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‘I’m swelling with pride that America has come through for me:’ veteran; $1M needed for medals
Now that the Veterans Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015 — granting recognition to Filipino and American soldiers who served in World War II — has been signed into law by President Obama, the next steps are being planned. The Filipino American community needs to raise $1 million to provide medals to about 20,000 Filipino […]
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President Obama expected to sign Congressional Gold Medal bill into law
The House of Representatives unanimously approved on November 30 the Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015, a measure passed five months earlier by the Senate. This prestigious civilian award grants recognition to the 260,000 Filipino and American soldiers who served in the United States Army Forces of the Far East (USAFFE). President Obama is expected […]
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How WWII hero Josefina Guerrero struggled with deportation
By Cristina DC Pastor She was known by several names not because she had to hide behind several layers of identity as a spy. Her life just spun that way. She was born Josefina Veluya in Lucban, Quezon in 1917, got married at age 16 and became Josefina Guerrero. As a spy for the U.S. […]
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The day my daughter thought she was going to die: a 9/11 reflection
By Cristina DC Pastor Every time 9/11 comes around, I am reminded of a day of confusion, a day of too much walking, a day my daughter looked up to me as a source of strength, calm and clarity. When it became clear that the planes hitting the Twin Towers was not due to pilot […]
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Inspired by the Philippines’ past, NYC school children create art for the present
By Cristina DC Pastor A paper mâché laptop, repurposed costume jewelry, a bicycle in mixed media. These are some of the everyday objects created by New York City school children, inspired by an exhibit on the Philippines’ colonial past, “Philippine Gold: Treasures of Forgotten Kingdoms.” “To help us understand how Filipinos from a long time […]
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Memorial Day: A time to remember heroes of war, heroes of peace
By Ludy Astraquillo Ongkeko, Ph.D. For countless decades now, Memorial Day in this great nation has zeroed in on remembering all the women and men who lost their lives in battle. Thus, the populace has observed celebrations and similar commemorations that focused on the women and men of the military, they who responded to various […]
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Dolly Fernandez: Growing up in a mixed-race family in anti-miscegenation era
By Cristina DC Pastor “It was a scandal, but it was also a happy marriage. They just had so much fun together.” Dolores ‘Dolly’ Fernandez, the daughter of a Filipino valet and a Norwegian hat check girl, traveled back in time and shared fond memories of her parents’ stirring romance amid anti-miscegenation laws which criminalized […]
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Sitdown with Lea Salonga: ‘Allegiance’ is frighteningly relevant today (Part 1)
By Elton Lugay & Cristina DC Pastor After an absence of eight years, Tony Award Best Actress Lea Salonga is back on Broadway. She stars with George Takei and Telly Leung in “Allegiance,” a musical about an imprisoned Japanese American family during World War II. “Allegiance” is a story extracted from the personal experiences of […]
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UN marks its seventh decade as a ‘multitasking’ world organization
By Ludy Astraquillo Ongkeko, Ph.D. Year 2015 is a milestone for the United Nations (U.N.) founded in 1947. Since its inception, the U.N. has promoted and strengthened involvement of the various leaders of the world’s as active members of the universal organization. The Secretary General of the U.N., Ban Ki-moon, has underscored the role of […]