By Maria Lee Citizenship comes with many rights, one of the most important being the ability to vote in elections. Growing up in an immigrant household, my parents didn’t know how to connect with the government. Elections were taken with a sense of humor, my mom voting Republican, and my dad voting Democrat. Neither of […]
By Cristina DC Pastor Matthew Cheirs II was supposed to join the military, but a visit to the Bayanihan Center in Queens stopped him in his tracks. The son of a Filipina from Quezon City and an African American father, Matthew, 25, is now a full-fledged grassroots organizer. He is the chairperson of Anakbayan New […]
By Marissa Torres Langseth A certain congresswoman in the Philippines has misconstrued the nursing profession. Exposing her ignorance, Congresswoman Cynthia Villar said Filipino nurses in the U.S. need not be highly educated because they simply aspire to become “room nurses.” Mag-aalaga lang sila. That comment has triggered a flurry of jokes about nurses. One that […]
By Chris Schaefer An era in U.S. military history came to a close with the death on March 7th of a genuine American war hero. Lieutenant Colonel Edwin Price Ramsey was a First Lieutenant in the United States Cavalry at the beginning of World War II, stationed in the Philippines. On January 16, 1942, he […]
By Rachel E. Khan There was stunned silence among the 300,000-strong crowd gathered at St. Peter’s Square after the new Pope’s name was announced in Latin on March 13th. Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was not one of the “pope-ables” touted by the media so the general reaction was: “Who did he say it was? […]
Cristina DC Pastor The FilAm turned 2 on March 15, a blogging toddler that is starting to come into its own. Ours is a modest growth. Just like my niece, Aris Pastor, who when she was 2, was just starting to form words. Our gains in the last two years mirror the development of my […]
Although most street art is a legitimate form of expression, it is often labeled as vandalism. Guided by this philosophy, two filmmakers set out to explore street art in the Philippines, examine its development and celebrate its potential as a popular form of visual art among young Filipinos. “Street art allows artists’ voices, and the […]
New York City Councilman Vincent Gentile lauded FALDEF’s immigration advocacy by presenting the organization with a City Council Citation at a March 1 fundraising reception held at the Consul General’s Upper East Side residence. “You have done the great advocacy for all migrants, not just the Filipino Americans, but all those that come to you,” […]
By Cristina DC Pastor Antwerp, Tel-Aviv and New York City are the world’s diamond capitals. Lisa Esperame-Nohs’s work as a jewelry manager makes her an important member of the elite world of Manhattan’s fabled Diamond District. It is a world Lisa knows intimately. She is the manager of the Jewelry Department at William Goldberg, one […]