Our Fil-Am History, Ourselves

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From the time the Luzones Indios set foot on American land on October 18, 1587 to today's officially designated (by the US Congress) Filipino American History Month celebration, Filipinos and Americans have had a rich but tangled relationship. Bloodied by colonization, smoothed over by education, enhanced by immigration and bound together inextricably by the significant and rapidly growing presence of Filipinos in all aspects of life in the US, the FilAm -- and everything that it implies -- is already an integral part of the American tapestry. 

Positively Filipino's Timeline of Filipino American History, updated to include this year's markers, provides the most comprehensive overview of this complicated relationship. Save it for yourself and share it with your family and your community. It's an important document to assert your rightful place in the US.

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We celebrate the lives of two significant Filipinos who recently left this earth: Greg Macabenta, the multimedia icon and community leader, lovingly honored by his friend, Rodel Rodis; and the poet/revolutionary and passionate Christian, Mila D. Aguilar, by her friend, Cecilia M. Brainard.

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The heartbreaking news of three Filipino caregivers, victims of the current Hamas/Israel war, prompted us to dig up a 2004 Filipinas Magazine feature story on Filipinos in Israel. Written by Israeli freelance writer Inacio Steinhardt, the article is timeless in its spotlight on our modern-day heroes, Filipino caregivers.

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Here's a fun story to break the grimness: Alex Fox, a 23-year-old budding entrepreneur in New York, who organizes rave parties for the young and the restless. Veteran journalist Cristina DC Pastor of The FilAm writes about this son of two journalists in "Rave Against the Dying of the Night."

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For our Video of the Week, here's a technologically vintage film (made in 1978) by Linda Mabalot that presents a significant record of the lives of Filipino manongs, a perfect watch for FilAm History Month. 

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Staff

Confusions, Mixed Feelings, and Hate

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Nobody tells the colorful stories of the good 'ol days of mass media in the Philippines than Greg Macabenta, who has done it all --  journalism, script writing, advertising, publishing, column writing, even occasionally performing -- and who was responsible for some of the most memorable ad campaigns in the annals of Philippine advertising history. Already a career multitasker when it wasn't yet a thing, Greg puts his stories on print with his newly published memoir, Confusions of a Communications Man, which is a must-read for anyone who has aspirations of hitting it big in media. PF contributor Lorna Lardizabal Dietz reviews the book in "A Jack of Many Communication Trades."

Author Cecilia Manguerra Brainard reveals her mixed feelings about her recent visit to Japan, whose beauty she totally appreciated while not completely forgetting WWII, Hiroshima and the cruelty of war. Read "Japan: A Thoughtful Travelogue" to understand what she means.

Racism and its concomitant terms - white supremacy, hate crimes - are once again fueling dastardly acts that have targeted minorities in the US. History shows that the crimes are nothing new and Filipinos are not spared. Lest we forget (or before we get lulled into thinking that this current wave will not affect us), let's look back:

Just 20 years ago, a Fil-Am postal worker Joseph Ileto was gunned down by an avowed white supremacist looking for a kill. Ileto's only "crime"? He was a brown man who inadvertently crossed the path of the perpetrator. Filipinas Magazine in October 1999 had this story: "Death by Discrimination" by the late Bert Eljera.

And further back in time, another crime against Filipinos in Watsonville, California. Read Again Alex S. Fabros Jr.'s "In the Heat of the Night: The Exeter and Watsonville Riots 1929-1930."

Our In The Know stories this week:

PH now among main cyberattacks targets
https://business.inquirer.net/276283/ph-now-among-main-cyberattacks-targets

Lives lived and lost along Manila's Pasig river
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-49203752?fbclid=IwAR1nX26dgDXI6wrKmuuxD2P-tp1hXsXBTWEvHdwhrscdNmu9EQXRedMHgL4

Rodrigo Duterte is losing interest in creating a federal Philippines
https://www.economist.com/asia/2019/08/01/rodrigo-duterte-is-losing-interest-in-creating-a-federal-philippines?cid1=cust/dailypicks/n/bl/n/2019087n/owned/n/n/dailypicks/n/n/na/290433/n

A thriving Filipino community makes Juneau home away from home
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/travel/destination/08/07/19/a-thriving-filipino-community-makes-juneau-home-away-from-home?fbclid=IwAR2596WX3E6JxCCswO8N8O6ssgaB2_1tYOkCWZNxEdgp-93K67FqJVlqoK4

What Makes An American?
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/09/sunday-review/immigration-assimilation-texas.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share#commentsContainer

Born in Israel, hundreds of Filipino children risk expulsion
https://news.yahoo.com/born-israel-hundreds-filipino-children-risk-expulsion-021046223.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=ma

For the Happy Home Cook, we bring back this plant-based treat: Ensaladang Talong with Coconut Vinaigrette.

For Video of the Week, we feature a Pan Am Airlines travelogue on the Philippines from the 1960s.

 

 

 

 

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Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino