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Episode 71 When Communities Lead: Little Manila Rising's Blueprint for Health and Healing On this episode they explore the powerful story of Little Manila Rising, an organization founded to preserve the Filipino American legacy in Stockton, California, and uplift the South Stockton community. Hear how founders rallied local residents to prevent the destruction of historic neighborhoods and created a movement rooted in ancestral legacy, heart-centered activism, and holistic care. Learn about programs tackling health inequities, environmental justice, mental health, and youth development, all shaped by listening to community needs. Through initiatives like the Healing PUSO project and ECHO, we witness how blending Western and traditional Filipino healing practices, offering free clinics, and providing culturally responsive mental health support have made a tangible impact. Centering community voices and advocating for policy change, Little Manila Rising exemplifies the importance of accessible, culturally anchored healthcare that truly cares for the whole person. Find all of our network podcasts on your favorite podcast platforms and be sure to subscribe and like us. Learn more at www.healthcarenowradio.com/listen
Overview: We explore the powerful story of Little Manila Rising, an organization founded to preserve the Filipino American legacy in Stockton, California, and uplift the South Stockton community. We hear how founders rallied local residents to prevent the destruction of historic neighborhoods and created a movement rooted in ancestral legacy, heart-centered activism, and holistic care. We learn about programs tackling health inequities, environmental justice, mental health, and youth development, all shaped by listening to community needs. Through initiatives like the Healing PUSO project and ECHO, we witness how blending Western and traditional Filipino healing practices, offering free clinics, and providing culturally responsive mental health support have made a tangible impact. Centering community voices and advocating for policy change, Little Manila Rising exemplifies the importance of accessible, culturally anchored healthcare that truly cares for the whole person. Three Takeaways: Community-Led Preservation as Health WorkLittle Manila Rising started as a preservation movement to protect Filipino-American heritage in Stockton, especially after systemic destruction through redevelopment. But as described by Hannah and Tessa, saving these physical and cultural spaces proved foundational to the community's well-being—demonstrating that historical and cultural preservation itself is acts of healthcare, fostering identity and resilience (Hannah, 00:00:26–00:02:55). Deeply Personal and Spiritual MotivationTessa makes clear that the organization's work is “heart-centered” and “spirit-led,” guided by the dreams and struggles of their ancestors. Staff are deeply connected on a personal level, honoring not just their community but also familial and ancestral legacies. This kind of motivation sets the tone for sustainable and authentic advocacy work (Tessa, 00:04:03–00:04:39). Holistic and Culturally Rooted Healthcare DeliveryThrough programs like Healing PUSO and Echo, Little Manila Rising offers both Western and traditional healing modalities, including Filipino massage, acupuncture, and sound healing. By blending these approaches, the clinics honor diverse health beliefs and needs, which community members find more welcoming and effective than traditional mainstream healthcare (Tessa, 00:11:37–00:15:19). Resources: Little Manila Rising Next Step: Visit our website, Healthcare for Humans, and join our community to enjoy exclusive benefits at https://www.healthcareforhumans.org/support/ Support Our Mission: Non-clinicians, explore exclusive content and contribute to our collective journey. Be an Active Participant: Go beyond listening. Shape our narrative by co-creating episodes with us. Be part of our community by visiting https://www.healthcareforhumans.org/support/. Follow us on Instagram @healthcareforhumanspodcast
Jez Vedua-Cardenas currently resides in Southeast Michigan, where she was born and raised. Jez is a Registered Dietitian (RD) and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), and works with WIC (a supplemental nutrition program of the USDA for Women, Infants, and Children.) Through her work, Jez realized there was a knowledge gap among many health and wellness professionals working with immigrant communities. Drawing on her own experiences growing up as a Filipino-American, and surveying the experiences of others–mothers in particular–she created educational materials for nutrition professionals that highlight traditional Filipino foodways. She emphasizes the connections between food, identity, and what it means to nurture and show love, and examines how assimilation pressures and modern food practices can impact eating patterns and health issues.
In this episode of Hustleshare, we sit down with Dan Gonzales and Earl Valencia, co-authors of Startup Mindsets, to unpack the emotional and mental journey of building startups especially through the lens of the Filipino experience. Dan, a Filipino-American writer with a tech background, reflects on his path from tech skeptic to ecosystem builder, while Earl, a pioneer of the Philippine startup ecosystem and co-founder of IdeaSpace, shares how a billion-peso fund came to life after a bold pitch to MVP. They dive into the irrational realities of entrepreneurship, the truth about failure and regret, and why mindset—not just execution—is what defines success. Packed with grit, vulnerability, and decades of hard-won wisdom, this episode is a must-listen for anyone standing at the edge of starting something meaningful.Resources:Earl Valencia (LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/in/earlvalenciaDan Gonzales (LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/in/dangonzales1/ Website: https://www.startupmindsets.com/book Fullybooked: https://fullybookedonline.com/book-business-startup-mindsets-paperback-by-earl-valencia.html Hustleshare Ep. 4 – The Hustle of Incubating Innovation: https://www.hustleshare.com/episodes/earlvalencia-ideaspace-podcast This episode is brought to you by OneCFOHustleshare is powered by Podmachine Test https://plus.acast.com/s/hustleshare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Welcome to TFAW Letters, a special summer series from The Filipino American Woman Project. I'm your host, Jen Amos. Each week, I will read a fictionalized letter—my creative interpretation of real conversations with you! These letters have been woven with heart, reflection, and truth—to honor your stories while protecting your privacy. It all begins with one line: “If I could say one thing…” Because sometimes, one thing is all we need to take up a little more space. Let's get started.Tune in for our first episode on Friday, June 20th, our podcast's sixth anniversary! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.tfawletters.com/subscribe
We had the pleasure of interviewing Lyn Lapid over Zoom video!Gold-Certified singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Lyn Lapid releases her long-awaited debut album, BUZZKILL, via Mercury Records—listen HERE. The 12-track album features her recently released singles “death wish,” “i'll be happy when,” “coraline” and “buttons,” as well as the new title track, “buzzkill,” which is unveiled today alongside the official music video—watch HERE. Known for marrying her honest and vulnerable storytelling through both lyrics and visuals, Lyn released mini-trailers for each of the songs on the album leading up to the release, which culminated into the official album trailer—watch HERE.Up next, Lyn is gearing up to kick off the “BUZZKILL World Tour” in a few weeks. Beginning on May 6th in Berlin, the highly anticipated tour will first see Lyn headline shows across Europe and the UK before heading back to North America, where she'll perform in major cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Chicago, Washington, DC, San Francisco, Vancouver, and more through the end of June. See the full list of tour dates below and at www.lynlapidtour.com.Lyn spent the past few years carefully crafting what would become BUZZKILL, inspired by the isolating experiences surrounding her move from her small suburban hometown in Maryland to the bustling city of Los