\u201cMr. Perez Howard and his writing inspired many of us to use our skills as writers and artists to tell our people\u2019s story in a way that would provoke critical conversations and inspire greater visions for a more just future,\u201d shared UOG Press director of Publishing Victoria-Lola Leon Guerrero, who worked closely with Perez Howard as an editor of both Mariquita\u2014Revisited<\/em> and Juanit<\/em>. \u201cI will always cherish the time and friendship I shared with Mr. Perez Howard and the many deep dives we took into our island\u2019s history and political issues. It was an honor to work with him and he will be sorely missed.\u201d<\/p>\n Perez Howard was a founding member of the Organization of People for Indigenous Rights. The organization addressed issues of self-determination, war reparations, land rights, and historical preservation; and spoke out against nuclear warfare, an issue that persists to this day.<\/p>\n \u201cChris Perez Howard has left a legacy as an acclaimed CHamoru author and community advocate,\u201d UOG president Anita Borja Enriquez said. \u201cHis works and passion for our island and its history will be remembered for generations.\u201d<\/p>\n UOG president emeritus Robert Underwood, a close friend of Perez Howard, said, \u201cChris was a leader in the struggle for CHamoru self-determination, an insightful writer, and a relentless advocate for fairness in all aspects of our existence.\u201d<\/p>\n Perez Howard\u2019s advocacy is heavily present in his writing. Through his work, he showed how mediums such as storytelling and painting can be used to promote literacy, build connections, understand oneself, and preserve culture.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t start out as a writer,\u201d Perez Howard said in an interview that aired during the launch of Juanit in July. \u201cI was a painter. When I came back to Guam, especially when I started getting this information about Guam history in the writing of Mariquita<\/em>, I had a lot to say, and painting wasn\u2019t the way I could reach the largest audience. So, I think out of frustration, I turned to writing to say it.\u201d<\/p>\n The celebrated author credits his advocacy to his mother, Mariquita Perez Howard, whom he honors in Mariquita\u2014Revisited<\/em>. The novel, originally published in 1982, chronicles his mother\u2019s enduring strength during the Japanese occupation of Gu\u00e5han and urges readers to remember the sacrifices of those who lived during the tragedies of the war and its lasting impacts.<\/p>\n It was Perez Howard\u2019s fervent hope that his stories would inspire readers to honor the memory of those who came before them, and to love all the aspects of their own identities that make them who they are.<\/p>\n A memorial service celebrating Perez Howard and his impactful work will take place in September. Details for the service will be forthcoming from UOG Press on all media platforms, including Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at @uogpress<\/a>. (UOG)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Celebrated CHamoru author Chris Perez Howard.<\/p>\n -CONTRIBUTED PHOTO The University of Guam Press is saddened by the passing of celebrated CHamoru author Chris…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-397859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/397859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=397859"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/397859\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=397859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=397859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=397859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![](\"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/images\/imgupload\/ae7e42c8b0428aeaa16b7af607f505db.jpg\")
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"