Filipinos have been in the United States since the 16th century, yet many of their stories remain untold. For the past months, Positively Filipino has been running a series on notable Filipino Americans who have made their marks in this country. There are hundreds, or maybe even thousands more, that need to be added to this story, and we need your help. If you know of a Filipino American who deserves to be included in this line-up, please send us their names and any supporting documents you may have to pfpublisher@yahoo.com. For now, we are including only those who are currently active and visible in the media and the community, regardless of their religious, sexual or political orientation. Thank you.

Allyson Cubales-Tintiangco, Educator

Allyson Cubales-Tintiangco (Source: Pinayism)

Cubales-Tintiangco received her B.A. in Ethnic Studies from University of California, Berkeley and her Ph.D. in education from University of California, Los Angeles. She is a Full Professor of Asian American Studies in the College of Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State University, faculty member in the doctorate program for Educational Leadership in SFSU’s School of Education and coordinator of Master’s program in Asian American Studies. She has published several books that focus on the development of ethnic studies curriculum and community-responsive pedagogy. In 2001 she established the Pin@y Educational Partnerships (PEP) in response to the social, academic, and emotional challenges that Filipino American youth face. The program has produced critical teachers and students who serve communities in social justice organizations and teaching in schools across the nation. She has received numerous university and community awards such as UCLA’s Distinguished Young Alumnus Award, Faculty Service Award, Distinguished Faculty Award for Service from SFSU, Community Advocacy Award from the Critical Educators for Social Justice Group from the American Educational Research Association, and the Filipino Advocates for Justice Community Award. She has worked with several school districts throughout the country, including the San Francisco Unified School District to co-develop ethnic studies, social justice, and Filipino language curriculum.

Tess Paras, Actor, Comedian, Writer, and Producer

Paras was born in Houston, Texas but grew up in Oak Park, California. She later moved to New York where she graduated magna cum laude from New York University. She tried doing musical theater and then moved to Los Angeles where she did commercials, TV, improve, and sketch comedy. Paras created a YouTube channel, TessTubeBaby, where she wrote and produced comedy and video shorts. She has been outspoken about the stereotypical roles offered to Asian Americans in Hollywood. In 2015, she was cast in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend as the oldest sibling of the Chan family. Paras currently serves as the Associate Director of the CBS Diversity Sketch Comedy Showcase.

Rafe Totengco, Bag Designer

Rafe Totengco and husband Michael Lawn (Source: NY Times)

Totengco is the founder and owner of Rafe New York, a fashion accessories company in Manhattan. Born in the Philippines and based in New York, Totengco “easily weaves multi-cultural references into his body of work, which has evolved over an illustrious career from handbags and accessories to today’s signature minaudieres.” In 1994, he produced for a SoHo boutique his first accessories – belts and watchbands – that sold out instantly. When the store asked him if he had bags to go with the items, he enthusiastically said “yes” even if he didn’t have a single bag to show. One year later, the first collection of Rafe New York handbags debuted at Bergdorf Goodman. He has received awards and honors such as Independent Handbag Designer Awards, Pamana ng Filipino Award, 50 Outstanding Asian Americans in Business, Ten Outstanding Young Men, among others. Last September 19, amid the pandemic, Totengco married Michael Lawn in their garden. “The pandemic has been such a devastating thing that has happened,” Totengco said. “I’m just thankful that we found happiness amidst all this chaos.”

Angelica Hale, Child Singer

Hale competed in the 12th season of America’s Got Talent and became the runner-up to winner, Darci Lynne, becoming the youngest runner-up in the show’s history. Born in Atlanta, Georgia to an American father and Filipino mother, Hale contracted severe bacterial pneumonia at four years old, causing septic shock and multiple organ failure including her kidneys, and suffered permanent scarring on her right lung. She was placed in a medically induced coma and on life-support. Hale received a life-saving kidney transplant from her mother. She then took singing lessons and won competitions. She is the first kid ambassador of the National Kidney Foundation and was named the national spokesperson for Sepsis Alliance’s “It’s About TIME” campaign. In 2019, Hale released her debut single, Feel the Magic, written by her.