Angeles, and all of the mixed emotions that came along with them. She shares, “Moving to the West Coast was a struggle. It was the first time I was in a new place by myself, and I didn't know anyone outside of my roommates. I'd go to parties because I thought it was better than being alone. It was an attempt to find community, but it just became a cycle of meaningless interactions. Every time I went out with my friends, I felt like a ‘buzzkill' because it seemed like I had always brought the mood down. However, it only seemed that way because I was with the wrong people. I needed to accept that I shouldn't have to force myself to settle for surface-level friendships and relationships. It opened an opportunity to find new and truly meaningful connections and friendships.”BUZZKILL takes listeners on an all-too-relatable journey with Lyn, from experiencing loneliness and feelings of not belonging to radical self-acceptance and newfound confidence. The album has already received early praise, with Grammy.com proclaiming, “Imbued with a soft and soulful tone over a bed of R&B, indie, alternative, and pop, BUZZKILL is some of Lapid's most vulnerable work,” and Ones To Watch declaring, “Lyn Lapid dives into the loneliness that comes with finding yourself in a new place.”ABOUT LYN LAPID:Lyn Lapid writes the soundtrack to seeing life a little differently. Her unfiltered observations ripple across fluid soundscapes anchored by subtle alternative R&B grooves, loose jazz phrasing, and unassuming pop ambition. The 22-year-old Filipino American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist continues to strike a chord with audiences through her unpredictably catchy and undeniably candid songcraft.In 2020, a series of viral ukulele covers on TikTok brought the Maryland native her first brush with virality. Her personal vision took shape across a series of essential fan favorite singles such as “Producer Man,” “When She Loved Me,” and the Gold-Certified “In My Mind.” Early co-signs came courtesy of Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter, and Jungkook of BTS.During 2023, she made waves with to love in the 21st century EP and its extended edition, the epilogue. She incited the applause of Rolling Stone, Billboard, E! Online, BuzzFeed, UPROXX, HYPEBAE, Refinery29, and LADYGUNN, among others. Speaking to her impact, Forbes touted her among its “AAPI Artists to Watch,” and Atwood Magazine christened her an “exceptional artist-to-watch.” She emerged as the rare collaborator equally comfortable on a track with Ruth B and mxtmtoon or Eric Nam and Whethan. Beyond touring with the likes of Ricky Montgomery and Claire Rosinkranz, she graced the bill of Head In the Clouds Festival and has sold out two nationwide headline tours in 2023 and 2024.Generating over 1 billion streams, packing venues on headline tours, and attracting widespread critical acclaim, she narrates a season of self-actualization and newfound confidence on her 2025 full-length debut, BUZZKILL, out now on Mercury Records.We want to hear from you! Please email Hello@BringinitBackwards.comwww.BringinitBackwards.com#podcast #interview #bringinbackpod #LynLpid #NewMusic #ZoomListen & Subscribe to BiBhttps://www.bringinitbackwards.com/followFollow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter! https://www.facebook.com/groups/bringinbackpodBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bringin-it-backwards--4972373/support.
Last time we spoke about the fall of Shuri. In the unforgiving terrain of Okinawa during May 1945, American Marines confronted fierce resistance from entrenched Japanese forces. Amidst heavy rain and dwindling supplies, General Buckner's 10th Army battled uphill toward Shuri, a critical stronghold. With communication crumbling and morale wavering, the Americans pressed on, launching daring patrols. The situation reached a turning point when intelligence revealed the Japanese withdrawal plans. Buckner ordered continuous pressure, leading to the capture of significant strategic points like Shuri Castle, which was relentlessly bombarded prior to the Marine assault. On May 29, as the last remnants of Japanese forces fled south, American soldiers swept through Shuri, which lay in utter ruin, a testament to the devastating power of the campaign. This episode is the Liberation of Mindanao Welcome to the Pacific War Podcast Week by Week, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two and much more so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800's until the end of the Pacific War in 1945. Last week we covered the fall of Shuri and today we continue the brutal brawl for Okinawa and the liberation of Mindanao. As we last saw, the Japanese retreat from the Shuri line opened the path for General Buckner's 10th Army to move southward, with only General Fujioka's 62nd Division and a few minor rearguards standing in their way. On June 3, General Arnold's 7th Division continued its offensive to the south. Colonel Pachler's 17th Regiment successfully secured the area of Itokazu. Meanwhile, Colonel Green's 184th Regiment pushed toward the coast to completely cut off the Chinen Peninsula. Colonel Finn's 32nd Regiment was diverted into the rugged hills nearby to clean up any remaining resistance. To the west, despite persistent bad weather and challenging supply conditions, General Bradley's 96th Division also achieved success. Colonel May's 383rd Regiment secured the locations of Kamizato and Tera against relatively light resistance. At the same time, Colonel Halloran's 381st Regiment advanced to seize the entire Inasomi area. Looking northwest, General Del Valle's 1st Marine Division encountered stronger opposition. The bulk of the 5th Marines managed to push only as far as Tsukasa before being pinned down. In a strategic move, Colonel Griebel's 2nd Battalion executed a wide swing through May's rear area to capture the Gisushi region. Colonel Snedeker's 7th Marines made steady progress through the Kokuba Valley, facing small enemy blocking forces, in order to extend the line held by the 5th Marines. Meanwhile, at sea, Admiral Ugaki launched his 9th mass Kikisui attack. This operation, featuring just 50 kamikaze aircraft, faced heavy obstacles due to Typhoon Viper but still managed to damage 2 vessels. In another development, after successfully occupying Torishima Island on May 12, Colonel Clarence Wallace's 8th Marines landed on Iheyajima without encountering any opposition. In addition, preparations for the shore-to-shore assault of General Shepherd's 6th Marine Division were completed. Colonel Shapley's 4th Marines were set to land on the Nishikoku beaches before securing the Oroku Peninsula and its airfield. Consequently, during the early hours of June 4, Shepherd's Reconnaissance Company successfully assaulted Ono-Yama Island, while Shapley's assault battalions began the shore-to-shore movement to Nishikoku under the cover of artillery and naval bombardment. Despite some mechanical failures on the LVTs, the Marines successfully landed at 06:00 under sporadic machine-gun fire and then pushed onto the high ground 300 yards inland against minor resistance. After securing the initial foothold, the attack slowed against increasing resistance on the left flank. Because of this, the reserve 3rd Battalion was landed at 08:45 and subsequently advanced to the edge of the airdrome. During the day development of the enemy's defense had revealed an inordinate number of automatic weapons, ranging in various calibers up to 40mm. Subsequently, it was disclosed that the Japanese had stripped the armament from the air defenses and damaged aircraft in the area and integrated these weapons into the ground fortifications to stiffen materially the resistance on Oroku. Besides meeting with the most extensive mine fields yet encountered during the campaign, on this day the 6th Division had its first contact with an awesome weapon: an 8-inch rocket that exploded with terrific concussion. However, there was little fragmentation and accuracy was poor. While the noise the huge projectiles made, tumbling through the air end over end, sounded "like a locomotive from hell" to the troops, the rockets were mainly a source of annoyance and caused few casualties. Rockets continued to fall in the rear areas during the night, snipers and infiltrators were active, and the entire front came under intermittent heavy mortar fire. This landing allowed Shepherd to bring in Colonel Whaling's 