Hooray to Our Heritage

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We join the nation in celebrating Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) this whole month of May. This heritage month is a time to reflect on and acknowledge with gratitude the shared history and the contributions of AANHPIs in shaping this great experiment called the United States of America. 

AANHPIs have, through the years, birthed a wide variety of advocacies and social service organizations, one of which is the National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association. As its name implies, this nonprofit focuses on the mental health concerns of its constituents, many of whom have been gobsmacked with anti-Asian hate incidents the past four years. Learn about what it does here. https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/act-against-hate/alliance-fights-hate-through-policy-advocacy-helps-victims-heal

What does it take to be a Philippine National Artist? The Order of National Artists is the highest national recognition that can be conferred on individuals whose body of work represents the best in Philippine  music, dance, theater, visual arts, literature, film, broadcast arts, and architecture and allied arts. First awarded in 1972 posthumously to the great Filipino painter, Fernando Amorsolo, the honor has been given to a total of 86 outstanding Filipinos. Only 12 of them are still alive. The search is on for the next batch and we hope the internationally acclaimed pianist Cecile Licad will be among them. 

Aside from the many town fiestas that take place yearly in our homeland this month, Mother's Day is also a May event. We'll be putting out mom stories in our issues this month because, well, mama love can't be limited to just a day.

Anti-Asian Hate Watch

The Federal Response to Anti-Asian Racism in the United States
https://www.usccr.gov/files/2023-10/fy-2023-se-report.pdf

Rising global tensions continue to fuel anti-Asian rhetoric across the US
https://headtopics.com/sg/rising-global-tensions-continue-to-fuel-anti-asian-rhetoric-52018241

Lowell High teens reported anti-Asian hate on Muni. Now, their parents demand action
https://sfstandard.com/2024/05/04/lowell-high-teens-reported-anti-asian-hate-on-muni-now-their-parents-demand-action/

Southeast Asian Americans face the brunt of racist attacks among Asians in U.S., new study finds
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/southeast-asian-americans-face-brunt-racist-attacks-asians-us-new-stud-rcna149890

When Hate Hits the Golf Course
https://ethnicmediaservices.org/news-exchange/when-hate-hits-the-golf-course/

Funding provided by the State of California.

In The Know

Philippines: Drought dries up dam to reveal centuries-old town
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68852451

Why American Billionaire Andrew Carnegie Offered To Buy The Philippines’ Freedom For $20 Million
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/andrew-carnegie-philippines-

Overlooked During Her Lifetime, Filipino American Artist Pacita Abad Has Suddenly Become a Global Star
https://www.vogue.com/article/pacita-abad-moma-ps1-retrospective?

The Bay Area’s Great American Diner Is a 24-Hour Filipino Casino Restaurant
https://www.kqed.org/arts/13956683/late-night-filipino-food-24-hour-cafe-colma-lucky-chances

How do you make 600 students from 80 countries feel at home? Ask Chef Abigail Serbins 
https://www.berkeleyside.org/2024/05/01/uc-berkeley-international-house-chef-abigail-serbins

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Staff

Northern Exposure

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While definitely dwarfed in number by Filipino Americans (conservatively around 5 million strong), Filipino Canadians (a little less than a million, as of 2021) are nonetheless emerging as a significant new force in a country of only 40 million. (In contrast, the US has 333 million; the Philippines 115 million. Canada's population of 39 million is almost the same as California's.)

Fil-Cans represent 2.5 % of Canadians and is the third largest Asian immigrant group in the country, surpassed only by Indians and Chinese, according to a Wikipedia entry. But they are the largest in terms of Southeast Asian ethnicity. Most are college-educated professionals, Tagalogs, and, earlier on, women. The majority live in the urban areas of Canada, with the biggest group residing in the Greater Toronto Area, followed by Metro Vancouver.

While the collective voice of Filipino-Canadians have not yet been as resounding as Fil-Ams, our kababayans in Canada have nevertheless made significant inroads in most, if not all aspects, of Canadian society. In health care, in business, the academe, arts and literature, social services, culinary arts and in politics, Fil-Cans have shone. Two have already been elected to the Canadian Parliament and appointed to the Cabinet.  

We have two new stories from Canada in this issue and we're reposting some from previous issues. We'd like more though so we're reaching out to Filipinos in Canada to send us their stories about living in the second largest country in the world (in land area).