Thomas Beatie, Transgender “Pregnant Man”

Thomas Beatie, his girlfriend Amber Nicolas and his three kids (Source: The Mirror)

Born a female in 1974 in Honolulu, Hawaii to a mother of English, Scottish, and Welsh descent and to a father of Korean and Filipino descent, Beatie came out as a trans man in 1997. He had gender reassignment surgery in 2002 and became known as “the pregnant man” after he became pregnant through artificial insemination in 2007. His wife, Nancy, was infertile and Beatie had retained his female reproductive organs. Beatie has since given birth to four children. In 2012, Beatie elected to have lower surgery to include a functional penis. The couple divorced, and Beatie remarried and now lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Beatie is active in the LGBT community. Pregnant Man (2008) documented the final weeks of Beatie’s pregnancy and the birth of his daughter Susan. The documentary was the highest rated show for Discovery Networks in 2008. Beatie has also authored Labor of Love: Is Society Ready for this Pregnant Husband? Some of the awards and honors he has received are: Top 20 Trans Pioneer of 2011 from Huffington Post; Top 10 fascinating People of 2008 from Barbara Walters; 40 Most Influential Men in the World from Details Magazine; and 11 Most Shocking Moments from People magazine.

Jerry Sibal, Designer for Special Events

Sibal’s book, An Event to Remember, presents a portfolio of some of his finest and most visionary work with dramatic photographs. Each project, big or small, is a distinctive work of art. In the book, Sibal reveals how he coordinates architecture, lighting and audiovisual systems, interior décor, tabletop arrangements, and his trademark floral extravaganzas to create spellbinding environments. His artistic career has been influenced by his vast experiences in architecture and interior design, theatre, and the art of traditional Chinese painting. Some of his most famous clients include Virgin Atlantic, Citigroup, The New York Bank of Mellon, the Princess of Qatar, and countless celebrities. He is known as the “go to” guy for events that require a one-of-a-kind, opulent panache.

Jason and Nick Robertson, Pro Hockey Players

Professional hockey players Jason and Nick Robertson

Jason and Nick’s mother, Mercedes, was born in Manila, Philippines, and moved to California as a young child. Hugh, their father, hails from Michigan and was a fan of the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings before settling in L.A. In California, the brothers made the journey to the rinks after school in an RV for practices at different rinks. The amount of travel was a factor in their move to Michigan, where the rink was a mere ten minutes away. It all eventually led to left wingers Jason and Nick being selected in the NHL Draft and eventually making the U.S. National Junior Team roster. Jason won a silver medal with Team USA in 2019, while Nick made his National Junior Team debut in 2020 as the youngest player on the U.S. roster. He is eligible to return for the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship. Jason, who stands at 6-foot-3, skated four seasons with Kingston before being traded to Niagara in his final season. Nick, 5-foot-9, spent the past three seasons with the Peterborough Petes. They have played against each other eight times throughout their career. The brothers credit their parents with instilling a hard-work mentality. It’s about staying focused, not getting distracted, and sticking to a routine, Nick said. He has already seen the large Filipino population in Toronto, where his parents now live, and hopes to set an example there with the Maple Leafs. He said he’s motivated to be that example for not only Filipino kids, but also for California kids who haven’t always had the luxury of having an ice sheet a few minutes away to play hockey. Jason didn’t think much about being a Filipino American hockey player until he was drafted. It’s something he and his brother take pride in. Jason skated with some Filipino players in Toronto last summer, so he’s tried to work with them, too. “My mom always promoted the Filipino culture, which is hard-working and all about family,” Jason said. “We want to keep that very close to us and always promote those two things. If we can do that playing hockey, we’ll be able to do that.”

