Photo by Mancinas Photography
Lupe Herron
Folklife - including community history, social rituals, holiday celebrations, and other practices
Guadalupe (Lupe) Herron is a native CHamoru from the island of Guåhan (Guam) and has lived in California since 2000. Upon relocating, she struggled to find fellow CHamorus in the area due to a lack of local gatherings. Driven by a deep longing to connect and a desire to build the community she couldn’t find, she established CenCal CHamorus in 2016 to bring fellow Pacific Islanders together.
Today, she serves as the lead organizer for the Central Valley’s annual Guam Liberation event, which recently celebrated its resilient 8th year. Under her leadership, community involvement has flourished from an initial 40 people to over 225 attendees. As an ACTA Living Cultures Grant recipient, she is deeply grateful for the support to carry this labor of love forward and preserve CHamoru culture.
Living Cultures
2026
CenCal CHamorus 9th Annual Guam Liberation
Funds will be used for our Guam Liberation Day expenses: cultural performers, live band music, entertainment/activities, lead organizer’s pay, and venue rental. The grant will help cover some of our major expenses like venue rental, lead organizer’s pay and entertainment.