Read Again:

https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/bayanihan-community-centre-victoria-bc-a-success-story                                                                       

https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/rizal-honored-in-ontario

https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/jason-pires-bc-newsroom-rising-star

https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/in-this-corner-kanto-by-tita-flips

Video of the Week: Construction worker makes sculptures from coconut and driftwood

Anti-Asian Hate

Governor declares May ‘Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month’
https://www.yahoo.com/news/governor-declares-may-asian-american-211814972.html

OpEd: 2 states sending threatening messages to Asian Americans
https://asamnews.com/2024/04/18/alien-land-laws-anti-china-xenophobia-land-restrictions/?emci=9db24e2a-8006-ef11-96f3-7c1e521b07f9&emdi=af6b9a30-8006-ef11-96f3-7c1e521b07f9&ceid=28649

Statement: Stop AAPI Hate Condemns House Passage of RISAA, Urges Senate to Vote Against Warrantless Surveillance Expansion
https://stopaapihate.org/2024/04/18/stop-aapi-hate-condemns-house-passage-of-risaa/?emci=9db24e2a-8006-ef11-96f3-7c1e521b07f9&emdi=af6b9a30-8006-ef11-96f3-7c1e521b07f9&ceid=28649

Students from India uneasy after 11 deaths in U.S.
https://asamnews.com/2024/04/29/indian-nationals-deaths-mental-health-stress-hinduphobia/

Funding provided by the State of California.

In The Know

Want to go to Boracay or Iloilo? Go to Antipolo and hop on a P2P bus.
https://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/travel/things-to-know-p2p-bus-antipolo-boracay-iloilo/?

Weaved Lives: The Rich Cultural History of The Tnalak Fabric Woven By The Tboli People
https://vogue.ph/lifestyle/culture/the-rich-cultural-history-of-the-tnalak-fabric-weaved-by-the-tboli-people/

The First Asian American Settlement Was Established by Filipino Fishermen
https://www.history.com/news/first-asian-american-settlement-filipino-st-malo 

Where The Clouds Settle: How Zamboangeños Care For Their Land And Heritage
https://vogue.ph/lifestyle/how-zamboangenos-care-for-their-land-and-heritage/?

Anygma Unpacks What Makes A ‘Classic’ FlipTop Battle, The Best Bars, And What Hip-Hop Tells Us About Society
https://billboardphilippines.com/culture/of-multis-flows-and-personals-the-legacy-of-fliptop-anygma-interview-hip-hop-2024/ 

Lost to Science for Over 70 Years, the Mindanao Treeshrew is Rediscovered
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/mindanao-treeshrew-a00203-20230308?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_campaign=Echobox-Ownshare

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Staff

More on Adobo: Are We Hungry Yet?

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Nothing shouts Filipino food louder than adobo. And nobody has researched, collected stories and written about adobo more than the chef/author/artist Claude Tayag.

In his seminal 2022 book The Ultimate Filipino Adobo: Stories through the Ages, Claude begins: "Mention the word 'adobo' to any Filipino, wherever he may find himself in the world, his mouth will start to salivate for that taste of home. It will titillate his palate like a symphony of subtle sour, salty, garlicky, and peppery linamnam, or yummy flavors like no other. Eaten with hot, steaming rice, sinangag (garlic fried rice), pandesal or even baguette or ciabatta, nothing will beat this combination any time of the day or night. Just a sniff of this aromatic, comforting dish wafting in the air will bring him to his childhood back home. It is the link that connects generations through food like an unbroken chain."

Claude's second book, The Ultimate Filipino Adobo: Stories + Recipes from the Heart, Second Edition comes out next month. With more than 30 new adobo stories, testimonials from non-Filipino celebrities, recipe ideas and even a music sheet for "Adobo ni Inang," a song composed by Nonoy Gallardo and sang by Celeste Legaspi, this new volume is both food for the soul and the heart.  As author/food writer Elizabeth Ann Quirino writes this week in her review of the book, "And like the adobo your mother cooks, the stories’ flavors mellow in time, the tart sourness of descriptions turn smooth, and if you close your eyes in reverie, the garlic aromas stay indelible in your thoughts."

Are you hungry yet?

Stories This Week

Adobo’s Never-Ending Story by Elizabeth Ann Quirino

Fil-Ams Among The Remarkable And Famous, Part 56 by Mona Lisa Yuchengco

Kumander Sisa – Hukbalahap Anti-Japanese Guerrillas’ Top Woman Leader In WWII by Cecilia I. Gaerlan

Impossible Things by Ian Layugan

Read Agains: 

Remembering Nora Daza, the Philippines' first celebrity chef  by Noel Anonuevo: https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/remembering-nora-daza-1929-2013

An Intro to Ilocano Cuisine by Micky Fenix
https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/soup-tales-and-big-breakfasts

[Video of the Week] At Seattle's historic Pike Place Market, she's the queen. Mama Lina is everyone's inspiration, savior and Mother Earth figure. A badass Filipina lola with a heart of gold.  Mama Lina

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Staff