Joshua Ang Price: An Asian in Arkansas

At the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock. Paving the way for AAPI leadership through public service. Photo by Darius Walton

At the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock. Paving the way for AAPI leadership through public service. Photo by Darius Walton

Joshua’s mother Teresita Acervo Ang grew up in Roxas City, Capiz and attended Philippine Women’s University in Manila, where she studied nursing. The Philippines was then under President Marcos’ martial law. While working at Makati Medical Center, Teresita saw tanks and soldiers patrolling the streets. A 9 p.m. curfew was strictly enforced, and there were only two television stations, which were both government-controlled.

Teresita felt unsafe and did not feel like she could raise her future children in such an oppressive environment. So, when she saw a flyer on the hospital bulletin board recruiting registered nurses to work in rural America, she took the chance and applied. She was accepted into the program and at the age of 25, immigrated by herself to the small town of Murfreesboro, Arkansas.

“My mother is not only the strongest woman, but the strongest person I’ve ever known. She left behind her family, friends, and everything she knew in the hopes of providing a better life for her future children, and for her courage and sacrifice, I am forever grateful,” said Joshua who spoke to The FilAm in a recent visit to New York.

While in Murfreesboro, one of Teresita’s favorite patients was Frances Jean Price, the first female Justice of the Peace of Pike County. Frances Jean took Teresita under her wing and introduced her to her son Allen Price, whom she would later marry and who would become the father of her two children, Joshua and Thea.

“Biracial Asian-Caucasian children in Arkansas were not common when I was a child, and still are not today,” he said. “Although I got few questions and more than a few odd looks growing up, I never felt like I was not accepted – I realized that people were just curious of me because of my ‘exotic looks,’ and that curiosity was an opportunity to educate them about my mother’s immigrant story, and hopefully make a new friend in the process.”

Giving Back to the Community
Joshua’s first experience with giving back to the community was designing a neighborhood vegetable garden in Conway for the Habitat for Humanity of Central Arkansas. In his youth, Joshua, 39, volunteered at the Maumelle Center on the Lake preparing and serving lunches for the community’s senior population. His involvement with the community began about 10 years ago.

Parents Allen and Teresita on their wedding day. Joshua understands Tagalog and speaks Bisaya fluently.

Parents Allen and Teresita on their wedding day. Joshua understands Tagalog and speaks Bisaya fluently.

Family Legacy of Service
Joshua’s family has long been involved in public service in Arkansas. His paternal grandmother, the Honorable Frances Jean Price, was the first female Justice of the Peace in Pike County, a position she held for over 30 years until her retirement. She would often officiate weddings and host receptions for the residents of the community inside her home, including the marriage of African-American couples, which was sadly rare in the 1960s and 1970s.

His grandmother’s first cousin Gus Wingfield held office from 1980-2007, serving as a State Representative for 14 years, followed by two-terms as State Auditor and one-term as State Treasurer before his retirement. Josh’s great uncle by marriage Olen C. Hendrix served as a State Senator from 1958-1982 and helped establish Old Washington State Park, Red River Technical College at Hope, and the Central Arkansas Radiation Therapy Institute (CARTI) to provide quality treatment to Arkansans battling cancer. Senator Olen C. Hendrix’s son Gerald Hendrix was elected as a State Representative in 1994, and served until his untimely death in 1996. His wife Bobbie L. Hendrix was then elected to finish out his term.

“The towns of Antoine and Delight are both very small –under 1,000 people total — and were made of just a few families, of which the Prices, the Hendrixes, and the Wingfields were well-known for accomplishments in business, military service, and politics,” he said.

Joshua’s family also has a long, proud history of military service. His paternal grandfather Clyde Ollie Price was a proud member of the 43rd Engineer Battalion of the U.S. Army during World War II, receiving the Purple Heart for his service. Joshua’s great uncle Clint Price served in the U.S. Navy for 20 years as a deep-sea diver and demolition expert. Another of Joshua’s great uncles, Cleylon Price, served in both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Army for a total of 32 years, and was a trained Green Beret.

A recent visitor to NYC, Joshua at the Lincoln Center’s Metropolitan Opera House.

A recent visitor to NYC, Joshua at the Lincoln Center’s Metropolitan Opera House.

Inspired by his family’s work in the state, Joshua has striven to pick up the torch and carry on his family legacy of service – a responsibility he does not take lightly. In 2016, he was one of 37 elected Arkansas Delegates sent to the Democratic National Convention. Additionally, Josh served as a special correspondent for The New York Times on election night at the Javits Center. Joshua has spoken at the White House at a forum on issues facing women and minorities in rural communities held by former U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and most recently, was a panel speaker at the 44th Annual Arkansas Governor’s Conference on Tourism to discuss marketing strategies to attract more Asian visitors and business to the state.

Joshua is the first president of the Asian American Pacific Islander Democratic Caucus of Arkansas — formed in June 2017 — of which he is also a co-founder. In this role, he also serves on the State Committee for the Democratic Party of Arkansas. In March 2018, he ran for Arkansas State Representative. Although he did not win his primary, he was the first Filipino-American to run for that office in his state’s history and earned over 1/3 of the vote in a district with less than a 2 percent AAPI population.

Joshua formerly served with the Delta Regional Authority (DRA), an independent federal agency with the mission to improve economic opportunities and public infrastructure in communities across an eight-state region along the Mississippi River.

He is currently the owner and CEO of Hybrid Strategies, a Central Arkansas-based communications and public relations consulting firm specializing in economic and community development projects, tourism, nonprofit organizations, women and minority-owned small businesses, and government communications and policy. Joshua is also the director of Marketing & Growth for LumoXchange, an international money transfer FinTech company that launched its remittance services to the Philippines in August of 2018.

© The FilAm 2018

He is one of 10 fellows to this year’s Filipino Young Leaders Program -- or FYLPRO – who will participate in a week-long Immersion Program to the Philippines.

He is one of 10 fellows to this year’s Filipino Young Leaders Program — or FYLPRO – who will participate in a week-long Immersion Program to the Philippines.



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