29th Marines by midday, which then secured the Kikibana area of Naha Bay, while the 4th Marines captured one-third of Naha's airfield. To the east, the Americans encountered less resistance than before, as the 62nd Division and other minor rearguards completed their withdrawal from the intermediate lines south of Shuri to a reserve area south of the new Kiyamu Peninsula lines. Recognizing this change, Buckner shifted the corps boundary to the west, assigning General Geiger's 3rd Amphibious Corps the task of isolating the Oroku Peninsula and occupying the Itoman-Kunishi sector, while General Hodge's 24th Corps advanced toward the Yaeju Dake-Yuza Dake escarpment. As a result, the 7th Marines were able to move south to seize Takanyuta and isolate Admiral Ota's forces on the Oroku Peninsula. The atrocious weather had converted the already muddy roads to impassable morasses. Transport was hopelessly mired north of the Kokuba Gawa. South of the river the "trails were only negotiable by foot troops, vehicles could not have been used" even if it had been possible to bring them across the inlet. The 5th Marines managed to secure the Hill 107 area without opposition before being relieved by Colonel Mason's 1st Marines. However, the 1st Marines were unable to continue their push south toward Shindawaku Ridge due to a flooded stream. Meanwhile, Mason's 3rd Battalion attempted a wide envelopment through the 96th Division zone but was quickly halted in front of Tera. Food was scarce, but through the wholehearted cooperation of the 96th Division the Marines procured two meals of K rations per man. It was the considered opinion of at least one member of 3/1 that "this day probably was the most miserable spent on Okinawa by men of this battalion." To compound these problems and discomforts, the 3d Battalion also found itself without a supply route or communications with the regiment 11,000 yards to the rear. Further east, the 383rd Regiment advanced rapidly, engaging isolated but strong enemy delaying groups as they secured the outskirts of Iwa. Matching this progress, the 381st Regiment advanced all the way to the hills north of Aragusuku, facing steadily increasing resistance. Additionally, while the 17th Regiment established positions controlling the Minatoga-Meka road, the 184th Regiment advanced against patchy and ineffective resistance until the Minatoga area was secured. The following morning, Admiral McCain's Task Force 38 launched strikes on Okinawa and Kyushu. Unfortunately, poor situational awareness from Admiral Halsey caused the 3rd Fleet to inadvertently enter Typhoon Viper. This storm inflicted varying degrees of damage to four carriers, two escort carriers, three cruisers, one destroyer, and one tanker, while also destroying 76 planes. Additionally, kamikaze attacks succeeded in damaging the battleship Mississippi and heavy cruiser Louisville. Back on Okinawa, Shepherd's attack on the Oroku Peninsula commenced and progressed slowly but steadily against uniformly stubborn resistance. The 4th Marines secured most of the airfield and the Toma high ground, while the 29th Marines fought laboriously to advance toward Mura and Oroku, gaining up to 1,000 yards. To the east, the 7th Marines advanced to positions just north of Hanja, while the 1st Marines bypassed the inundated area in front of them by swinging east and following their 3rd Battalion toward Iwa. In fact, Mason's 3rd Battalion launched another attack aimed at Shindawaku Ridge, advancing over 3,000 yards to the area west of Iwa. Despite muddy conditions and rainy weather, Hodge's infantrymen continued to penetrate the enemy outpost zone, developing the edges of the main Japanese battle position. The outpost line of Kiyamu Peninsula was fully manned on June 4. Japanese Army headquarters estimated that the strength of its now concentrated forces totaled 30000, distributed as follows: 24th Division and attached units, 12000; 62nd Division and attached units, 7000; 44th IMB and attached units, 3000; 5th Artillery Command and attached units, 3000; and units directly under 32nd Army command, 5000. The difference in total strength between the 50000-man estimate late in May and the 30000 left in Kiyamu Peninsula was attributed to "attrition during retirement operations." Only about 20% of the remaining troops were survivors of the original crack infantry-artillery units; the rest were untrained rear echelon personnel or Boeitai. Most senior commanders at battalion level and above were still alive, however, and capable of bolstering the fighting spirit of their motley collection of men. But the 32nd Army had suffered grievous losses in weapons and equipment since L-Day. Hand grenades and explosives were almost entirely expended. 4 out of every 5 machine guns had been destroyed, and the supply of heavy infantry cannon and mortars had been reduced to the vanishing point. Despite the fact that 2 150mm guns, 16 150mm howitzers, and 10 AAA guns had been successfully withdrawn to the Kiyamu battle position, artillery ammunition levels were insufficient for more than 10 days of sustained firing. General Ushijima's 32nd Army was in desperate straits, its destruction merely a question of time, but the tradition, discipline, and indoctrination of Japanese military forces promised only a violent, last-ditch, man-to-man struggle before the battle for Okinawa was ended. By June 6, the 7th Division reached the outskirts of Gushichan, and the 96th Division advanced toward Shindawaku and Tomui. To the west, the 1st Marines finally captured Shindawaku and cleared the bypassed area behind them. Meanwhile, the 7th Marines attacked toward Hill 108, advancing 1,000 yards before encountering stiff resistance and ultimately dug in around Dakiton. Additionally, Colonel Roberts' 22nd Marines arrived to contain the Oroku Peninsula in the Hill 103 sector. Although the 29th Marines and Shapley's 1st Battalion made little progress in the Oroku-Mura area due to strong enemy resistance. Meanwhile the terrain confronting the 3rd Battalion there "consisted of a series of small temple-like hills, each of which had been converted into a fortress . . . from which mutually supporting automatic weapons could cover adjacent positions and deny the open ground between the hills." These gun positions were well dug-in and impervious to artillery fire. Because the narrow roads in the area had been made impassable by mines and shell cratering, tank support was not forthcoming, and a day of bitter fighting netted 3/29 a gain of a scant 150 yards. The remainder of the 4th Marines attacked Naha Airfield where counter fire from tanks, artillery, and support craft was immediately laid down. An urgent call for an air strike on the island was answered in less than half an hour, and "as rack after rack of bombs fell on the Nip positions, the troops stood up and cheered." The artillery piece was soon silenced, but 20mm fire was received spasmodically. Nevertheless, 3/4 pressed forward with its open flank covered by continued air strikes on Senaga Shima and completed the capture of Naha airfield before noon, whence they pushed south toward Gushi. At sea, kamikaze attacks crashed into and damaged two destroyer minesweepers, while also causing further damage to escort carrier Natoma Bay and destroyer Anthony on June 7. That day, Shepherd's Marines faced stiff resistance all along the front. The 4th Marines reduced Little Sugar Loaf where stiff resistance and bitter fighting characterized the action in the center and on the left of the 4th Marines' area. However, the attack forged ahead against machine-gun fire coming "from everywhere," while "countless caves were methodically cleaned out and sealed by the old process of direct fire, flame, and demolitions."Meanwhile the 29th Marines entered Oroku, and the 22nd Marines captured Hill 103 and the area south of Tamigusuki. To the southeast, the 7th Marines overran Hanja and Hill 108, ultimately digging in just north of Zawa and linking up with the 1st Marines, which also advanced up to 1,200 yards as they secured Hill 75 and pushed toward Yuza. Further east, the primary offensive efforts of the 7th and 96th Divisions on June 7 and 8 were focused on probing enemy defenses and advancing assault battalions to more favorable positions for an attack. Additionally, by the afternoon of June 8, the 32nd Regiment successfully relieved the exhausted 184th in the Gushichan area. On that same day, the 1st Marines pressed