'Too white?Too brown?' Stop reducing people to color codes

By Patricia “Patti” Long Diego

Too often on Guam, I’ve heard professionals and

policymakers reduced to labels, called “too white”

in one room and “too brown” in another. Whether in meetings or over the airwaves, these aren’t descriptions; they’re put-downs.

When such remarks come from people in positions of influence, they don’t just offend, they set a lower

standard for everyone else. And if we as adults don’t aim higher, why should our children?

Labeling people doesn’t make arguments stronger; it makes them weaker. It dismisses ideas, erases complexity and divides communities. 

Here on Guam, division doesn’t just hurt feelings; it slows progress.

The 2019 case Davis v. Guam showed what happens when people are reduced

to labels. Guam had planned a special vote, called a plebiscite, to ask residents what direction they wanted for the island’s future: statehood, independence, or free association. But the law said only “native Inhabitants of Guam” could take part.

The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals struck this down, ruling it was a racial classification that violated the Fifteenth Amendment, which prohibits denying the right to vote because of race. That decision didn’t just cancel one vote, it was a reminder that if we exclude people, we weaken the whole process.

And yet, we keep repeating the same mistake in everyday ways. 

Whether someone is dismissed as “white” or “brown,” the message is the same: that bloodlines matter more than ideas. That is wrong. If you disagree with someone, challenge their position with stronger facts, deeper research,  or better solutions. But don’t reduce them to ancestry.

That is the lazy way out, and it echoes the same exclusionary logic that

 stopped Guam’s plebiscite.

Guam’s strength has never been found in a single race or culture. It has always come from the mix, the combination of traditions,  histories and

 perspectives.

This diversity is not a weakness; it is the foundation for self-determination. Moving forward requires us to work across politics, race, and background. Every time we fracture into labels, we lose allies, we lose momentum, and we delay progress.

If Guam’s journey to self-determination is to be realized, we must set a higher standard now. That means rejecting labels that divide us and choosing instead to build bridges of respect and understanding. Our future depends on coalitions, not categories.

So, let’s raise the level of public discourse. Let’s stop calling people “white” or “brown” as if that defines them. Let’s stop reducing people to labels altogether. 

And let’s start practicing the harder but more important work of listening, debating in good faith and uniting around solutions.

Guam’s future will not be built on division. It will be built on the strength we find when we stand together.

Patricia “Patti” Long Diego is an MPA candidate at the University of Guam. She is a resident of Mangilao.

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