“…In the fourth grade is when I really started messing up in school,” a young Samoan woman in Carson, California admitted to a group of peers in the 1970s. Her issues with the school system persisted through the years of her education. She says that later on, “I didn’t want to go to school and when I [went] back to school, I’d hear the teachers getting on my back and I didn’t want that, so I didn’t want to go. Then, I didn’t want to go home.”

During that time, young Samoan activists in Carson, California connected the struggles of their peers with a broader youth and student-led movement for civil rights, ethnic studies, and social justice. They created Omai Faʻatasi, meaning “come together” or “unite,” and organized together, creating self-funded community programs such as health fairs, food co-ops, history lessons, and a continuing high school.

Since the 1950s many Samoans moved to the United States or “Stateside”. They took the malaga, or journey, to secure their own and their families’ futures. While Samoans were able to build community through churches and civic clubs, the socio-economic realities that many found themselves in were often harsh.

In this module we will explore those realities, looking at poverty, education, health and racial discrimination, as well as the important role of Samoan youth activism from the 1970s to today. Youth activists stand as symbols of Samoan resiliency, advocating for their communities and demanding social justice that everyone deserves.