We're Being Seen at Last

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The issue of not being "seen" or "heard" in race and ethnicity surveys has been a source of frustration for Asian Americans, who are often lumped together as one group despite the obvious cultural differences among the subgroups. This is being corrected by Pew Research Center's extensive -- the largest of its kind -- national survey on Asian American experiences and views. At the helm of this historic endeavor is economist Neal G. Ruiz, an impressively credentialed Fil-Am who leads Pew's New Research Initiatives. PF Editor Rene Ciria Cruz discusses with Ruiz his group's "deep dive into the Asian American condition" including the experience of anti-Asian hate prevalent during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Our motherland celebrates National Heroes Day this week, as it does every year around this time. Our chosen hero to focus on is Graciano Lopez Jaena, an Ilonggo who founded and edited the historic newspaper in Madrid in the 1890s - La Solidaridad. Historian and head of the Ortigas Library John Silva gave a speech about his fellow Ilonggo at the Museo Iloilo and we have it here. Lopez Jaena was an unlikely hero but an interesting character whose rhetorical skills matched the passion of his ire against the ruthlessness of the Spanish friars who ruled the towns and the lives of Filipinos under the Spanish regime.

And speaking of Ilonggos, Iloilo City has become the only Philippine city granted membership in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, for Gastronomy. Anyone who has tasted such native Iloilo dishes as La Paz Batchoy, Pancit Molo and other delicacies will not be surprised. And anyone who has visited the city in the last few years will understand. The redesigned Iloilo City is a destination worthy of accolades.

Read Again: Joe Mari Chan’s Enduring Heart Songs by Paulynn Paredes Sicam

[Video of the Week] Nora Galleros-Tinio

Anti-Asian Hate Watch

Documenting Hate in California
https://sacobserver.com/2023/11/documenting-hate-in-california/

Asians Are Strong org calls for help in funding self-defense program for Asian seniors
https://news.yahoo.com/asians-strong-org-calls-help-234832810.html

Bill signed to form New York State AAPI Commission
https://www.americanbazaaronline.com/2023/11/20/bill-signed-to-form-new-york-state-aapi-commission-455792/

Sandwiched between cultures: new exhibit explores the pain of 'lunchbox moments'
https://www.wbur.org/news/2023/11/27/lunchbox-moments-pao-arts-center

Funding provided by the State of California.

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Staff

Best Wishes on Thanksgiving Week

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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.

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Staff

From Loss and Grief to Vindication and Elation

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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.

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Staff