Chills and Thrills

/

Whether you were fully into the Halloween vibes with costumes and trick-or-treating yesterday, or you were following the traditional Filipino Todos los Santos celebration today, where you spend time with your departed loved ones at the cemetery and have a picnic with your extended family, we hope you're having a fantastic start to November 2023.

In today's world, we don't need to look very far to find things that give us chills and thrills. Scary stuff is all around us, from real-world conflicts to tragic incidents like mass shootings, from heated culture clashes to hate crimes, and from online bullies to political controversies and fake news. Faced with all these fear-inducing issues, the spooky creatures of our pop culture seem pretty harmless and even fun in comparison. Dive into the second edition of our Halimaween series (the first part dropped around this time last year) by cultural researcher Jean Karl Gaverza.

This week, we're also sharing a review of the newly published novel "Multo" by Filipino-American author Cindy Fazzi. It's a captivating read, but it's not about ghosts! Our regular PF contributing writer Claire Mercado-Obias introduces you to the author and her book.

Ever wondered what it's like to raise a Gen Z daughter in America? Single dad Patricio Abinales offers a front-row seat to the ongoing dance between an American-born child and a Filipino parent. It's a story many immigrant parents can relate to.

A breast cancer diagnosis followed by a serious car accident would be enough to knock the wind out of most people. But Roselle Reyes isn't your average person. She's a professional nurse who's turned her setbacks into a journey of self-expression. She's now a poet, a children's book author (she even did her own digital illustrations), and an environmental activist. Check out community leader Jon Melegrito's feature on this extraordinary Filipina.

In a unique collaboration, a Jewish bakery in a Southern California city has joined forces with a Filipino-owned bakeshop to create delectable treats featuring ube, the purple root crop that's currently all the rage. Meet Bea's Bakery in Tarzana and Sugar and Grace Bakeshop in Los Angeles, as our PF correspondent Anthony Maddela explores the delightful world of ube creations through conversations with Grace Baral and Adaeze Nwanonyiri. Get ready to crave all things ube!

Read Again: Manila Hotel: The Golden Years by Lou Gopal

Video of the Week: The Philippines: Threatened By China, The Country Is Moving Closer To The U.S.

Anti-Asian Hate Watch

For the 1st time since Covid, anti-Asian hate dropped. What's behind the 33% decrease.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/anti-asian-hate-dropped-rcna121975

United States Commission on Civil Rights Releases Report: The Federal Response to Anti-Asian Racism in the United States
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/united-states-commission-on-civil-rights-releases-report-the-federal-response-to-anti-asian-racism-in-the-united-states-301940854.html#new_tab

Two Thirds of Turbaned Sikh American Boys Are Bullied at School
https://ethnicmediaservices.org/stop-the-hate/two-thirds-of-turbaned-sikh-american-boys-are-bullied-at-school/

Governor spews hate on young Asian reporter
https://pnewstoday.com/governor-spews-hate-on-young-asian-reporter/

Funding provided by the State of California.

/ /

Staff

Our Past Revisited

/

Since Positively Filipino comes out with a new issue on Wednesdays, this is our last issue for 2023's Fil-Am History Month. Which doesn't mean we'll no longer post stories that will document the stories of our people in the US. Positively Filipino will continue to be the repository of information and narratives about Filipinos, not just in the US or the Philippines, but also in the almost 200 countries where our kababayans are living. 

We are also committed to providing information about anti-Asian hate and the efforts to stem it, especially in California. This week, our publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco talked to three Fil-Am officials in heavily Fil-Am-populated cities about their local governments' moves to mitigate the current tensions against Asians. ["Fil-Am Local Officials Act Against Hate"] Additionally, we are reposting a story from Ethnic Media Services, "We Are Not Terrorists." Then there's our Hate Watch links to related stories from other publications.

But going back to the past, we have author Gayle Romasanta's article, first posted in the Smithsonian Magazine, on "Why It is Important to Know the Story of Filipino-American Larry Itliong" which includes a video teaser for the forthcoming theater production of "Larry the Musical."

For educators, parents and those who want a comprehensive guide to Fil-Am history, here's a link to a valuable resource from the San Francisco Unified School District:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WAVfSOs4kEnQ5cQD98KUVEV5hbbV5KgjU_a_HA9RxTU/preview 

While most Fil-Am history materials focus on the West Coast and Hawaii, let's not forget the significant role Washington DC played not only in defining policy but in hosting Filipino government officials making history. A book by "amateur historian" and professor Erwin R. Tiongson titled "Philippine-American Heritage in Washington DC," reviewed here by another professor, Patricio N. Abinales, tells the story from that side of America.

To round up our FAHM coverage, we are also posting below some stories from our archives.

Read Agains

‘Positively No Filipinos Allowed’ by M.T. Ojeda

We Stand On Their Shoulders, Part 3 by Mona Lisa Yuchengco

We Stand On Their Shoulders, Part 4 by Mona Lisa Yuchengco

/ /
, , , , ,

Staff

Our Fil-Am History, Ourselves

/

From the time the Luzones Indios set foot on American land on October 18, 1587 to today's officially designated (by the US Congress) Filipino American History Month celebration, Filipinos and Americans have had a rich but tangled relationship. Bloodied by colonization, smoothed over by education, enhanced by immigration and bound together inextricably by the significant and rapidly growing presence of Filipinos in all aspects of life in the US, the FilAm -- and everything that it implies -- is already an integral part of the American tapestry. 

Positively Filipino's Timeline of Filipino American History, updated to include this year's markers, provides the most comprehensive overview of this complicated relationship. Save it for yourself and share it with your family and your community. It's an important document to assert your rightful place in the US.

*****

We celebrate the lives of two significant Filipinos who recently left this earth: Greg Macabenta, the multimedia icon and community leader, lovingly honored by his friend, Rodel Rodis; and the poet/revolutionary and passionate Christian, Mila D. Aguilar, by her friend, Cecilia M. Brainard.

*****

The heartbreaking news of three Filipino caregivers, victims of the current Hamas/Israel war, prompted us to dig up a 2004 Filipinas Magazine feature story on Filipinos in Israel. Written by Israeli freelance writer Inacio Steinhardt, the article is timeless in its spotlight on our modern-day heroes, Filipino caregivers.

*****

Here's a fun story to break the grimness: Alex Fox, a 23-year-old budding entrepreneur in New York, who organizes rave parties for the young and the restless. Veteran journalist Cristina DC Pastor of The FilAm writes about this son of two journalists in "Rave Against the Dying of the Night."

*****

For our Video of the Week, here's a technologically vintage film (made in 1978) by Linda Mabalot that presents a significant record of the lives of Filipino manongs, a perfect watch for FilAm History Month. 

/ /
, , , , , , ,

Staff