Our Mission
The Allies for Micronesia Project (AMP) is a non-profit organization working to address the unique justice challenges facing citizens of U.S. affiliated islands in Micronesia—Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau. Despite the close relationship between the U.S. and these island states, the history and consequences of U.S. involvement in the region are not widely known. AMP seeks to amplify Micronesian voices in the United States by (1) providing education and outreach to increase public awareness of critical justice issues; and (2) providing rigorous community-based research to inform positive law and policy change.
Our Theory of Change
For more than a century, the U.S. has been an imperial power in Micronesia. Today, the U.S. maintains two dependent territories, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The Republic of the Marshall Islands, Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia, meanwhile, are independent but “freely associated” with the United States, meaning that the U.S. maintains military authority over their lands and waters, and, in return, the citizens of these nations can travel to the U.S. and remain indefinitely as non-immigrant residents.
A long history of U.S. militarization, nuclear testing, and broken promises in Micronesia has produced structural injustices—deprivation of land and sovereignty, economic dependence, environmental degradation, and health inequality. Climate change exacerbates these challenges. It may be too late to right many of the past wrongs our country committed in the region, but we can prevent further injustices and promote self-determination; and we can help to provide a good life for Micronesians living in the US.
AMP will amplify Micronesian voices through education, outreach, and rigorous research. Awareness is the first step toward positive change. But too few Americans are aware of the United States’ historic and current involvement in Micronesia. We will educate members of the public, students, and key policy-makers through academic publications, popular media pieces, events and conferences, and audiovisual projects. We will build on our educational initiatives through targeted research that can inform positive law and policy change on topics such as access to healthcare and veterans benefits, self-determination and legal relationship with the United States, nuclear justice, and climate adaptation.
Our Team
Caroline Ferguson,
Co-Founder & Co-Director
Caroline Ferguson is a PhD student in the Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources (E-IPER) at Stanford University. Her research and writing explore the intersections of identity, empire, and environmental justice in Micronesia. Keep up with her at www.ceferguson.com
Autumn Bordner,
Co-Founder & Co-Director
Autumn Bordner is an associate at international human rights law firm, Blue Ocean Law, and a research fellow in ocean law & policy at U.C. Berkeley School of Law, Center for Law, Energy, & the Environment. Her scholarship focuses on issues of empire, decolonization, and environmental justice in the U.S.-affiliated islands.
Our Board
Julian Aguon
Julian Aguon is a human rights lawyer working across Oceania at the intersection of indigenous rights and environmental justice. A native son of Guam, Julian is the founder of Blue Ocean Law, a law firm that works for and with the peoples of the Pacific to protect and promote their rights and interests. Julian is also a member of the Global Advisory Council of Progressive International--a bold new initiative to mobilize people around the world behind a shared vision of global justice.
April Brown
Dr. April Brown is the co-founder and president of the Marshallese Education Initiative (MEI), a Northwest Arkansas-based non-profit devoted to promoting the cultural, intellectual, and historical awareness of the Marshallese people and facilitating intercultural dialogue to foster positive social change. MEI also provides direct services to the Marshallese community in Northwest Arkansas—the largest Marshallese diaspora outside of the islands. Dr. Brown is also a Professor of History at Northwest Arkansas Community College.
Ben Graham
Ben Graham is an international development advisor and evaluator with interests in Small Island Developing States, climate change, natural resource management, and public sector management and reforms. He was Chief Secretary of the Marshall Islands, his home country, from 2017 to 2019, and served in a range of advisory and development roles there and in the Pacific Islands region over the past 20 years. He studied economics, management, and development policy at the University of Hawaii, Georgetown University, and the Australian National University.
