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Sylvia La Torre stars as Independence Day Parade goes for nostalgia
On its 25th year of organizing the Filipino Independence Day celebration in Manhattan, the Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI) takes a trip down memory lane by inviting Queen of Kundiman Sylvia La Torre to headline this year’s lineup of musical performers. The “Waray-Waray” and “Sa Kabukiran” singer, who is also a TV, radio and […]
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AAPI Summit: A historic gathering, one lively party!
By Kiran Ahuja Executive Director White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders This week, on May 12, the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI) hosted the first-ever White House Summit on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Washington, DC. Nearly 2,000 community members, federal officials, and guests from over […]
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FILAMSPEAK: Are you a feminist?
Being called ‘feminist’ appears to come with such a big responsibility and expectation that some women shun the label or at least distance themselves from it. Feminism, loosely defined, is when women hold themselves up as equal to, if not higher than, men in terms of what they can do, what they have achieved, and […]
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Honor student Katherine Campbell is this year’s Diwa Ng Kalayaan
An 18-year-old honor student from Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey was crowned on April 11 the 2015 Diwa Ng Kalayaan (Spirit of Independence), which is part of the Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI) series of celebrations leading up to the June 7 Independence Day Parade on Madison Avenue. Katherine Campbell, a graduating senior at Hasbrouck […]
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Diwa ng Kalayaan kicks off 117th Philippine Independence Day celebration
Diwa Ng Kalayaan 2014 Mikaela Alexa Rada of Bayonne, New Jersey, is ready to turn over her crown to her successor. Competing for the title are six talented and community service-oriented young women, according to the Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI). They are Joanna Lizardo, Rianne Avendula-Philips, Jazmine Emmanuelle B. Binag, Andrea Joyce Hermoso, […]
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Organizations’ ‘best practices’ from educating members to potluck meetings (Part 2)
By Cristina DC Pastor How do you motivate members to attend meetings? Any best practices to share? LEDY ALMADIN: It has to start from the leader. It’s the leader’s job to motivate and get the team excited to achieve the mission. Once members are motivated, inspired and excited, they will come to the meeting. There […]
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5 leaders share thoughts on organizing in a diverse, at times discordant, FilAm community (Part 1)
By Cristina DC Pastor The five personalities in this forum were chosen for the long history and rich experience they’ve had with community organizing. Together, community leaders Ledy Almadin, Lumen Castaneda, Yves Nibungco, Candice Sering and Vivian Talambiras-Cruz, have about 20 organizations among them that they may have started from the ground up or nurtured […]
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Coalition urges bigger discretionary funding for fast-growing Asian community
The 15% & Growing Coalition gathered community members, local leaders, and advocates on March 5 at City Hall to demand equitable funding for the Asian Pacific American (APA) community. Despite the growth, the APA community does not receive sufficient resources, the coalition said in a statement. “In FY 2015, APA organizations received only 2.9 percent […]
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Bringing Jose Rizal to 69th Street in Queens
By Cristina DC Pastor The spadework has begun. It may be a matter of time before 69th Street in Queens is renamed in honor of Philippine National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal. This project, spearheaded by the National Federation of Filipino American Associations in New York (NaFFAA NY), was announced at its first conference held at […]