forward to the high ground overlooking the Mukue River, while the 7th Marines moved through Zawa and began probing enemy positions in Itoman, encountering stiffened resistance. The first LVT's, supported by LVTa's, arrived at the newly-uncovered beaches at noon on 8 June, and shortly thereafter General Hodge sent General del Valle "congratulations for cutting the island in two." Meanwhile, on Oroku, the 29th Marines made little progress as they stalled at a key ridgeline on the left. The 4th Marines committed all three of their battalions to the attack, successfully securing the areas of Hill 39 and Gushi Ridge. The 22nd Marines continued to pivot on their right, seizing Hill 55 and making good progress along the front toward Chiwa and Tomigusuki. On June 9, although the 22nd Marines managed to secure Hill 55 and push to Hill 28, little advancement was achieved to the north. Concurrently, the 4th Marines were able to slowly push to the outskirts of Chiwa and Uibaru, with patrols clearing out Chiwa and Whaling's 3rd Battalion extending the front to the north. The action in the zone of the 4th Marines on 9 June remained unchanged from that of preceding days: “The advance was still slow and tedious against bitter resistance. Every Jap seemed to be armed with a machine gun, and there was still the same light and heavy mortar fire. Casualties continued to mount and the number of Japs killed soared over the maximum of 1500 which were supposed to be defending and there were still plenty left.” In the meantime, to the south, Del Valle sent strong patrols across the Mukue, which began to encounter significant enemy resistance. Consequently, the 7th Marines were unable to push toward Tera and Itoman. Further east, Hodge finally launched a corps attack to the south. The 96th Division focused its efforts on softening the enemy positions on the escarpment in front of them, while the 7th Division carried out the offensive. The 32nd Regiment attempted to attack the eastern end of Hill 95 but was unsuccessful; however, they managed to locate and identify the most troublesome sources of enemy fire for destruction. On a more positive note, the 17th Regiment gained a precarious foothold on the southern end of Yaeju Dake, just north of Nakaza, where they would withstand several Japanese counterattacks throughout the night. The first and greatest obstacle confronting Wallace's attack was the open ground over which both assault companies had to move. Wallace used all available support and the men camouflaged themselves with grass and rice plants, but enemy fire began almost as soon as the leading platoons moved into the open. The infantrymen crawled through the slimy rice paddies on their stomachs. Within an hour Company I was strung from the line of departure to the base of the objective which two squads had reached. About this time the Japanese opened fire with another machine gun, separating the advance squads with a band of fire. This left one squad to continue the attack; the remainder of the company was unable to move, cut off by fire or strung across the rice paddies. Those men in the squad still free to operate lifted and pulled each other to the edge of the cliff and crawled quietly forward through the high grass on top. Pfc. Ignac A. Zeleski, a BAR man, moved so stealthily that he almost touched the heels of one Japanese. Zeleski killed him, and the other men killed eight more Japanese within the first ten minutes. Another squad reached the top of the escarpment about an hour later but was caught in cross and grazing fire from three machine guns, and the entire 8-man squad was killed. Gradually, however, a few more men reached the top, and by evening there were twenty men from Company I holding a small area at the escarpment rim. Company K had a similar experience. Accurate enemy fire killed one man, wounded two others, and halted the company when it was from 200 to 300 yards from its objective. For forty-five minutes the attack dragged on until S/Sgt. Lester L. Johnson and eight men maneuvered forward through enemy fire, gained the high ground, and concentrated their fire on the enemy machine gun that was firing on the remainder of the company. This did not silence the gun but did prevent the gunner from aiming well, and Johnson waved for the rest of the company to follow. By 1330 of 9 June Company K was consolidated on the southeastern tip of the Yaeju-Dake. That evening, three small but determined counterattacks, with sustained grenade fire between each attempt, hit the small force from Company I, which held off the attackers with a light machine gun and automatic rifles. Additionally, Wallace's 1st Battalion successfully landed unopposed on Aguni Island to establish air warning and fighter director installations. However, it's now time to leave Okinawa and shift our focus to the Philippines to cover the continuation of General Eichelberger's Mindanao Campaign. As we last saw, by May 3, General Sibert's 10th Corps had successfully invaded the island and secured the key Kabacan road junction. General Woodruff's 24th Division occupied Digos and Davao, while General Martin's 31st Division advanced up the Sayre Highway toward Kibawe. Thanks to the arrival of the 162nd Regiment from Zamboanga, the 31st Division was now able to send another regiment, the 155th, to assist in the push north against General Morozumi's 30th Division. In response to the rapid advance of the 31st Division as far as Kibawe, Morozumi was assembling his units at Malaybalay in preparation for a retreat eastward to the Agusan Valley. He dispatched the 3rd Battalion of the 74th Regiment to the south to delay the Americans in the vicinity of Maramag, at least until May 10. Meanwhile, after capturing Davao, Woodruff's goal was to mop up the sector and destroy General Harada's 100th Division in the mountainous interior. The 100th Division located the southern anchor of its defenses at Catigan, 13 miles southwest of Davao, and the northern anchor in hills some twelve miles north of Davao. The Davao River, flowing generally south-southeast into Davao Gulf at Davao, divided the defensive forces into two groupments. The Right Sector Unit, west of the river, was composed of 5 infantry battalions, 3 regular and 2 provisional. The territory east of the river was the responsibility of the Left Sector Unit--2 regular infantry battalions, 2 provisional battalions, and the Air Force's Hosono Unit of ill-armed service personnel. The Right and Left Sector Units had a little artillery attached, for General Harada kept under his direct control most of the artillery as well as many engineer and service units. As a reserve Harada had about a battalion of regular infantry. The central and strongest portion of Harada's defenses rested its right on rising ground overlooking Libby Airdrome, two miles northwest of Talomo on the coast. From this point the central defenses, along which Harada initially deployed three battalions, extended eastward across the Talomo River and some rough hills to the west bank of the Davao River. The focal point of the central defenses was Mintal, four miles up Route 1-D from Talomo. Anticipating ultimate withdrawal into the mountains via Route 1-D, the southeastern section of the so-called Kibawe-Talomo trail, Harada had prepared defenses in depth along the highway and along ancillary roads paralleling it. Much of the region west of the Davao River from Talomo northwest twelve miles to Calinan was covered with overgrown abaca, or hemp, plantations. Resembling banana plants, and growing to a height of about 20 feet, the abaca plants had originally been planted in rows 10 feet apart, with 10 feet between plants. With harvesting slack during the war, the plantations had become thick with shoots, and older plants had grown to a foot or so in diameter. Plants of various sizes were, in April 1945, scarcely a foot apart. Visibility was virtually nil, and the heat at the hemp plantations was like that of an oven. With the 162nd Regiment taking control of Digos and the area stretching from Illana Bay's shores inland to Kabacan, Woodruff was now free to utilize his entire division to engage the enemy forces in the Davao area. At the start of May, the 21st Regiment had already launched an attack to clear Libby Airdrome, Route 1-D between Mintal and Talomo, and Mintal itself. They successfully reached Mintal by May 3, effectively forcing Harada to reinforce his defenses near the Talomo River. Although