Time To Swoon in June

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It's June and, like clockwork, summer weather (now commonly termed a heat wave) begins in the western hemisphere. In our motherland, June is expected to bring the monsoon rains so desperately needed for the parched earth of the long, extremely hot summer of 2024. 

Like the previous month, June is packed with celebrations: LGBTQ Pride Month and its string of parades and revelry happens this month. For Filipinos everywhere, the annual Independence Day festivities gather communities for parades, dances, competitions and food. And then there's Rizal Day, celebrated every year on June 19, and Fathers' Day on June 16. In the US, it's also Immigrant Heritage Month, a little-known commemoration that should interest us who have made the US our adopted country. 

June of course begins the travel cycle, and the travel industry is anticipating the full impact of what has become a post-pandemic byword: revenge travel. We have been posting stories about enticing places to visit since spring, and will continue to do so this summer. One of them, in this issue, is the journey of a daring couple, both septuagenarians, who completed the challenging Kumano Kodo, Japan's equivalent to the Camino de Santiago of Spain. Since they've done both pilgrimages, the two got their Dual Pilgrim Certificate, earned by just about 5,000 long-distance walkers.  

Last month, we posted a couple of articles from Canada and reached out to Filipino-Canadians to write more. So this issue, we're posting another two; from Toronto, our regular contributing writer gives us the story of the making of the first anthology of Fil-Can writing; and from Vancouver, a first-time contributor writes about a Filipino who was a high-ranking official in Metro Vancouver but, upon retirement, returned to her first love and is flourishing. 

A look back: One afternoon in 1999, Fil-Am mail carrier Jojo Ileto was doing his rounds when a man asked him to mail a letter. There was nothing unusual about the request and Ileto gladly acceded. As he turned, the man took out a gun and shot Ileto twice. He was a random choice, clearly a hate crime. So much has happened since, yet so much still remain the same. We're reposting the story from 25 years ago because we must not forget.

Read Agains

Exceptional Philippine Churches by John Silva

Death by Discrimination by Bert Eljera

[Partner] Helping AAPI Communities Heal From The Pain Of Racism

[Video of the Week] LGBTQ Couple Excited By Their Baby Boy

Anti-Asian Hate Watch

National organizations call out anti-Asian bigotry in Congress
https://asamnews.com/2024/06/03/organizations-sign-letter-against-anti-asian-bigotry-in-congress/

The Ongoing Fight Against Antisemitism and Anti-Asian Hate: Legislative Developments
https://nysba.org/the-ongoing-fight-against-antisemitism-and-anti-asian-hate-legislative-developments/

Chinese Americans still reeling in the wake of anti-Asian hate
https://goldengatexpress.org/107116/campus-original/chinese-americans-still-reeling-in-the-wake-of-anti-asian-hate/

Man who lived in Fontana is charged with hate crime for allegedly punching woman in the head
https://www.fontanaheraldnews.com/news/man-who-lived-in-fontana-is-charged-with-hate-crime-for-allegedly-punching-woman-in/article_7519572a-1f7b-11ef-a22c-9ff3bfb428d0.html

Connecting to AANHPI seniors on mental wellness
https://www.kalw.org/2024-05-30/connecting-to-aanhpi-seniors-on-mental-wellness

Funding provided by the State of California.

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Staff

Talking About Our Generations

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We are posting this week the key findings of the Pew Research Center's comprehensive study of Asian American experiences and attitudes, gathered from its national and multilingual survey done in 2022-2023 and its 66 focus groups in 2021. Though there are not many surprises, it's interesting to note some generational differences as well as attitudinal perceptions between first-generation immigrants and their children/grandchildren.

We're also running the four winning essays of the 2022 Doreen Gamboa Fernandez (DGF) Food Writing Award this month, starting with the first prize winner, "Reclaiming Philippine Ube" by Reynadel Cayetano. Did you know that ube is a healthier alternative to other yam varieties because of its higher antioxidant content? And that Bohol is the province best known for ube?

Enjoy too our other stories this week:

A poet's long drive to Albany, Georgia to watch a neighborhood Filipino basketball team play brought him back in touch with his roots, his culture and his palate.

A Fil-Am visual artist pays tribute to her late, unheralded great aunt who played a big role in winning WWII for the US. 

More remarkable Fil-Ams whose accomplishments are nothing to scoff at.

As we smell and taste Christmas in the air, here's a reminder of a Filipino Christmas from one of our earliest issues:

https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/2012/12/12/karoling

And here's what our Filipino tastebuds hanker for every Christmas season: 

https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/our-christmas-table

[Video of the Week] Maria Ressa Interviews Leila de Lima

In The Know

AFP chief sees retaliatory attack in Marawi bombing
https://mb.com.ph/2023/12/3/afp-chief-sees-retaliatory-attack-in-marawi-bombing

Will Philippines’ revived peace talks end rebel conflict for good or ‘aid the enemy’?
https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3243573/will-philippines-revived-peace-talks-end-rebel-conflict-good-or-aid-enemy

Civilian convoy to South China Sea gets NSC nod
https://www.bworldonline.com/the-nation/2023/11/28/560257/civilian-convoy-to-south-china-sea-gets-nsc-nod/

Ma’am Jo’s killing was a nightmare. Her dreams for the Teduray tribe are alive.
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/jocelyn-palao-killing-nightmare-dreams-teduray-tribe-alive/

In Hawaii, a humble effort to give anti-Marcos cartoons from the past a second life
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/hawaii-effort-filipino-opposition-preserve-anti-marcos-political-cartoons/

Gov't, communist rebels agree to resume peace talks
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/28/23/govt-ndfp-agree-to-resume-peace-talks

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Staff

Best Wishes on Thanksgiving Week

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We know you're in the midst of prepping your holiday meals, so we'll make this short.

When you're taking a breather, we hope that you'll read our stories this week. Shout-out to Filipino Canadians: there are two of yours in this issue.

For Filipino Americans, our wishes for abundant blessings and gratitude this Thanksgiving week.

Anti-Asian Hate Watch

The State of Hate in Los Angeles 2023 Report
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CpW9L7W9uovJDBmGMeaPIf0ze-6lBQaq/view

CA Civil Rights Dept. addresses rising rates of hate at launch
https://asamnews.com/2023/11/14/california-civil-rights-rising-rates-of-hate-hate-crime-berkeley/

Many within Asian American and Pacific Islander communities have endured discrimination, and a third experienced a hate incident in the last year

https://apnorc.org/projects/many-within-asian-american-and-pacific-islander-communities-have-endured-discrimination-and-a-third-experienced-a-hate-incident-in-the-last-year/

A Cal State Report Says Hate Crimes Are Low, But Trustees And Experts Issue Warning
https://laist.com/news/education/cal-state-csu-report-hate-crimes-trustees

Bay Area on guard for increase in hate crimes
https://www.axios.com/local/san-francisco/2023/11/15/hate-crimes-fbi-data-asian-jewish-muslim

Is anti-Asian racism still a problem in US? Poll reveals 2023 trends
https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3241601/anti-asian-racism-still-problem-us-poll-reveals-troubling-trends

Funding provided by the State of California.

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Staff