UTOPIA Blog (page 2)

Le Nofo: The Rise to the Throne For the first time since its inception, I was unable to attend the highly anticipated annual UTOPIA Washington L’au. Alike millions connecting through the ever-advancing world…

Distanced learning and education have become more accessible than ever before, with the obstacle of the COVID-19 Pandemic and thanks to advancements in technology. In times of unexpected circumstances, as we all…

Early one morning I was woken up by a phone call from someone I had not talked to in almost two whole years; it was an old lover. He kept my phone…

When Miki Kupu woke up from her usual after-work power nap to complete darkness in her room, she assumed it was just the usual loss of light to the evening. As she…

The Stonewall Uprising that took place on June 28th, 1969, in New York City changed the lives and history for the LGBTQI+ community forever, the month of June is now nationally celebrated…

When nurse Maya Ierome relocated from American Samoa to the U.S. mainland in the summer of 2017, she never imagined that she would soon be faced with the grim reality of being…

At the turn of the new millennium, the name and face of Nafanua became one of the consequential figures synonymous with that era. She was not the Samoan mythical Goddess of the…

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…