the airdrome was cleared two days later, subsequent efforts up Route 1-D toward Mintal were repelled by fiercely defending Japanese forces. Due to this resistance, elements of the 34th Regiment attempted to drive north along the high ground on the east bank of the Talomo River to bypass the Japanese defenses on Route 1-D. On May 8, the 21st Regiment finally crossed to the east side at Mintal; however, in the face of Japanese artillery, mortar, and machine-gun fire, they had to withdraw back to the west bank two days later. At the same time, the 19th Regiment was expanding its hold in the Davao area, striking into the high ground controlling the coast road immediately west of the Davao River on May 10. They also cleared scattered Japanese strongpoints on hills just north of Davao and on Samal Island. Two days later, the 21st Regiment again attacked northward along the east bank of the Talomo, successfully clearing out numerous positions from which the Japanese had directed fire on Route 1-D. By May 14, the highway all the way north to Mintal was finally secured. In the meantime, the 124th Regiment started north from Kibawe on May 6. However, the recently arrived Japanese defenders at Maramag managed to delay the occupation of this town until May 12, thus accomplishing their task more than adequately. Despite this success, Eichelberger had shrewdly sensed that Morozumi would attempt to make a last stand in the hills northwest of Davao. Therefore, he decided to land the 108th Regiment behind enemy lines in the Macajalar Bay area to expedite the conquest of Mindanao and open a new supply route to the 31st Division. Accordingly, on May 10, the 108th Regiment landed unopposed along the southeastern shore of Macajalar Bay, making contact almost immediately with guerrilla units operating in the region. This regiment then drove down the Sayre Highway to meet the 31st Division advancing from the south, encountering no significant resistance until May 13, when it faced strong Japanese defenses near Dalirig. With its rear protected by the recently landed 3rd Battalion of the 164th Regiment, the 108th proceeded to attack the enemy positions with great intensity, finally forcing the Japanese to retreat to the area east of Malaybalay by May 16. Concurrently, on May 13, the 155th Regiment passed through the 124th Regiment to continue the drive northward, meeting little opposition but facing supply problems. By May 20, the Americans finally reached the outskirts of Malaybalay, where fire from remnants of the 30th Field Artillery Regiment halted their advance. Realizing that the regiment could not haul its weapons into the mountains east of Malaybalay, Morozumi had left the unit at Malaybalay to fight a rear-guard action, which was successful in keeping the 155th Infantry out of the town until late on 21 May. On 22 and 23 May the 155th continued up Sayre Highway, encountering elements of Morozumi's Northern Sector Unit that had not learned that American troops had reached Malaybalay and were still withdrawing southward to join the 30th Division's main body. Pressed by troops of the 108th Infantry, 40th Division, which had already landed at Macajalar Bay, the retreating forces gave the 155th Infantry little trouble and, about 1400 on 23 May, the 155th made contact with the 108th Infantry near Impalutao, twelve miles northwest of Malaybalay. Its share in the task of clearing Sayre Highway cost the 31st Division approximately 90 men killed and 250 wounded, while the 108th Infantry, 40th Division, lost roughly 15 men killed and 100 wounded. Together, the two units killed almost 1,000 Japanese during their operations along the highway, and captured nearly 25 more. Nevertheless, the 30th Division had managed to escape east this time to establish new positions near Silae. Back in Davao, on May 15, Woodruff directed the 21st and 34th Regiments to attack abreast to the north and northwest, targeting the Japanese center. Meanwhile, the 19th Regiment advanced north to clear the northeastern shores of Davao Gulf, link up with the guerrilla forces north of the gulf, and ultimately swing westward against the 100th Division's left flank forces. Surprised by the lack of enemy attacks against his flanks, Harada concluded that the American forces intended to neglect his flanks in favor of a frontal assault on his center. As a result, he weakened the defenses of the Left Sector Unit to reinforce the Mintal line, leaving only Admiral Doi's air-naval troops to defend his left flank. On May 17, Woodruff renewed his offensive. The 19th Regiment struck north to establish contact with the guerrilla 107th Division, while the 34th Regiment began clearing the coastal hills between the Talomo and Davao Rivers and attacked northwest toward Tugbok. The 21st Regiment also drove north toward Tugbok in the face of determined opposition. Progress in the following days was slow due to intense artillery, machine-gun, rocket, mortar, and rifle fire. However, by May 27, the 21st Regiment seized the Tugbok area, with the 34th Regiment arriving the next day to relieve them. As Harada's strongest defenses had been breached, he ordered a general withdrawal to a hastily established second line crossing Route 1-D in the vicinity of Ula. Furthermore, the 19th Regiment managed to establish contact with the guerrillas by May 24 as it secured Route 1 north of Davao. On May 29, the 19th Regiment struck westward toward Doi's Mandog defenses, closing in two days later to engage the naval troops in fierce combat. Concurrently, on May 30, the 34th Regiment attacked toward Ula, which fell easily the following day, though progress then slowed in the face of fanatic resistance. Reinforced by the recently arrived 3rd Battalion of the 163rd Regiment on June 4, the 34th began to make headway beyond Ula on the secondary road, gaining one mile by June 6 before swinging east toward Mandog. The next day, having overrun Doi's outer defenses, the 19th Regiment advanced steadily into the main positions near Mandog, which ultimately fell by June 9, just as the 34th was reaching the area. Continuing northward, the 34th was almost three miles north of Ula along both roads and found few signs of organized Japanese resistance by June 11. However, the 19th Regiment would not clear the hills north of Mandog until June 15. In the meantime, the 21st Regiment struck north from Lamogan on May 31 along secondary roads west of Route 1-D, ultimately seizing Wangan on June 16 and forcing Harada's battered forces to commence a full retreat northward in disarray. After the fall of Culanan three days later, Harada finally decided to retreat to a new line near the Bannos River. Yet Woodruff's troops continued to pursue them, rapidly crossing the Tamogan River and inflicting heavy casualties on the retreating enemy until they reached the mountain barrio of Kibangay on June 26, where the pursuit was finally halted. Looking back to the north, with Sayre Highway cleared, the 124th Regiment began probing into the mountains to the east in late May, encountering heavy resistance, rough terrain, bad weather, and supply problems. Nevertheless, by June 5, Morozumi abandoned his plan to hold the Silae area for a month and slowly began moving his best troops eastward toward Waloe in the Agusan River valley, harassed by Filipino guerrillas along the way. In the end, Silae was finally occupied on June 9, with troops of the 108th Regiment pushing further to the Bobonawan River four days later. Additionally, the 155th Regiment arrived on the Pulangi River on June 12, while elements of the 162nd Regiment struck twenty miles into the mountains east from Maramag by June 26. On June 25, the 1st Battalion of the 155th Regiment successfully landed on Butuan Bay and managed to reach Waloe before the Japanese on June 27, dispersing the 3rd Battalion of the 41st Regiment that was holding the area. However, the Japanese retreat was so slow that Morozumi was still assembling his forces about seven miles up the Agusan from Waloe by the end of the war. Far to the northwest, units of the 31st Division had been probing southeast along the upper section of the Kibawe-Talomo trail ever since early May, and on the 11th of that month a battalion combat team of the 167th Infantry launched the reconnaissance-in-force directed by General Sibert. Japanese along this section of the trail, about 1,000 men in all, comprised a conglomerate mass of service troops with a small leavening of