Days Before Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime, U.S. Territory Representatives Criticize America’s ‘Colonial’ Behavior
Days before Benito “Bad Bunny” Ocasio commanded the NFL half-time show with a musical discourse on identity and politics, residents of United States territories came together to advise Greenlanders on what might be waiting for them should they ultimately join Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Marianas as territories of the United States.
2026-02-09 15:26:36 - VI News Staff
Organized by Right to Democracy, “What Greenlanders Should Know About Becoming A. U.S. Territory” was held on Thursday and explored themes of political rights, self-determination, mineral extraction, and more. “We’re all constantly trying to clarify this relationship we have with the United States,” said Sheila Jack Babuata, former member of the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives.
The discussion began by highlighting the differences between how Greenland interacts with Denmark and how U.S. territories interface with their colonial power. Greenland, said Right to Democracy co-founder Neil Weare, has representation in the Danish parliament and forms a critical component of the voting bloc that usually decides the next prime minister of Denmark. Greenlanders also reserve the right to call a referendum on independence at any time they choose. “They have much greater autonomy over local decision-making,” said Mr. Weare, noting that they have exercised that autonomy to decide to exert full control over their mineral resources and mineral extraction. The revenue from that industry stays completely in Greenland, while Denmark provides local government support and funding of about $10,000 per resident. Greenlanders, meanwhile, are exempt from Danish taxes.
The panelists contrasted Greenland’s political relationship to Denmark with their territory’s relationship with the United States. “I was actually very envious of what goes on in Greenland,” said Robert Underwood, a former Congressional delegate from Guam, noting that United States territories have much less political autonomy. “It kind of reflects the fact that almost all responsible nations in the world have an understanding of their role as colonizers…that lesson in the United States' thinking seems to have not been learned.”