A Bridge Forgotten

While the stories of the Manong generation -- the first group of Filipino migrant farmworkers to Hawaii and the US West Coast who arrived in the early 1900s -- have been and continue to be documented, their offspring who have dubbed themselves as the Bridge Generation have not been as lucky. This according to one of its stalwarts, Peter Jamero, who has written a book and several articles appealing for more research and documentation on the narratives of his contemporaries -- Filipino Americans born in the US before 1945. The Bridge Generation is unique because unlike their parents who never shed their Filipino-ness despite having resided for decades in the US, they grew up Americans. Yet they were never accepted completely as such. Jamero's impassioned plea this week should resonate among historians, cultural torchbearers, journalists and story gatherers.

We likewise feature two cultural torchbearers: the artist Stephanie Syjuco whose ongoing exhibit assembles valuable and otherwise ignore archival photos of the American colonial period in the Philippines; and acclaimed movie director Erik Matti, whose inspired and disturbing film, On the Job: The Missing 8, documents a dark period in Philippine contemporary history.

And we continue to join the chorus against the continuing injustice of keeping former senator Leila de Lima in jail, despite the key witnesses against her recanting their testimonies. 

[Cook It Again] The Happy Home Cook: Easy Tuna Pasta With Vegetables by Elizabeth Ann Quirino

[Video of the Week] Ilocandia



Most Challenging U.S. Election in a Lifetime

I think all of us agree that this 2020 US presidential election is the most chaotic, dangerous and ultimately impactful in our lifetime (and among us who have had a long lifetime, that statement is not an exaggeration). For the approximately four million-strong Filipino American community, the stakes are high.  Especially if in the next four years one has to deal with such fundamental issues as health care, employment, retirement and immigration. It is immensely important that the US citizens among us vote and vote wisely, to protect our interests, to make our voices heard and ensure a better future for our children.

For those who are still on the fence about voting, I hope you join us for Positively Filipino's next webinar this coming Monday, October 12 at 6 pm Pacific/9 pm Eastern (and in the Philippines, 9 am October 13). Like our past webinars, it will be exciting, lively and thought-provoking. To register, click here: http://bit.ly/filamvote

And speaking of past webinars, the last one we had on the Bridge Generation of Filipino Americans got a lot of raves for the insights and new knowledge that our three guests -- community treasures, as moderator Lloyd LaCuesta called them -- shared. If you missed it or want to listen to it again, here's the recording: The Bridge Generation of Filipino Americans

This Week’s Stories

Raising The Curtain On Filipino American Theater’s Past By Walter Ang

A Forgotten Fil-Am Activist Helped Shape Today’s Social Movements By Tim Salaver and Sherelle Johnson

A Sunny Side Up Kind Of Journey By Harvey I. Barkin

The Happy Home Cook: Dad’s Tortang Giniling By Chef Alvin Cailan

Video of the Week: Breaking the Tabo, the first episode of One Down’s documentary series on the glass ceiling for Filipinos in Hollywood.

[Partner] Happy Pilipinx American History Month! PAHM 2020

Read Again: The Boogie Woogie Boys By Alex S. Fabros, Jr.

Read Again: [Partner] A National Museum Of Filipino American History Opens In Stockton, California
By Richard Tenaza

In The Know

The Horrors Of The Philippine-American War You Weren’t Taught In School [PHOTOS]
https://allthatsinteresting.com/philippine-american-war?fbclid=IwAR0tDUaS5Gj02QonfgZgGibS52Dq4mzaFTXM6G7vNWvzLUEvZsEyiTPMagg

Tribesmen's Chief Gagaban, the First Filipino to Fly as a Passenger
https://www.facebook.com/groups/FAXRP/permalink/2848738425354074/

Top 50 Most Popular Filipino Dishes
https://www.tasteatlas.com/50-most-popular-dishes-in-philippines?fbclid=IwAR3p_qHufnkMTXLC0WipyCqRPJPLitNUu_21HHnDQ9xBtTcEIN8J04z4PzM

‘Let Men Die to Make Us Rich:’ How Mark Twain Used Poetry To Oppose the Philippine-American War
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/mark-twain-philippines-a00304-20200104?fbclid=IwAR2VoK8Ia_rIcc2brTF2ITS8ISGaecMjp_jWqYiHJwD4cndk3AB35PHRh-8

A Time for Reflection

The enduring civil unrest following a white police officer's killing of George Floyd, a Black man, has also triggered widespread conversations and reflections about racism, in the midst of a quarantine that has lasted for months. There is soul-searching among individuals of color, too, including Filipinos, as to how we and our immediate circles are responding to this momentous social unrest.

Soul-searching, however, could benefit from the context or guidance of history and social analysis.  For this reason, Positively Filipino is hosting a series of webinars to discuss the historical and sociological roots of racial prejudice against Black Americans--including among Filipinos--to better  understand the challenges posed by the systemic and oppressive racial prejudice that affects us all.

Please join us for these important conversations via Zoom. Details below. To register, please click on this link: bit.ly/PFPigmentsOfHistory

This week’s stories:

Racism: Reflections Of A Bridge Generation Filipino American By Peter Jamero

How Filipinos Are Coping With COVID-19, Part 2: Germany, Switzerland, Spain, France By Cecilia Manguerra-Brainard

Biking In The Pandemic By Criselda Yabes

Fil-Ams Among The Remarkable And Famous, Part 7 By Mona Lisa Yuchengco

Read Again: In the Heat of the Night: The Exeter and Watsonville Riots 1929-1930 — Positively Filipino | Online Magazine for Filipinos in the Diaspora 

For our recipe of the week, we have Chef Roline Casper’s Ginisang Ampalaya.

In The Know links:

Under Coronavirus Lockdown, a Philippine Priest Hits the Streets
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/22/world/asia/coronavirus-philippines-priest.html?smid=fb-share&fbclid=IwAR07HGkn8kXJ6d2AdMwCvwf64WYH4bDzM1lPCZYK8g4mjcYyxnUIo27i6s0

In Philippines, a child alleges abuse by Catholic priest — and tests Vatican promise for global reckoning
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/06/23/philippines-child-alleges-abuse-by-catholic-priest-tests-vatican-promise-global-reckoning/?arc404=true&fbclid=IwAR0YvDOdTO3EtI3-T1mb1dQeoQWZZRssJwr_7D4PVGSluwFSS9h_kIVgSCo

Returning to My Father’s Kitchen
https://lunchticket.org/returning-to-my-fathers-kitchen/?fbclid=IwAR3xReU81H0RudZYJWQ45V6LM2mKxA4-OJ1WjEbsXGCX6DSR5dLHeXZaYUM

'My Sons Are Filipinos Because Life in the Philippines Is All They Know'
https://www.smartparenting.com.ph/parenting/real-parenting/i-want-to-raise-my-boys-knowing-filipino-values-a1746-20180329?utm_source=Facebook-SP&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20200619-fbnp-parenting-i-want-to-raise-my-boys-knowing-filipino-values-a1746-20180329-fbold-fbcap&fbclid=IwAR18A2bJhRMo3iHQRLyOVVrmgr3G5xxkqfy1XeyArPLAEYi46UkB1RfEtdg

For Video of the Week: Last June 12, 2020 (Philippine Independence Day), Kabud Multimedia Production uploaded “Yan ang Pilipino,” an uplifting music video of one of the songs from “Halo-Halo Tayo”, a play from the Carl Jung Circle Center.