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TOFA-NY winners named; lights on at Carnegie Hall on Oct 26th
By Cristina DC Pastor As the government was shutting down midnight of September 30, TOFA-NY was in a race to finish the counting of votes to award the 2013 outstanding Filipinos in New York. TOFA-NY won the race; Congress did not. The Outstanding Filipino Americans in New York went to 13 exemplary individuals who garnered […]
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After the ‘balut’ comes the mainstreaming of the ‘bibingka’
By Cristina DC Pastor If the “balut” can do it, why not the “bibingka”? Go mainstream, or as Eileen Formanes, 39, said with a shrug and a smile: “Americanize it.” “I want it to be the next chocolate chip cookie,” she declared to The FilAm followed by sparkling laughter. Eileen has taken the rice cake […]
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A FilAm’s experience with stop-and-frisk for wearing braids and ‘gang colors’
By Kilusan Bautista A U.S. District Court has ruled recently that stop-and-frisk is “racially discriminatory” against Black and Latino populations. Although city officials have cited the practice as contributing to the low crime rate, Judge Shira Scheindlin said it is being used “in a manner that intentionally discriminates based on race.” Poet and performance artist […]
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Raised a Pinay: Growing up under three Filipinas
By Rachel Walt The house was filled with the familiar aromas of a party, including the mouthwatering scents of fresh fried lumpia and the pepper and bay leaves of chicken and pork adobo. Outside, the air hazed with savory smoke from barbeque smeared in banana ketchup. All around the small property, laughter and music pierced […]
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Year 3 for TOFA-NY: Quick-thinking nurse, gutsy actress, Connecticut judge lead nominees
By Cristina DC Pastor This year’s TOFA-NY, the third in a row, is proud to announce the New York Tri-State’s outstanding Filipino Americans, led by a nurse who saved infants in critical condition when Hurricane Sandy caused a power outage, a former actress who is suing for racial discrimination, and a judge who is the […]
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I am not Trayvon Martin
By Hernan Hormillosa I am not Trayvon Martin. I am much older than he was, but I can visualize the fear he must have shown on his face mixed with anger, this 17-year-old dark-skinned human being. I had experienced being followed by a security guard who didn’t know I have a Bachelor in Chemical Engineering […]
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Gay Pride celebrates demise of DOMA, growing acceptance for LGBTs
By Elton Lugay This year’s Gay Pride march on June 30 was especially meaningful. Days earlier, the Supreme Court has struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), paving the way for same-sex couples to tie the knot and for those in relationships to avail of federal benefits once exclusive to traditional couples. Boots Babushka […]
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‘I march in Gay Pride so that some in Filipino community will not ignore, make fun of us’
By Noel Bordador Thirty years ago years when I first marched in New York City’s Pride parade, I just barely came out. I was 18, and it was a year of intense emotional and spiritual struggle. A gay Jesuit priest and a counselor at the Gay Switchboard of New York helped me come to terms […]
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LGBT FilAms mobilize for immigration reform for Gay Pride parade
Gay and lesbian Filipino Americans will be marching in the June 30 Gay Pride March under the banner of Pin@y Pride Month. The announcement was made by the Barangay-New York and BAYAN-USA Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, and Queer/Questioning (LGBTIQ) Caucus in a statement. In urging queer FilAms to join the march, they said to […]