Springtime and Justice

Now that we're inching to spring, it's time to make travel plans. How about visiting Amsterdam, whose fascinating windows, artistic displays, cobbled streets, environmentally sound transport (bicycles) and intoxicating whiffs of legal substances guarantee a wondrous vacation for anyone. PF correspondent Criselda Yabes, now France-based, writes about this tourist friendly city that beckons and lures.

The fight against anti-Asian hate requires special efforts by various states to stem the insidious crime. In New York recently, as assault victim Vilma Kari, a Filipino American senior, was accorded justice with the sentencing of her attacker to 15 years in prison, NY Governor Kate Hochul pledged $30 million in support of the AAPI communities' (including the Fil-Am community) efforts to protect its constituents from hate crimes. The Filam.net founding editor Cristina DC Pastor reports.

It's never too early to teach children the principles of justice, and books such as Ang Hukuman ni Sinukuan are on hand to provide parents and educators the tools to explain the complicated concept via mundane and familiar stories. Contributing writer Ian Layugan elucidates.

We close Black History Month with two stories that solidify the solidarity between Fil-Ams and Blacks.

Justin Jones, an elected member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, made headlines in 2023 when he joined two other representatives in breaking decorum on the House floor in a gun control protest. Long before that incident, PF featured him as a community activist actively embracing his Filipino roots in https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/justin-jones-black-filipino-civil-rights-activist

A little-known but significant history: in 1925, the Pullman Company hired Filipinos as scabs when Black porters were trying to form a union. The train company didn't anticipate that the Filipinos would eventually join the Black porters in forming the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. Read all about it in https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/how-black-and-filipino-unity-was-forged-in-the-pullman-workers-union 

[Video of The Week] EDSA On My Mind


Anti-Asian Hate Watch

California Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua Bill Would Establish Greater Penalties for Felony Hate Crimes
https://goldrushcam.com/sierrasuntimes/index.php/news/local-news/54302-california-assemblymember-carlos-villapudua-bill-would-establish-greater-penalties-for-felony-hate-crimes

Group launches new campaign to fight anti-Asian hate
https://www.aol.com/group-launches-campaign-fight-anti-204000574.html

Seattle police officer who struck Jaahnavi Kandula won’t face charges
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/law-justice/seattle-police-officer-who-struck-jaahnavi-kandula-wont-face-charges/?utm_source=marketingcloud&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=BNA_022124201042+BREAKING+No+charges+for+officer+who+struck+Jaahnavi+Kandula_2_21_2024&utm_term=Registered%20User

Man Pleads Guilty To Hate Crimes For Attacking Asian Family, Blaming Them For COVID-19
https://www.aol.com/man-pleads-guilty-hate-crimes-224853882.html 

Asian hate: Attacker of elderly Filipina sentenced to 15 years
https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/558378/asian-hate-man-who-attacked-elderly-filipina-in-ny-sentenced-to-15-years

A New Chapter in Hell's Kitchen: The Resilience of Vilma Kari and the Fight Against Hate
https://bnnbreaking.com/breaking-news/crime/a-new-chapter-in-hells-kitchen-the-resilience-of-vilma-kari-and-the-fight-against-hate

More than half of Asian New Yorkers report feeling isolated or anxious, yet many don't seek mental health services: report
https://www.audacy.com/1010wins/news/local/more-than-half-of-asian-new-yorkers-report-feeling-isolated

Funding provided by the State of California.