Filipino-American World War II veterans who have been waiting for years to bring their family members to the U.S. will soon be able to do so through a new policy, the Obama administration announced on Wednesday.
News story courtesy of HuffPost Politics
GABRIELA USA demands immediate justice to find Joseph Scott Pemberton guilty as charged on the vicious hate crime and killing of Filipino trans woman, Jennifer Laude, last October 2014 in Olongapo, Philippines. Last Monday August 24, U.S. Marine Corporal Joseph S. Pemberton admitted to choking Jennifer Laude until she stopped moving, but claims she was still alive when he left the hotel room. Autopsy reports show she died from asphyxiation by drowning. Pemberton claimed he acted in self defense as he was surprised to find that Jennifer was a “man” and feared being “raped” by him. This does not excuse the soldier's malicious intent to harm and ultimately take the life of Jennifer Laude. His admission to choking her only exposes Pemberton’s intent to kill Jennifer upon realizing Jennifer’s transgender identity.
From GabrielaUSA
For a while, Jennifer Pan’s parents regarded her as their “golden” child.
The young Canadian woman, who lived in the city of Markham just north of Toronto, was a straight A student at a Catholic school who won scholarships and early acceptance to college. True to her father’s wishes, she graduated from the University of Toronto’s prestigious pharmacology program and went on to work at a blood-testing lab at SickKids hospital.
Pan’s accomplishments used to make her mother and father, Bich Ha and Huei Hann Pan, brim with pride. After all, they had arrived in Toronto as refugees from Vietnam, working as laborers for an auto parts manufacturer so their two kids could have the bright future that they couldn’t attain for themselves.
Image courtesy of Washington Post
The newly formed Delano chapter and its parent organization, the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS), will host a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Delano Grape Strike with a series of events over Labor Day Weekend, Sept. 5 and 6, in Delano, CA. Dubbed “Bold Step,” the weekend will focus on the momentous decision to strike, and celebrate the strike’s legacy in the Filipino American community in Delano and across the nation.
News story courtesy of FANHS
Raissa Alvero is delighted to be the Filipina Women’s Network Fellow (2015-2016) and new Editor of the ePahayagan. With a special interest in communications and project management, she looks forward to harnessing and developing her professional skills amidst a community of supportive and inclusive Filipina women.
"I'd love for FWN members to engage with our new content and comment more on our posts. C'mon Filipinas, let's not be shy. We want to know: what impresses you? What rattles you? What excites you? "
- Raissa
Rocio Nuyda
Owner, Grace Events; U.S. Pinoys for Good Governance
Reseda, California
Community Involvement: Secretary of the Board of Trustees for the U.S. Pinoys for Good Governance. In this capacity, she supports the organization's advocacies to promote upright ethics in public service. She is also actively involved in community programs in Los Angeles for the advancement of Filipino Culture and the Filipino American community as a whole.
First job in the US: Office Manager
FilAm Shero In America: Loida Nicolas Lewis embodies the spirit of Godliness in advocating her favorite causes. In a speech before the Global Summit of Filipinos she said, "Whether we sit in an executive office as a CEO or a babysitter in a private home, our being Filipinos enables us to anticipate how the other person is feeling and we respond positively or react humanely." On many occasions I have partnered with her in advancing many worthwhile programs or projects that have significant impact or influence on the global community, and doing so has made me a firsthand witness to her understated elegance in leadership.
Proudest Professional Achievement: As an immigrant and naturalized citizen, she started from the ranks. Through hard work and dignified performance, she rose to the highest position in corporate America, second to the owners of the companies that she worked for. Without any intent to be braggadocious, she has many proud moments. But, the one that she is proudest about is leaving a trail and reputation of successful leadership in mentoring budding managers who reported to her. These managers continue to be trailblazers in the credit card industry; and they are quick to acknowledge that it was through her mentorship that they learned the ropes.
Biggest workplace challenge as a Fil-Am woman: Throughout the course of her career in America, she was pitted against Ivy league educated men who held equal rank executive positions as her. These men's first impression of a minority, petite woman who spoke with an accent, was less positive than the norm. At the onset, she had to prove herself. When they soon found out that she could hold her own, she could not be intimidated, and what she had to say had substance they treated me with reverence not only as a peer but as a woman of equal competence.
Vivian Zalvidea Araullo
Executive Director, Westbay
South San Francisco, California
First job in the U.S.: Associate Editor, Filipinas Magazine
Fil-Am s/hero in the U.S.: Natalie Coughlin. This Filipino American Olympic gold medalist proudly acknowledges her Filipino Heritage. She is a strong, determined Filipina American woman who is proud of her roots.
Proudest professional achievement: She created a series of public service fairs that brought together service providers who donated their time and talent to give Filipino Americans free service and advice immigration, health, debt, and foreclosure. The events helped thousands by raising funds to help less fortunate Filipinos in the Philippines. They were able to create a circle of giving and helping that crossed the Pacific and created a global Filipino community that exemplified the value of "bayanihan."
Biggest workplace challenge as a Fil-Am woman: As a female leader and a single mother in the corporate structure, she sometimes felt that she had to work harder to achieve respect and credibility within her organization. This also affects her work-life balance.
Five year goal: To create a truly powerful global community of overseas Filipinos who can affect changes in policy in the Philippines. I plan to achieve this by initiating a portal for information and news sharing among overseas Filipino communities across the world, now estimated at about 11 million strong.
The one thing that nobody would guess about me: She is a yoga instructor whose dream is to open a studio that could be a safe, quiet place to help people achieve wellness through yoga and meditation.
Filipino custom or tradition I would like to pass on to others: Bayanihan, which she would define by harnessing the community spirit to help others. In her opinion, Filipinos are generally hospitable, friendly and really want to help others. Bayanihan would go a long way in today's world.
Filipino American lawyer and FWN member Carmelyn P. Malalis, who was appointed Chair of the New York City Commission on Human Rights in November last year by Mayor Bill de Blasio, is expected to push hard for equality in the work place.
Malalis has a history of successfully combating discrimination and harassment in the workplace through her representation of employees from a variety of industries and income levels. Her dual role as Chair and Commissioner positions her to lead investigations of complaints of discrimination and retaliation in employment, housing and public accommodation.
News story courtesy of TheInquirer.net