infantry. Control was vested in General Tomochika, chief of staff of the 35th Army, who had set up a small headquarters groupment near barrio Pinamola, about twenty miles southeast of Kibawe. The Japanese force had a defensive potential far greater than its strength and nature would indicate, for the terrain gave the Japanese every conceivable advantage. Bounded on both sides by dense jungle and thick rain forest, the trail as far as Pinamola ran up and down steep ridges and was scarcely jeep-wide. Rains of late May soon rendered all sections of the trail completely impassable to wheeled vehicles, and supplies had to come in by airdrop, supplemented when possible by hand-carrying parties and laden Carabaos. The mud was so deep that often troops had to pull, push, or even jack the Carabaos out of gooey holes. Delayed by the Japanese, the terrain, and the weather, the 167th Infantry's battalion did not reach the Pulangi River, thirteen miles southeast of Kibawe, until 29 May. Then, although the Japanese from the trail could no longer offer any threat to the 31st Division, the battalion continued south toward Pinamola, aided considerably by guerrillas. The remnants of the 1st Battalion, 74th Infantry, and the South Sector Unit, 30th Division, which had been driven into the mountains along Highway 3 by the swift American advance in central Mindanao had meanwhile been attached to Tomochika's forces early in June. Troops of the 167th Infantry finally reached Pinamola on 30 June as the remaining Japanese were withdrawing southward another eight miles to the crossing of the Kuluman River. Progress as far as Pinamola had cost the 167th Infantry approximately 60 men killed and 180 wounded, while the Japanese had lost almost 400 killed along the same section of the trail. Elements of the 167th Infantry held along the northwestern section of the Kibawe-Talomo trail until the end of the war, and as of 15 August the regiment was preparing to send troops across the Kuluman River to continue the advance southeastward. On that date nearly 30 miles of Japanese-improved trail, only 19 air miles--still separated the 167th Infantry from guerrilla units operating in the vicinity of Kibangay. Organized remnants of Harada's 100th Division holed up until the end of the war in rugged terrain north of this 30-mile stretch of the trail. Finally, the 24th Reconnaissance Troop successfully landed on the southeastern shore of Sarangani Bay on July 4 to establish contact with the guerrilla 116th Regiment, subsequently clearing the bay's shores against negligible resistance. On July 12, the 1st Battalion of the 21st Regiment landed on the northwest shore, just as two provisional battalions were arriving in the area from different directions. The three forces began to clear the area, successfully locating and destroying the only Japanese unit in the region by July 25. This concluded the campaign in Mindanao, during which the Americans suffered 820 men killed and 2,880 wounded. In turn, almost 10,540 Japanese were killed in eastern Mindanao by June 30, with the pursuing Filipino-American units killing another 2,325 Japanese by the war's end. Roughly 600 Japanese prisoners were captured, over 250 of whom were civilians, before August. After the war, about 22,250 Japanese troops and 11,900 civilians turned themselves in. It is also estimated that an additional 8,235 Japanese lost their lives due to starvation and disease between April and the war's end. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. In the spring of 1945, the fierce battle for Okinawa escalated as General Buckner's troops captured crucial strongholds, pushing the Japanese forces into retreat. Meanwhile the liberation of Mindanao was kicking up. American forces launched a rapid invasion, confronting Japanese defenders who were heavily fortified in the mountainous regions. Despite the stubborn resistance, American troops relentlessly battled, ultimately culminating in significant victories and paving the way for liberation.
In today's episode, we're spotlighting Angela Chamberlain, a first-generation Filipino-American and stay-at-home mom who took a bold leap into government contracting—and landed big. With no background in construction, no federal experience, and no traditional “qualifications,” Angela trusted her gut, followed the GovCon Giants blueprint, and turned her mornings into momentum. From hearing me on the Trucking Hustle podcast to closing her first consulting deal and helping a local HVAC company win a $250,000 contract, her story is all about grit, heart, and taking aligned action. Angela breaks down her journey—from waking up at 5AM to study while her kids slept, to attending matchmaking events, forming strategic partnerships, and getting her client ready for bonding and bidding. You'll hear how she turned curiosity into clarity, made connections at preschool fundraisers, and proved that intuition plus execution is a winning formula. If you've been waiting for the right time to jump in—this is your sign. Let's dive into how she built her confidence, launched her consulting biz, and changed not only her life, but someone else's too. Watch the episode on Youtube here: https://youtu.be/iDoWRgp99fA Govcon Coaching: https://www.govconcoaching.com/home63196883 Pricing: https://www.govconcoaching.com/pricing-page
Shawn Gann is a Filipino-American voice actor and voice director. He's best known for being the English voice of Hekiji Tengai in My Hero Academia's fourth season. In this episode Shawn and I discuss his career, Kaiju No.8, subs vs dubs, The Apothecary Diaries, anime production, the current anime landscape, and our favorite trashy anime. Shawn's website and socials:https://linktr.ee/Readykafka
Let's explore the connections between Black Americans and Filipino Americans.https://youtu.be/PcPS-21ZVMw?s...
Today on AirTalk, Tinder's latest update allows paid users to set height preferences for potential partners; a new study shows a growing number of the mental health of mothres is declining; Johneric Concordia is the chef behind a Filipino-American BBQ restaurant; FilmWeek and 'Killer of Sheep' filmmaker Charles Burnett talks about its new 4K restoration. Today on AirTalk Tinder now lets paid users set a height preference (0:15) Dropoffs in mothers' mental wellness (18:29) Filipino-American BBQ (38:12) FilmWeek: ‘The Phoenician Scheme,’ ‘Bring Her Back' and more (51:33) Charles Burnett talks ‘Killer of Sheep’ (1:22:28)
Originally published: October 25th 2021Eva Farah is a Filipino- American, Mexican who is an incredible advocate in equity education. We discuss the barriers and process of working within white supremacist culture. Join us!!Give what you can to this GoFundMe to provide hot meals to Palestinian children in north Gaza: https://www.gofundme.com/f/Hot-meals-in-gaza-daily Donate to www.anera.org and if you are in the US go to www.uscpr.org and www.jvp.org for education and prompts for taking action to support Palestine. MECA is on the ground to provide Gaza with medical aid, clean water, food, psychological support, and more. Give what you can at www.mecaforpeace.org BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/blackgirl4rmeugene.bsky.social Substack: https://substack.com/@blackgirlfromeugene YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@blackgirlfromeugene Patreon: www.patreon.com/blackgirlfromeugene_1 Eugene Weekly column: https://eugeneweekly.com/2025/01/16/the-legacy/ KPEW radio: https://kepw.org Supporters Club: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/black-girl-from-eugene--6035717/support Website: https://blackgirlfromeugene.org Nurturely perinatal wellness: https://nurturely.orgMusic: The Sermon - Blue Dot SessionsProduced by: Fox And Raven Media
In this bonus episode of The Association Insights Podcast, we wrap up our Gen Z Insights Series—spotlighting rising professionals shaping the future of associations from the inside out. This special series is made possible by our partners at Highland.Host Keaveny Hewitt from OnWrd & UpWrd sits down with Alyssa Garcia, Web Project Manager, Master Juggler, and Cat Herder at Matrix Group International, whose journey from audio engineer to association tech partner is anything but traditional. Alyssa brings a refreshing blend of creative storytelling, strategic thinking, and deep curiosity to the conversation—offering insights on everything from website design to DEI, mentorship, and what it means to take up space.
