POCs on bikes

A friend described cycling as a whitestream activity. I mentioned that I saw a lot of poc commuters in the early morning, and expect more as Los Angeles Metro fares go up once again (boo!). But that’s commuting, she said. Of course there would be a lot of poc. Riding a bike becomes “cycling,” a [...]

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Appalling billboard

There was so much to choose from, but this one made me the saddest:

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A good life

Last spring, I spent a lot (to me) of money on a mountain bike. I have spent the past few months happily developing my climbing legs and literally soaring to new heights. I’ve also spent a lot of time feeling guilty. That I, a woman of color grad student from the Third World, could possibly [...]

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Outside

It’s been a pretty cool but intense semester, both online and off. I’m in a couple of postcolonial theory classes, so my offline writing has gotten way too cultural-lit, although there’s been a lot of valuable reading that I eventually hope to incorporate. One of those po-co theory classes has been particularly tense, because it’s [...]

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Aspiring to whiteness

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 [...]

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The “Invisible” Cyclists

It’s no small task to be a bicyclist or pedestrian in Los Angeles. Motorists don’t expect you. Many get angry when they’re inconvenienced and have to brake. Last July 4th, Christopher Thompson of Brentwood, an emergency room physician, deliberately swerved his car onto the path of two cyclists, then slammed on his brakes. One cyclist [...]

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Our histories are inextricably connected

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 responded [...]

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The Perils of Domestic Work

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 National [...]

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We may be Brown, but we can take on the White Man’s Burden.

“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, with [...]

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In Block & White

This discussion on Racialicious reminds me of those horrible skin lightening product commercials I saw on television the last time I was in Manila. If you’re Filipina, you know the brand I’m talking about. Block & White. And if you’re not Filipina but Asian, you probably have equivalent products and brands. I was no longer [...]

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