75 Years of the Organic Act: a call to reclaim Guam’s story and spirit

There is a stirring in our people. You can feel it in the solemn whispers of war survivors, in the laughter at village fiestas, in the pride swelling when a child learns their first Chamorro prayer.

As Guam marks the 75th anniversary of the Organic Act, we are called to more than remembrance—we are called to revival.

This anniversary is not simply a date. It is a living promise handed to us by the generations who endured and overcame, who dreamed of a future where Guam could stand strong, proud, and defined not by others, but by ourselves.

The Soul of a Destination

The world knows our beaches, but do they know our bravery? Do they know the spirit behind the Håfa Adai greeting—the unspoken promise that every soul who touches our shores becomes family?

Now is the time to redefine what it means to experience Guam. Not as a commodity for consumption, but as a story to be understood. As a sacred place where culture, community, and courage converge.

Tourism must no longer be about volume—it must be about value. And its greatest value lies in pride: our pride, as caretakers of a legacy that refuses to be forgotten.

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Awakening Community Responsibility

When we reimagine tourism, we reimagine ourselves. We invite every youth to learn their history, every elder to share their wisdom, every villager to take ownership of our narrative. Guam deserves to be lived with honor and seen with reverence.

This isn’t just an economic strategy. This is an emotional homecoming. A reckoning with who we are—and who we refuse to become.

Let the 75th anniversary of the Organic Act mark the moment we stopped asking others to define us. Let it be the moment we stood, together, and said:

“Come, see Guam—not only for what lies on the land, but for who rises from it.”

Frank Blas Jr. is the speaker of the 38th Guam Legislature and chair of the 38^th

Legislative Guam Experience Commission.

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