Erin Entrada Kelly, Author

Three years after being awarded the highest honor in children’s literature, Filipina American author Kelly has received another accolade for her latest middle-grade novel, We Dream of Space. This novel was named one of five Newberry Honor books, announced last January 25 by the American Library Association. We Dream of Space brings readers into the lives of the Nelson-Thomas siblings, 12-year-old twins, Bird and Fitch, and their older brother Cash, and the weeks leading up to the Challenger launch. Along the way, Bird’s dreams of being NASA’s first female shuttle commander and the dynamics of this middle-class family in Delaware are detailed. Readers also get introduced to their science teacher Ms. Salonga and see the recurring themes, such as loneliness, found in Kelly’s work. “This book explores a non-ideal family situation — it’s not that the parents don’t love their children, but they’re caught up in their own toxic dynamic that’s permeating the rest of the family. It was important so that young people who are in that kind of family can see their dynamic on the page. My hope is that families can use it as a jumping-off point to talk about family dynamics and other things mentioned,” Kelly told the Asian Journal in a May 2020 interview. Kelly, who was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana to a Filipina mother from Cebu and a white father previously had a journalism career and is now a full-time author based in Delaware. This May, she is expected to release, Maybe, Maybe Marisol Rainey, a novel about summer, friendship, and overcoming fears, which she also illustrated. The title character, Marisol, mirrors Kelly’s background with a mother from the Philippines. “I know the landscape for not just Filipino authors, but people from all kinds of marginalized groups, has opened up and will continue to do so because literature needs to reflect our entire society. That’s what our world and bookshelves should look like,” Kelly said.

Beth Uyenco, Research Business Consultant

Uyenco’s background includes managing consumer research operations, developing new research tools and analytics in digital media, and driving insights to guide marketing innovation and strategies. Her firm, Beth Uyenco & Associates, is based in Chicago, Illinois. She received her degree in Broadcast Communication from the University of the Philippines and Master of Arts, Telecommunications, from Michigan State University. She previously worked at Microsoft as its Global Research Director focusing on establishing the value of brand messaging through the company’s ad-supported platforms as well as understanding how consumers interact with various marketing communication channels. In addition to numerous awards and honors she has received, Uyenco is president of Literature for All of Us, a program for building self-esteem and critical thinking among at-risk inner-city youth.

Ronnie Taylor and Jason Angeles, Jefferson Awardees for Public Service

Ronnie Taylor (left) and Jason Angeles have been named KPIX Jefferson Awardees for Public Service. (Photo courtesy of Ronnie Taylor)

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kultivate Labs in San Francisco spearheaded Filipinos Feed the Frontlines (FFF) where “like-minded individuals and organizations banded together to provide meals and heal our community.” Close to $150,000 was raised in 278 days. The program expanded from San Francisco to Historic Filipino Town in Los Angeles and Little Manila in Stockton. Filipino-owned restaurants and chefs collaborated with hospitals and health centers to fulfill and deliver 10,000 meals. The KPIX 2020 Jefferson Awards for Public Service chose two of the leading participants to receive the award, Ronnie Taylor and Jason Angeles. Taylor has an Associate’s in Culinary Arts from the Art Institute-SF and Angeles has an MBA from San Francisco State. Both own several restaurants. In an interview with Positively Filipino, Angeles said, “The crisis forced us to become responsive and resilient. It reminded us why we are in the business and because of our success, why we need to support the community that supported us.” The pair continues to donate $1,500 a week to FFF.

Mark Nagales, Vice Mayor, City of South San Francisco

Nagales grew up in South San Francisco and has been part of the community for over 30 years. He was the Constituent Services Director for Congresswoman Jackie Speier, and a Senior Aide to former California State Assemblymember Gene Mullin. He was elected to the South San Francisco City council in 2018. He graduated from San Francisco State University with a bachelor’s degree in history and political science. He served in the Parks and Recreation and Planning Commissions. Nagales was the president of the Filipino American Democratic Club of San Mateo. As Vice Mayor, he proposed a Universal Basic Income pilot program to help local residents financially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Phil Bacerra, Councilmember, City of Santa Ana

Elected to the Santa Ana City Council to represent Ward 4 in November 2019, Bacerra is the son of a union grocery store manager and a waitress. He graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Science degree in Urban Planning. He worked for various city government agencies, including the city of Los Angeles. He served for over five years on the Santa Ana Planning Commission. He serves as a Board Member for Preserve Orange County and mentors students from his alma mater.

The Magazine

Fil-Ams Among The Remarkable And Famous, Part 16