(Late reflections for Mother’s Day)
Of all the made-up commercial holidays, Mother’s Day, for me, is the least irritating. After all, if I was going to be guilted into blowing money on cards, flowers, and the obligatory brunch, at least it was going to be for Mom. So to moms everywhere, y’all rock.
And this goes double [...]
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And kamusta to all my regular online friends. Yes, all six of you
Wow, thanks for visiting and the wonderful conversations we’ve been having. I am learning a lot a lot from your insights, salamat for sharing.
I’m still thinking about many of the questions raised in discussions in Racialicious and at Womanist Musings. So [...]
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As we celebrated the eve of November 4th, I was struck by a comment from New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. He pointed out with pride the role of the Latino vote in Obama’s election. I wish I could say that about my fellow Filipinos.
And yes, I know, the Filipino vote is not monolithic. I am [...]
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Posted in Asian Americans, Filipino Americans, human rights, immigration, race, social justice, tagged carlos bulosan, cesar chavez, delano, farm workers, Filipino Americans, gene viernes, human rights, immigrants, migrant workers, silme domingo, united farm workers on July 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Please read professor black woman’s post about the continued exploitation of migrant farmworkers in California, then sign the UFW petition for farm workers’ rights.
For my fellow Pinoys, please remember that in 1965, led by Larry Itliong, Philip Vera-Cruz, and Pete Velasco, 1,500 Filipino farm workers went on strike in Delano, California. The agribusinesses [...]
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Posted in Filipino Americans, Philippines, current events, globalization, human rights, immigration, social justice, women, women of color, tagged DAMAYAN, domestic workers, Gabriela, human rights violations, Lauro Liboon Baja, Marichu Suarez Baoanan, overseas contract workers, Purple Rose Campaign, trafficking, women of color on July 5, 2008 | 2 Comments »
We have an image of human traffickers and slavers as a sleazy bunch operating in “uncivilized” regions of the world. But traffickers can also look like former ambassadors who live in swanky townhomes in Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
This report details the story of Lauro Liboon Baja Jr., who along with his wife and daughter, [...]
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Posted in Filipino Americans, Philippines, globalization, human rights, immigration, race, social justice, women, tagged DAMAYAN, domestic workers, Jocelyn Dulnuan, National Domestic Workers Congress, overseas foreign workers, Philippines, race on June 20, 2008 | 2 Comments »
In October 2007, Jocelyn Dulnuan was found dead with multiple stab wounds inside the Mississauga mansion where she worked as a live-in caretaker. She was 27 years old, a native of Ifugao province.
Jocelyn migrated through the Canadian government’s Live-In Caregiver Program (LCP), a program which has been heavily criticized by groups like the [...]
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Posted in Body politics and representations, Filipino Americans, Good reads, Philippines, race, social justice, tagged Blood of Government, Paul Kramer, Philippine history, Philippine-American war, Philippines, race on June 18, 2008 | 12 Comments »
“The Filipino people are the most pro-American people, maybe even more pro-American than the Americans themselves.”
Ladies and gentlemen, that was our President Gloria Arroyo, with a candid description of how she regards her country’s former colonizers. And she’s hardly alone in this attitude. Many Filipinos do promote this idea of a westernized Philippines, [...]
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In honor of California’s affirmation of marriage equality rights, as well as Asian Pacific American Heritage month, here are some interesting tidbits from my previous readings:
New Peoples Army Recognizes Same-Sex Marriage by LeiLani Dowell
On Feb. 4, [2005], the New People’s Army (NPA) conducted the first same-sex marriage in the Philippines. Two guerrilla fighters who have [...]
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Posted in Filipino Americans, immigration, race, social justice, tagged Alaskeros, bayanihan, coalition work, Filipino American, immigration, Larry Itliong, Philip Vera Cruz on May 5, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
My grandfather used to tell me stories about bayanihan. Of how, when a family needed to move, neighbors gathered around the house. They slid bamboo poles under the structure, forming a sort of bamboo harness. Then individuals would each take hold of a pole, and together they would hoist up the entire structure [...]
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