UTOPIA Blog (page 2)

When the Las Vegas Lounge closed its doors in May of 2020, it signaled the end of an era. The small business, which employed 9 people, was a casualty to the economic…

Tanya Tui  When Tanya Tui’s family arrived home in Tacoma, Washington following a funeral they had attended, their household (including her sister, brother-in-law, their three kids and their mom) all tested positive…

At 19 years old, I, Marion Marlena, was hired for my very first job as a clerk for the Government of American Samoa. Technology in Samoa was not up to date when…

When Jayda Leiataua arrived for her grandfather’s birthday in California in June of 2021, she felt the chills during a warm summer day but did not think much about it. Later in…

There once was a boy in my neighborhood growing up and one summer day he took me to a large rock near a stream and asked “do you want to honeymoon?”. I…

Tagi Qolouvaki is Fijian-Tongan through her mother and German-English American through her father. She was born and raised in Fiji and migrated to the U.S. at 16. She holds an MA in English…

COVID-19 Message from our resident Fofola le Fala blog author:  The COVID-19 Pandemic has had devastating effects on the Pasifika / Pacific Islander community. I will never forget the overwhelming waves of…

The first time I saw Shalimar, I was in our living room watching the live broadcast of the 1994 Miss American Samoa pageant. The spotlight gleamed and the cameras zoomed in as…

As the spotlight beams on her face, her eyes light up! The glistening of her sun-kissed brown skin glows, as delicate tropical flowers dangle from her hair. As Loyal Garner’s “E Ku’u Morning…

In 2014, Victor Rodger was writing a play based on the life of Shalimar Seiuli. Shalimar is perhaps one of Samoa’s most well-known, albeit tragic, Fa’afafine stories. Her untimely death, shrouded in…