Talking About Our Generations

We are posting this week the key findings of the Pew Research Center's comprehensive study of Asian American experiences and attitudes, gathered from its national and multilingual survey done in 2022-2023 and its 66 focus groups in 2021. Though there are not many surprises, it's interesting to note some generational differences as well as attitudinal perceptions between first-generation immigrants and their children/grandchildren.

We're also running the four winning essays of the 2022 Doreen Gamboa Fernandez (DGF) Food Writing Award this month, starting with the first prize winner, "Reclaiming Philippine Ube" by Reynadel Cayetano. Did you know that ube is a healthier alternative to other yam varieties because of its higher antioxidant content? And that Bohol is the province best known for ube?

Enjoy too our other stories this week:

A poet's long drive to Albany, Georgia to watch a neighborhood Filipino basketball team play brought him back in touch with his roots, his culture and his palate.

A Fil-Am visual artist pays tribute to her late, unheralded great aunt who played a big role in winning WWII for the US. 

More remarkable Fil-Ams whose accomplishments are nothing to scoff at.

As we smell and taste Christmas in the air, here's a reminder of a Filipino Christmas from one of our earliest issues:

https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/2012/12/12/karoling

And here's what our Filipino tastebuds hanker for every Christmas season: 

https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/our-christmas-table

[Video of the Week] Maria Ressa Interviews Leila de Lima



In The Know

AFP chief sees retaliatory attack in Marawi bombing
https://mb.com.ph/2023/12/3/afp-chief-sees-retaliatory-attack-in-marawi-bombing

Will Philippines’ revived peace talks end rebel conflict for good or ‘aid the enemy’?
https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3243573/will-philippines-revived-peace-talks-end-rebel-conflict-good-or-aid-enemy

Civilian convoy to South China Sea gets NSC nod
https://www.bworldonline.com/the-nation/2023/11/28/560257/civilian-convoy-to-south-china-sea-gets-nsc-nod/

Ma’am Jo’s killing was a nightmare. Her dreams for the Teduray tribe are alive.
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/jocelyn-palao-killing-nightmare-dreams-teduray-tribe-alive/

In Hawaii, a humble effort to give anti-Marcos cartoons from the past a second life
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/hawaii-effort-filipino-opposition-preserve-anti-marcos-political-cartoons/

Gov't, communist rebels agree to resume peace talks
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/28/23/govt-ndfp-agree-to-resume-peace-talks


Best Wishes on Thanksgiving Week

We know you're in the midst of prepping your holiday meals, so we'll make this short.

When you're taking a breather, we hope that you'll read our stories this week. Shout-out to Filipino Canadians: there are two of yours in this issue.

For Filipino Americans, our wishes for abundant blessings and gratitude this Thanksgiving week.



Anti-Asian Hate Watch

The State of Hate in Los Angeles 2023 Report
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CpW9L7W9uovJDBmGMeaPIf0ze-6lBQaq/view

CA Civil Rights Dept. addresses rising rates of hate at launch
https://asamnews.com/2023/11/14/california-civil-rights-rising-rates-of-hate-hate-crime-berkeley/

Many within Asian American and Pacific Islander communities have endured discrimination, and a third experienced a hate incident in the last year

https://apnorc.org/projects/many-within-asian-american-and-pacific-islander-communities-have-endured-discrimination-and-a-third-experienced-a-hate-incident-in-the-last-year/

A Cal State Report Says Hate Crimes Are Low, But Trustees And Experts Issue Warning
https://laist.com/news/education/cal-state-csu-report-hate-crimes-trustees

Bay Area on guard for increase in hate crimes
https://www.axios.com/local/san-francisco/2023/11/15/hate-crimes-fbi-data-asian-jewish-muslim

Is anti-Asian racism still a problem in US? Poll reveals 2023 trends
https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3241601/anti-asian-racism-still-problem-us-poll-reveals-troubling-trends

Funding provided by the State of California.



From Loss and Grief to Vindication and Elation

Our emotions swerved from sadness to elation this past week, as we mourn two colleagues and celebrated a long-awaited vindication.

Philippine journalism had just lost two highly regarded thought leaders -- Conrad de Quiros and Rina Jimenez-David, both popular columnists of the Philippine Daily Inquirer until they fell ill (Conrad of a stroke in 2014 and Rina of a serious renal ailment not too long ago). Conrad's "There's the Rub" column served as an early morning jolt of pointed commentary written in luxurious prose for 23 years. Rina's "At Large" was a consistent beacon for women's rights and human rights for 33 years. [To read more, go to our In The Know links below, which includes a touching personal tribute to Conrad by veteran journalist Jo-Ann Maglipon.]

The release on bail of former Justice Secretary and former senator Leila de Lima on Monday was such a happy relief. She stayed in prison for 6 years, 8 months and 21 days on obviously trumped up charges, after she started investigating the drug war deaths in Davao City then under the helm of Mayor - later President -- Rodrigo Duterte. The evidence and testimonies presented in court were so ridiculous that those who were the so-called "star witnesses" eventually recanted their testimonies, revealing they were coerced by higher powers in government to utter the lies. "It's vindication," declared Sen Leila (Sen for senator, as her supporters refer to her) as she wept, talked to her 91-year-old mother in Bicol on the phone for the first time since her incarceration, and thanked those who were her pillars, all on live TV. She was even gracious to her tormentor/enemy Duterte ("God forgive him, God bless him"). Of her three cases, two have already been dismissed and the last one awaits a verdict. [Again, for more details, see our In The Know links below]. 

*****

Anti-Asian Hate continues to rear its ugly head in unlikely places, such as the Wing Luke Museum in Seattle, where an obviously disturbed, 76-year-old man took a sledgehammer and broke the museum's glass windows while shouting racial epithets. PF Correspondent and Seattle-bred Anthony Maddela explores the issue of anti-Asian hate and its ramifications on a Pacific Rim city and on national policy.

From Ethnic Media Services, an eye-opener on school bullying as a civil rights issue.

Another Pacific Rim city -- San Francisco -- takes center stage this week as it hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit. Still reeling from the combined impact of the pandemic (and its economic blight), rampant drug addiction, and homelessness, the beautiful City by the Bay hopes the international summit to be attended by top officials from 21 countries will be the start of the rehabilitation of its downtown. PF Correspondent Myles A. Garcia gives us a situationer.

We hope you enjoy the rest of our issue featuring amazing women: Vangie Buell, a Bridge Generation stalwart, still going strong as a musician and activist at 91; Jacqueline Chio-Lauri, a UK-based Filipina whose recently released book We Cook Filipino compiles healthy recipes from Filipino chefs in different countries. And then there's "Moral" - the late acclaimed director Marilou Diaz-Abaya's movie on four Filipinas navigating the realities of the '80s in the Philippines, the recent re-showing (in San Francisco) of which elicited a commentary by Michael Gonzalez.

[Video of the Week] Anjelah Johnson


Anti-Asian Hate Watch

Why Asian Americans should care about what happens at APEC
https://asamnews.com/2023/11/11/asian-american-issues-apec-impact-effect/

Ethnic hate intensify in spillover of ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict
https://pnewstoday.com/ethnic-hate-intensify-in-spillover-of-ongoing-israel-hamas-conflict/

CAIR-LA got 300% more reports of Islamophobia last month
https://asamnews.com/2023/11/12/islamophobia-anti-palestinian-hate-massively-spike-due-to-israel-hamas-war/

Funding provided by the State of California.