A ceremony commemorating the 56th death anniversary of Joaquin Miguel Elizalde, the first Philippine Ambassador to the United States (1946-1952), was held on February 9. At exactly 12 noon, a small group gathered around Elizalde’s gravestone at the cemetery at St. Joseph-on-Carrollton Manor Catholic Church. A special prayer, led by Fr. Kevin Farmer, was dedicated to Elizalde, and his […]
“Invisible History: Growing Up Colored in Cape Charles, Virginia” is a memoir about Tom Godwin, the grandson of a slave, who grew up in Cape Charles, Virginia during the Jim Crow racist era. Written by Metty Vargas Pellicer, a retired doctor, the memoir details the life of Godwin who became the first elected Black member […]
By Peter Jamero The fourth of five children of Leon and Camila Carido, Gloria was born on February 23, 1941 in Stockton CA. Like many Filipino babies of the times, she was delivered at home by a midwife. Her father, who immigrated from Bohol, Philippines during the 1920s, worked in the rich agricultural fields around Stockton. Her […]
Labor organizers Larry Itliong and Philip Vera Cruz are honored in murals and history books as important leaders in the Filipino American community. There is one who is rarely mentioned. His name: Patrick Salaver. Salaver founded the first FilAm student organization, the Pilipino American Collegiate Endeavor, in 1967 to help students not only improve their […]
By Wendell Gaa The current global lockdown should give us all incentive to watch films and TV shows and keep us shielded from a very different type of virus called Boredom. One particular Netflix series which I highly recommend is the historical drama “Tokyo Trial.” It is based on the actual events of the Tokyo […]
Will the Filipino American community get its honorary street sign Little Manila Avenue by October 2020? Organizers are hoping that would happen. The street sign will be placed at the corner of Roosevelt Avenue and 70th Street in Woodside, Queens. “It would be particularly meaningful to be able to install this historic Little Manila Avenue […]
By Paulo K Tiról Against the backdrop of the #BlackLivesMatter upheavals over the past days, I’ve thought a lot about my relationship with anti-Black oppression — specifically, as a Filipino immigrant who came to the United States as an adult. I spent the first 34 years of my life in Manila, where American history is […]
By Loida Nicolas Lewis On January 27, the United Nations remembered the 75th year of the liberation of Auschwitz during the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Among the activities was a short screening of the award-winning documentary “An Open Door: Holocaust Haven in the Philippines.” Director and producer Noel “Sonny” Izon’s work and research of 10 years […]
By Wendell Gaa My recent holiday visit to Germany granted me a rare chance to visit what is considered to be the world’s oldest social settlement, the Fuggerei in Augsburg, Bavaria. This old town neighborhood is unique even in Europe, a continent known for its well-preserved buildings and houses dating all the way back to […]