By Blox Content Management,Robert H. Myers Jr
Copyright mvariety
THE U.S. Department of Education recently announced it will terminate funding for Minority-Serving Institutions, including Northern Marianas College’s Asian American, Native American, Pacific Islander Serving Institution programs. These grants have supported mentoring, tutoring, and transfer opportunities for hundreds of NMC students. With the stroke of a pen, Washington has jeopardized opportunities for our young people.
We have heard predictable responses. NMC President Dr. Galvin Deleon Guerrero calls the cuts “troubling.” U.S. Congresswoman Kimberly King-Hinds says her office will “review” the decision. Both mean well, but both miss the obvious: these programs are vulnerable because they are built on the fragile foundation of DEI politics.
Let’s speak clearly. Chamorros are not minorities. We are the first people of the Marianas. Like Native Hawaiians and Alaska Natives, we are an indigenous people of the United States. The longer we allow Washington to classify us as just another “minority group,” the more we remain subject to the political winds of whichever administration is in power.
Today it is USDOE cuts. Tomorrow it will be another agency’s shift in “priorities.” And each time, our leaders scramble to react, plead, or beg for reconsideration. That is no way to protect our students or our culture.
There is a permanent solution: federal recognition of Chamorros as indigenous people of the United States. This recognition is long overdue. It would guarantee that our students, families, and institutions have access to programs specifically designed for Indigenous communities, insulated from the partisan fights over DEI. With recognition, NMC’s programs would not be at the mercy of culture wars. They would be secured as a matter of law.
This is bigger than education. Recognition affirms our identity, history, and survival on U.S. soil. It ensures that our children and grandchildren inherit a future where their culture is respected, their opportunities protected, and their voice equal to other indigenous peoples of America.
Some will say recognition is complicated. But the truth is simple: the Covenant between the Marianas and the United States was built on a promise of partnership, not subordination. Recognition would honor that promise.
So while others are still “reviewing” or lamenting cuts, I say it’s time to stop reacting and start leading. Chamorros deserve more than stopgap solutions. We deserve recognition, respect, and permanence.
Until Washington admits this truth, our future will always be uncertain. Once they do, these funding fights disappear overnight.
ROBERT H. MYERS JR.