What does healing look like when men are finally allowed to speak? In this powerful episode, we bring together four incredible voices—Leo Xia, Michael Huynh, Jackson Xia, and Noel Garcia, who are each reshaping the conversation around men's mental health, identity, and healing within Asian and Asian American communities. Through stories of pain, resilience, and community, this episode sheds light on how mental health challenges have shaped their identities, not just as individuals, but as men breaking generational silence. We also discuss what the future could look like if more safe spaces existed for men to connect, express, and heal. Whether you're personally navigating your journey or looking to support others, this conversation offers hope, guidance, and a powerful reminder: you are not alone. About the guests: Leo Xia is a men's group leader and facilitator focused on supporting Asian men. Through over six years of work and 500+ conversations, he's explored themes such as masculinity, identity, and culture. He leads JinShan Men's Community under his company, JinShan Collective, and facilitates Proud Asian Men with the nonprofit Asian Mental Health Project. → Leo Xia https://www.instagram.com/lowhiofficial/ → Proud Asian Men Bay Area Retreat 2025 https://lu.ma/2hlvr42p Michael Huynh is a mental health researcher completing his PhD in Public Health at UC Irvine. He studies the impact of social relationships on mental health within Asian American communities. → Michael Huynh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mphuynh/ Jackson Xia is a dancer and facilitator who brings people together through joyful movement. With 15 years of street dance experience, he's taught youth across 20+ schools and led sessions for groups like Homeboy Industries and the Sierra Club. He also founded Soulful Sundays, a free dance picnic in Echo Park that supports mental health through movement in nature. → Jackson Xia: https://www.instagram.com/jackson.inabox/ → Soulful Sundays: https://www.instagram.com/soulfulsundaysla Noel Garcia is a Filipino American artist and founder of Genbu Daiko, with nearly 30 years of experience in Taiko drumming. His work blends rhythm, story, and soul to create spaces for healing, reflection, and connection. → Noel Garcia: https://www.instagram.com/taikonoel/ → Genbu Daiko of San Diego https://www.instagram.com/genbudaiko/ Useful Links: National Suicide and Mental Health Lifeline:→ https://988lifeline.org/ Teen Line:→ https://www.teenline.org/ How to Support Loved Ones: → https://www.suicideisdifferent.org/ → https://www.suicideispreventable.org/ --- ***This episode is sponsored by:
Our guest on this 46th episode of the 2025 season—celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month—is Kaye Vitug, senior vice president and chief financial officer at Roche Diagnostics. Vitug shares her powerful personal and professional journey from growing up in the Philippines to becoming a top financial executive in the global pharmaceutical and diagnostics industry. She reflects on the values of education, service, faith and community that shaped her leadership style, and discusses the challenges of immigrating to the United States and navigating a corporate career as a Filipino American woman. Vitug also speaks about the importance of cultural agility, drawing from her global experiences in California, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Switzerland and now Indiana. She offers valuable insight into the responsibilities of a CFO, the importance of authenticity in leadership, and the role that mentorship, coaching and sponsorship play in developing emerging leaders—particularly those from diverse backgrounds. She emphasizes resilience, humility and strategic thinking as essential qualities for success, and shares how her career has been shaped by leaders who took a chance on her potential. This episode is a thoughtful reflection on inclusive leadership, global experience and the importance of creating environments where all professionals can thrive.
In this episode, we sit down with AJ's incredible sister, Jasmine Rafael, Broadway performer, choreographer, artist, and proud queer Filipino-American! We talk queer relationships, identity, and their journey to the stage. Honest, heartfelt, and full of sibling love.
“ It was always in me — my grandparents were almost like these mystical figures, and they did really great things. So I was always like, ‘Why can't I discover more of that side of me?' ” Brian Velasquez Reid is co-founder + CFO of Dear Flor, the first Filipina-owned cannabis brand — bringing Filipino culture to the world, one flavor at a time. And he happens to be co-founder with recent FrieMMd of the pod Lisa Angulo Reid. Basically, Lisa said we had to have a chat with Brian, and we're really glad we did. Brian and Lisa met at a Philippine Society of Boston College picnic way back when in the 90s, or the olden days as the kids call it. Brian's originally from New Jersey, but now a proud New Yorker - him and Lisa have raised their family in Greenwich Village for years now. He actually got his start on some of Wall Street's top firms and became one of the first Filipino Americans to be a founding partner at a multi-billion-dollar hedge fund, as well as lots of other big deal roles in the financial world. Brian also serves as Treasurer of the FilAm Democrats of NY and is on the executive board of the Filipino American Historical Society of Metro New York. You'll enjoy this candid conversation with two guys raising families and coming to terms with our heritage, and what it means for the next generation of American.s And we didn't even talk about punk rock, heavy metal, dungeons and dragons or comic books too much... LEARN MORE: DearFlor.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The exhibit, "Taste San Diego: Filipino Culinary Journeys" explores Filipino American history and identity and its deep connections to San Diego.
