; similar to
being comfortable in my own skin, only then, will I be able to be open-minded about
others' differences. For instance my recollection of my Mom's awareness of the
ethnocentric reactions our neighbors harbored because of my parent's birthplace and
differences. She never negated or separated us from my CHamoru-ness. And part of
that CHamoru-ness revealed, as I, even thought, that maybe it was her dark skin that
we were made to feel inferior in our own neighborhood. My own realization of
ethnocentricity ever-present, because of my human-ness, I am therefore better
equipped to not impose my perception, believes and values about an issue on anyone.
Memory : Tamuning Guam, across from now Onward Hotel...50 years ago, 1966.
Sunday’s, Shlitz beer, Camels, fresh lemonade. Congregation of CHamorro, Yapese,
Japanese , Russian languages on high volume blending with the tunes of Smokey
Robinson, Diana Ross, The Beatles brought on by American BandStand from cousin
Ray’s television. A mixture of people sit on a 12 foot rectangular Formica handmade
table of Albert Fleming, https://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=wwXI8ycbPzAhttps://
m.youtube.com/%23/watch?v=wwXI8ycbPzApp Dad’s oldest brother and partners as
homebuilders,). from foundation to interior (before the demise of H2 workers). Albert’s
young wife Chonkee Ayuyu Fleming of Rota, never sitting, hostess to the mostest.
Aborigine -looking Yapese Carpenter, softspoken and kind, Sarangnan, Godson of
Dad’s parents, best friends of their Grandparents, Olga Tretnoff Pangelinan, (Russian
Immigrant from Japan,
fl
ed to Yap https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russians_in_Japan).
Her hair always pulled tight with thick homemade band of
fi
ne swath of cotton, bright
red-lipstick, tortoise jeweled arm of thick bands. She with Chamorro Yapese Ben
Pangelinan have one daughter Elsie. Mom and her smiles and her watchful eyes over
us kids doing the jerk and twist to no end. His only siste4 Bobby make u the very rare
brood of 2 children to us 9 kids in Ursula and Tommy’s tribe. Dad, chugging his Schlitz
satis
fi
ed and often he’d bug his youngest brother’s wife Amy so petite and spunky,
(Hawaiian Flip) about her singing to a Doral cig jingle, ‘taste me taste me’ , whenever
she wanted her cigarette lit. Rolls of tongue twists to every language they speak and
understanding of all spoken was a delight to be in. Some days an American, Margie
Cushing Falanruruw- married to family friends of Yap, joins the table in full-blown
traditional Yapese wear., grass skirt, boo, and smarts. As history soon followed suit to
these colorful bunch, I understand Margie is a descendant of the circus group Ringling
Brothers Barnum and Bailey. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russians_in_Japan Those
were amazing times.

3. Amazing pales compared to my Mom’s brothers, Fernando played Lead, , Mayo,
harmonica and voice. They all sang, except Mayo knew the lyrics , Oncho, Vicente,
CHuming, Uncle Pete.