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Commissioner Carmelyn Malalis on the ‘unconscionable’ discrimination facing Asian Americans
By Cristina DC Pastor Carmelyn P. Malalis remembers witnessing a woman being harassed by two male passengers inside a New York City subway car. Others nearby wanted to help but didn’t know what to do that would be safe. A young lawyer at the time, Malalis did what she thought she ought to “out of […]
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New comedy series about a gay Pinoy in Nashville
A comedy series, “Trying Hard,” created by and starring newcomer Maki Bonifacio, debuted on October 11 – which is National Coming Out Day in the U.S. — on YouTube. “Trying Hard” follows the intimate story of Maki, a gay professional from the Philippines, as he navigates the Nashville, TN dating scene while trying to overcome […]
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2 films are generating major buzz on FilAm History Month
‘Yellow Rose’ After doing the festival route last year — including the huge XXII Guanajuato International Film Festival (GIFF) in Mexico where it was part of the Spotlight on the 100 Years of Philippine Cinema –”Yellow Rose,” the immigration drama with an unforgettable soundtrack, came to the big screens on October 9. The film won in […]
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Through the Malong, Lydia Querian seeks to empower weavers and for FilAms to express their identity
Daily Malong, an ecommerce store promoting the indigenous malong, is on a two-pronged mission: To empower weavers and artisans and to extend an appreciation of indigenous crafts to the Filipino communities across North America. The site encourages the use of this versatile tubular clothing – can be used as skirt, scarf or wraparound dress — […]
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‘Painful discussions need to happen:’ NaFFAA Chair Brendan Flores on Barkada debate
By Cristina DC Pastor NAFFAA National Chairman Brendan Flores was in Mexico when the Barkada controversy blew up in the last few days of July. The Barkada Wine Bar in Washington D.C. opened on July 29, with segments of the Filipino American community accusing the bar owners of ‘cultural appropriation.’ In an instant the community […]
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Little Manila Avenue: ‘Let’s make this official’
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 […]
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My beautiful biracial ‘apos’
By Laura Garcia, DNP, RN It fascinates me, sometimes, when my daughter Teza styles my granddaughter Layla’s thick, frizzy hair. Teza lovingly applies an assortment of oil and hair creams to the hair, brushes it in long strokes, and gathers it into a ponytail. Most often, though, she just let Layla’s hair hang loose and drop into […]
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Mabuhay mural unveiled in Queens
On June 12th, the Filipino community in Queens unveiled the colorful mural ‘Mabuhay’ (meaning ‘To life’) on the corner of 69th Street and Roosevelt Avenue known as Little Manila. According to the organizers, the ceremony was dedicated to businesses and health care workers risking their lives on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Our […]
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Biracial FilAms reflect on race and Blackness
By Cristina DC Pastor Ayana Owens experienced racism at an early age when her family entered a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Pennsylvania and overheard customers asking not be seated near them. She remembered another bitter memory when kids in her Baltimore neighborhood taunted her to “go home to China” because they didn’t want to play […]