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First-time voter Sophia Policarpio: Thrilled, independent, undecided
By Cristina DC Pastor There are two things that get Sophia Policarpio excited and anxious at the same time: Being an incoming freshman at Stony Brook University and a first-time voter in the November 3rd elections. On turning 18, she registered to vote in her East Hills neighborhood in Long Island, thrilled at the thought […]
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The Conways: A Filipino American family
By Cristina DC Pastor They’re not the Conners where the head of the family, Dan, works as a contractor, and his wife Roseanne ran a diner in a fictional working-class suburb called Lanford in Illinois. We are talking about the Conways where the head of the family, George, is a high-powered Manhattan lawyer, and his […]
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At ‘drive-by parties,’ cars honk Happy Birthday
By Cristina DC Pastor Once upon a time, children reveled in the passage of each birthday celebrated with friends and relatives over grilled hotdogs and parlor games. COVID-19 has changed all that. Two families shared with The FilAm how they organized their daughters’ ‘drive-by parties’ where guests stayed in their cars honking their greetings and […]
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Well-liked NYPD Sgt. Chris Traumer announces retirement
By Wendell Gaa Having served the New York Police Department (NYPD) for 21 years, police officer Chris Traumer, recently retired with the distinguished rank of a sergeant. This towering 6’7 Filipino American is known to be one of the friendliest and most helpful law enforcement officials ever, one who has loyally served the City of […]
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Teaching our children the truth
By Johnson Lazaro, Esq. ‘Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong’ The book cited above, by James W. Loewen and reissued by New Press in 2008, sits beside my bed these days and makes for some very interesting and rather unsettling reading. The subtitle conveys the gist of the book. […]
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‘Very happy and proud,’ says grandpa of Nutcracker’s Charlotte Nebres
By Cristina DC Pastor Charlotte Nebres, the 11-year-old ballerina who plays the young heroine Marie in “The Nutcracker,” comes from a Filipino family in Bacnotan, La Union, whose elders were priests, educators, and doctors. Charlotte is the middle daughter of U.S.-born Joe Nebres, whose family is from the Philippines, and Danielle Nebres who is from […]
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Charlotte Nebres and the FilAm ballet dancers who came before her
By Cristina DC Pastor In the ballet world, they say ‘being black’ is a big thing, a cause for celebration. When Misty Copeland became the first female black principal dancer for a major company like the American Ballet Theatre, it was a joyous, historic moment. In ballet where white dancers — “lily white,” according to […]
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Denise Kara: Big voice, big dreams
By Cristina DC Pastor Denise Kara Almario, like Shirley Temple before her decades ago, started singing when she was 2 years old. When her family realized she had this nascent singing talent coming out of her voice, Kara’s parents did what Shirley Temple’s parents had done: They encouraged her to continue singing and enrolled her […]
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Camille de la Cruz, a rising star in Jersey
Camille de la Cruz loves to perform even when she was kid. It started in summer theater and ballet performances. At age 9, Camille de la Cruz was admitted to the Rockit Academy program in Red Bank, New Jersey. At Rockit, she was able to sing with legends the likes of Eddie Brigatti, Ricky Byrd, […]