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No comment from AFTA leadership: ‘We have moved on’ (Part 2)
By Cristina DC Pastor I met Lilia Juele on account of my TOFA-NY duties, and we became Facebook friends soon after. Later, we would chance upon each other at a Philippine Consulate Independence Day reception in June, sharing a quick “hello.” At that time, AFTA had already lost many of its leaders. But I wasn’t […]
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INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING PROJECT: Anatomy of a community organization: Teachers battle over AFTA (Part 1)
By Cristina DC Pastor This is the story of a 25-year-old teachers organization created in 1989 to campaign for an extension of the H1-B visa so that Filipino teachers could continue to work legally in the United States. The following year, the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1990 was passed under then President George H. […]
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Ferguson and Filipinos: What’s it got to do with us?
By Erwin de Leon The protests in Ferguson, Missouri have calmed down, in stark contrast to the initial days of violence incited by the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, by a white policeman and spurred by a militarized police response and general insensitivity to the majority African American community. The issue, […]
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Municipal IDs seen to benefit all New Yorkers not just undocumented immigrants
By Cristina Dc Pastor Certain things will change when one enters a New York City building beginning 2015. Instead of showing the building security a driver’s license or a passport, a New York resident can show a municipal identity card. The ID card will be available in January to all New York residents not limited […]
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Where were you when Ninoy Aquino was assassinated?
By Daniel de la Rosa Thirty-one years. It’s been that long since I got on a California Bus Line that would take me to the airport to welcome Ninoy Aquino home from exile. Back then, the red-colored bus would go up past Nayong Pilipino, circle around and drop you at a stop right beside the […]
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Jeopardy trivia: Who are two presidents with same birthdays?
By Lourdes A. Ongkeko, Ph.D. They are decades and decades apart from one another, but they share one event. They mark the same birthday anniversary. They have served their countries as presidents. They likewise were elected to their posts. Who are they? The Philippines’ own Manuel Luis Quezon and William Clinton of the United States […]
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‘Hearts of Men’ offering all-male dance workshop for free
Dancer, choreographer and teacher Leo Arpon is inviting men, ages 14 to 104, to a unique dance workshop called “Hearts of Men.” “No experience necessary, and it’s free,” said the Israel-born Leo in an email sent to The FilAm. “Hearts of Men” is a two-week dance and movement workshop from August 23rd to September […]
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‘Carnal Orient’ filming its response to offensive ‘Asian Girlz’ video
A year ago, the blatantly racist and sexist music video “Asian Girlz” popped up on YouTube. The song has since been removed from the Internet, but a group of California women, led by actress Camille Mana, will not let the song go quietly down in infamy. Their response to “Asian Girls” is “Carnal Orient,” a […]
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Jersey dad creates ‘Phil the Fil-Am’ cartoon to help teach his kids Tagalog
A South Jersey father of four who wants his children to learn Philippine culture is creating a language-focused animation inspired by “Dora the Explorer.” David Asis is doing a pilot of “Phil the Fil-Am” in the hope of teaching his children – son Michael, who is 4 years old, and triplet daughters Gabriella, Kayla and […]