We're With the Campaign Against Hate

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While official stats from California's Department of Justice show a decrease in hate crimes against Asian Americans, AAPI communities know better than to relax their guard. Last month alone, four incidents of assaults -- one of which resulted in the death of the victim -- happened to elderly Asians in San Francisco. See: Has Anti-Asian Hate Crime Really Decreased? By Sunita Sohrabji

How do we stem the rising tide of hate? California's Stop the Hate campaign is a statewide initiative that funds community organizations, including ethnic media, in "providing direct services to victims of hate and their families, and prevention and intervention services to tackle hate in our communities." 

Through the California State Library, the Department of Social Services and the Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs, Positively Filipino is one of the ethnic media organizations awarded a grant. For the next 12 months, this online magazine will take an active role in providing historical and current information about anti-Asian hate crimes, with particular focus on Filipino Americans.  With grant resources, readers will learn about the importance of reporting crimes, how to report crimes and what services are available to support both victims and their families. We will assist in the documentation of incidents, and disseminate strategies on prevention and de-escalation through a series of free webinars. Our Act Against Hate section in the magazine and social media will be a valuable community resource for everyone who supports the struggle against hate, racism, discrimination and violence against FilAms. 

Have you or someone you know experienced an instance when you felt targeted and afraid? When and where did it happen?  How did it happen?  Do you think you were targeted because you're Asian? Tell us about it by clicking this link: actagainsthate@positivelyfilipino.com. If you feel that you are a victim of a hate crime, report it to https://stopaapihate.org/ 

Together we can stop, prevent, document, and de-escalate ethnic tensions while making sure that we ourselves are free of anger and prejudice.

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Home caregivers or domestic workers -- those who are employed to provide home care to the sick, disabled and others who need them -- are not provided the basic health and safety protections under Cal/OSHA (California Occupational Safety and Health Act). Now, California Senate Bill 686 hopes to change the situation, but the bill requires a push by the community to enact it into law. Community activist Susan V. Tagle tells us what's at stake.

The results of the 2022 presidential elections in the Philippines was not as clear-cut as it seemed, according to a group of analysts led by General Eliseo Rio, former head of the Department of Information and Communications Technology. Inquirer columnist Randy David summarizes the questions brought forth by the inquiry.

PF Correspondent Anthony Maddela deep dives into a discussion of the mental health issues confronting Filipino Americans with author/activist Jen Soriano who just came out with a book called Nervous: Essays on Heritage and Healing. 

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Staff

The King and the Manila Boy

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The first time I watched the movie musical "The King and I" as a little girl, I was mesmerized by the music and the strange costumes. That movie has since become one of my all-time favorites to re-watch on DVD and YouTube, and not just because of the unforgettable presence of Yul Brynner. "The King and I" remains one of most joyful musicals ever produced. For those who were equally entranced by the movie, did you know that the pre-teen kid who played the Crown Prince Chulalongkorn was Filipino? At that time, in the 1950s, Filipinos in a Hollywood movie were practically unheard of so Patrick Adiarte's feat was one that should be recorded and hailed in Fil-Am history, which is what PF Correspondent Myles A. Garcia has done in "The Manila Boy Who Would Be King."

Quite a number of Fil-Ams (born and/or raised in the US) have decided to move to the Philippines and establish themselves there. One of them is Richard Cavosora who returned to Laguna to care for his mother and has since evolved into a maker of cheese. Read his story, "The Accidental Cheese Monger."

Following his very successful (and award-winning) stint with the acclaimed Washington D.C. restaurant, Bad Saint, Chef Tom Cunanan partnered with his former sous chef Paolo Dungca to set up, in the middle of the pandemic, PogiBoy, a sandwich fast food restaurant also in the DC area. PF Correspondent Anthony Maddela writes about this newbie joint which has already been hailed by the Washington Post. 

Earlier this month was the 44th anniversary of the demise of the International Hotel (I-Hotel) in San Francisco, one of the tragic events that in Fil-Am history that should not be forgotten. Read Again about what happened that night of August 4, 1977: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/the-last-night-of-i-hotel?rq=i-hotel

And here's another of my road trip stories: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/gemma/bison-and-brooklyn

For the Happy Home Cook, a repost of another delectable dessert from Voltaire Gungab: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/the-happy-home-cook-double-decker-chocolate-and-coconut-pudding

We have a thought-provoking Video of the Week, an interview by Toni Gonzaga of Jake Zyrus, who used to be the celebrated singer Charice Pempengco. 

In The Know

Asian in the U.S. are the fastest growing racial group. What's behind the rise.
https://news.yahoo.com/asian-u-fastest-growing-racial-213021710.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=ma

Hernández: Reality hit Manny Pacquiao after bruising loss, and he handled it with dignity
https://news.yahoo.com/hern-ndez-reality-hit-manny-123546530.html

Son, father remember rebel-poet: ‘We respect each other’s choices’
https://www.rappler.com/nation/kerima-tariman-son-father-remember-rebel-poet-respect-each-other-choices?fbclid=IwAR1qMzNRdUN4jjEJsCTQqeiWrxq6_2Fm22z_1tM43fzUF42bjdu2U5LtCyw

Family issues, racism compounded stress on Filipino-American college students during the pandemic
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/20/filipino-american-college-students-mental-health-suffered-during-covid.html

WWII veteran captured in Philippines worked in Japanese shipyard
https://news.yahoo.com/wwii-veteran-captured-philippines-worked-153600312.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=ma

Stay out of our kitchen (if you can’t take the heat)
https://philstarlife.com/living/332967-kitchen-heat-cooking?page=2

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Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino

Remembering and Speaking

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One summer night in August 39 years ago, elderly Filipino manongs were forcibly evicted from the International Hotel, a senior residential facility in the heart of San Francisco. That singular act of cruelty changed the landscape of the city and reverberates until now. We go back to that event, "The Last Night of the I-Hotel" to inform readers of what happened thenand what has happened since. It's a significant part of Filipino American history that's for the books.

Filipinos in Iceland? Of course there are some. Contributor Gia R. Mendoza did a few days stopover in the country and found not only kababayans but also natural wonders that soothed their exhausted bodies. Read all about it in "Finding Warmth in Iceland."

Bright colors dominate Elisa Racelis Boughner's art, as Serina Aidasani describes in "Woman of Colors." Boughner was one of the artists of Filipino heritage who took part in an art exhibit at Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History recently.

From Switzerland, Cherry Malonzo, who is raising two Tagalog-speaking, brown-eyed boys, makes a case for teaching the mother tongue to children of Filipino expats in "The Gift of Language." 

For our Happy Home Cook recipe, we go back to Judy Ann's Kitchen for her Chicken Binakol.

And our Video of the Week brings to life the history of San Francisco's I-Hotel to accompany our main story.

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Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino