For the first time in what’s believed to be decades, representatives from all U.S. territories convened in New York City recently for a Summit on U.S. Colonialism. 

CNMI-based professor William Fife said, "It was ways to really to build solidarity and relationship building between all the territories to address our common challenges, but also recognizing our unique differences as territories. But all lacking voting rights and to varying degrees arguable second class citizenship."

The summit was organized by Right to Democracy, a project that seeks to build a movement focused on dismantling colonial frameworks imposed on U.S. Territories. The visiting group from Saipan said that includes education and outreach, possibly starting at schools. 

Leila Staffler said, "In the Virgin Islands they talked about having a clear territorial framework of a curriculum. And I thought, hey, that's a great idea that we could look towards because educating our youth on what it means to be a territory is important. Because that's something we don't always talk about."

Our Common Wealth 670 member Zeno Deleon Guerrero added, "We basically want to establish a more formal structure for us to be in more regular conversation with one another about the issues and, you know, just continuing to build the relationships."