NEWS: Filipino, American troops hold CSAR exercise in Iba | May 7, 2025Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.netFollow us:Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebookInstagram - https://tmt.ph/instagramTwitter - https://tmt.ph/twitterDailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotionSubscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digitalSign up to our newsletters: https://tmt.ph/newslettersCheck out our Podcasts:Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotifyApple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcastsAmazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusicDeezer: https://tmt.ph/deezerStitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcherTune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein#TheManilaTimesVisit our website at https://www.manilatimes.netFollow us:Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebookInstagram - https://tmt.ph/instagramTwitter - https://tmt.ph/twitterDailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotionSubscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digitalSign up to our newsletters: https://tmt.ph/newslettersCheck out our Podcasts:Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotifyApple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcastsAmazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusicDeezer: https://tmt.ph/deezerStitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcherTune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein#TheManilaTimesw Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode of the George Perez Stories comedy podcast, host George Perez and producer Johnny Roque sit down with legendary Filipino-American comedian Edwin San Juan for a hilarious and raw conversation about life in stand-up comedy, Chicano culture, and the wild side of life on the road. This episode dives deep into the roots of Chicano comedy, street survival stories, comedy club tales, and unforgettable moments from their time hustling in the stand-up scene. From breaking into the stand-up comedy world in the '90s to sharing stages at legendary venues like the Laugh Factory and the Ice House, Edwin brings real talk and comedy gold. George and Edwin riff on Latino and Filipino culture, prison stories, OG comics, and the grind of making it in Hollywood — with behind-the-scenes insights and non-stop laughs. Whether you're a die-hard fan of Latino stand-up, a podcast lover, or just want to hear comics get real, this episode is a must-listen!Instagram handles:Johnny Roque – @roquejohnnyGeorge Perez – @georgepcomedyEdwin San Juan – @edwinsanjuan
This week, we kick off our new exhibit and content initiative American Prophets: Writers, Religion, and Culture with four writers of speculative fiction: N. K. Jemisin, Matthew J. Kirby, Nnedi Okorafor, and Nghi Vo. Moderated by Michi Trota, the panel of authors discuss religion in their writing, the importance of considering socio-spiritual systems when world-building, and how these influence the ways their characters move through the worlds they create.This conversation originally took place April 22, 2025 and was recorded live at the Harold Washington Library Center in Chicago. We hope you enjoy entering the Mind of a Writer.American Prophets: Writers, Religion, and Culture opens November 2025 at the American Writers Museum in Chicago. Learn more about the exhibit and upcoming programming schedule here. American Prophets is supported by a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative.AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOMEMore about the writers:N. K. JEMISIN is a fantasy author and 2020 MacArthur Fellow whose fiction has been recognized with multiple Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards. Most of her works have been optioned for television or film, and collectively her novels, including the Broken Earth trilogy — The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate, and The Stone Sky — have sold over two million copies. Her speculative works range widely in theme, though with repeated motifs: resistance and oppression, loneliness and belonging, and Wouldn't It Be Cool If This One Ridiculous Thing Happened. In her spare time she's into tabletop and video games, biking, fanfiction, and urban gardening. She lives and writes in Brooklyn, with her son and two cats.MATTHEW J. KIRBY is the critically acclaimed and award-winning author of numerous books for young readers, including The Clockwork Three, Icefall, The Lost Kingdom, the Dark Gravity Sequence, the Assassin's Creed series Last Descendants, A Taste for Monsters, and Star Splitter. He has also written adult titles for the Assassin's Creed and Diablo video game franchises. He has won the Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery, the PEN Center USA award for Children's Literature, and the Judy Lopez Memorial Award.NNEDI OKORAFOR is the author of multiple award-winning and New York Times bestsellers, including Death of the Author, the Binti trilogy, Who Fears Death, and Lagoon, currently in development at Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment. She has won every major prize in speculative fiction, including the World Fantasy, Nebula, and Eisner Awards; multiple Hugo Awards; and the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa. Born in Cincinnati to Igbo Nigerian immigrant parents, she now resides in Phoenix, Arizona, with her daughter, Anyaugo.NGHI VO is the author of the novels Siren Queen and The Chosen and the Beautiful, as well as the acclaimed novellas of the Singing Hills Cycle, which began with The Empress of Salt and Fortune. The series entries have been finalists for the Nebula Award, the Locus Award, and the Lambda Literary Award, and have won the Crawford Award, the Ignyte Award, and the Hugo Award. Born in Illinois, she now lives on the shores of Lake Michigan. She believes in the ritual of lipstick, the power of stories, and the right to change your mind. Her latest release is Don't Sleep With the Dead.MICHI TROTA is a five-time Hugo Award-winning Filipino American writer, editor, and narrative expert. Her work explores how to use empowerment, representation, and storytelling to attain collective liberation and to dismantle oppressive institutions, not just survive them. She is the Executive Editor at the environmental justice and advocacy nonprofit Green America and her publications include the Wing Luke Museum 2018-19 exhibit Worlds Beyond Here: Expanding the Universe of APA Science Fiction and Chicago Magazine, and she's been featured in The Guardian, Chicago Tribune, and CNN: Philippines. She is also a member of the Filipino Young Leaders Program 2022 Immersion cohort and a fire performer with Raks Geek/Raks Inferno Fire+Bellydance.
This week in Episode #691, Wayne talks with Cecilia and Waverley Lim from Kwento Comics about their excellent YA series The Mask of Haliya! Kwento Comics, the trailblazing Filipino-American comic book publisher, recently concluded their successful Kickstarter for the second volume of The Mask of Haliya, a young adult urban fantasy graphic novel inspired by Philippine mythology. The good news is--you can still back this high-power project, which is described this way: “THE MASK OF HALIYA follows the journey of a troubled Filipina-American teen who discovers a mysterious mask at her great-grandmother's wake.” We talk about Kwento Comics, how The Mask of Haliya came to be, who the characters are, and what else we can expect from this international, all-Asian, all-female creative team in the months ahead! Be sure to go to the link above and support them once you have listened to this great interview! Major Spoilers Podcast Network Master Feed RSS Feed Show your thanks to Major Spoilers for this episode by becoming a Major Spoilers Patreon member. It will help ensure Wayne's Comics Podcast continues far into the future!
A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists. Host Miko Lee celebrates AAPINH Month by interviewing Filmmakers: Sara Kambe Holland, Alleluiah Panis, and Kyle Casey Chu, also known as Panda Dulce. We also cover a bunch of AAPINH month events happening throughout the Bay Area. Calendar of Events Community Calendar May 3 2-6pm Daly City AAPI Fest celebrating local Asian American & Pacific Islander culture in Daly City and the Greater San Francisco Bay Area May 10 10am-12pm PT Our Heritage 5K 2025 a FREE, family-friendly 5K fun walk/run honoring the rich history and contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in San Francisco. This scenic route winds through the heart of the city, passing by over 16+ historic AAPI landmarks—featuring goodies, resources, and fun facts about its cultural significance. Expect cheer stations, photo ops, sweet treats, and entertainment along the route to keep the energy high! May 10th is also AAPI Mental Health Day! The Our Wellness Festival, will celebrate mental health, community, and joy. The festival will feature family-friendly activities, carnival-style games, music, dancing, wellness resources, and more! May 23 at 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm Asian American and Pacific Islander LGBTQ2S+ Mixer NJAHS Peace Gallery 1684 Post Street, San Francisco Children's Fairyland in Oakland, and Stanford's Asian American studies department host a series of events throughout the month that we will post in the show notes for you to check out. Bay Area Public Libraries AAPI Month Oakland public libraries feature reading lists for all ages, a grab and grow seedling kit and events like watermelon kimchi making!San Francisco Public Libraries There will be events for all ages at Library locations throughout the City, including free author talks, book clubs, film screenings, crafts, food programs and musical and dance performances. San Jose Public libraries host a series of events with a highlights being Tapa Cloth making on May 6 and Vegan Filipino Cooking with Astig Vegan on May 7 Berkeley public libraries CAAMFest 2025 United States of Asian America Through June 1 Transcript: Filmmakers Exploring Boundaries Opening: [00:00:00] Apex Express Asian Pacific expression. Community and cultural coverage, music and calendar, new visions and voices, coming to you with an Asian Pacific Islander point of view. It's time to get on board the Apex Express. Ayame Keane-Lee: [00:00:57] Welcome to Apex Express and happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Even though the Trump administration has eliminated recognizing cultural heritage months, we are still celebrating diversity and inclusion. Here at Apex Express and KPFA, we believe in lifting up people's voices. And tonight on Apex Express, we are focusing on Asian American filmmakers exploring boundaries. Host Mika Lee talks with filmmakers, creators, writers Sarah Kambe Holland, Alleluiah Panis, and Kyle Casey Chu, also known as Panda Dulce. Join us on Apex Express. Miko Lee: [00:01:51] Welcome, Sarah Kambe Holland, the amazing young filmmaker, writer, director, here to talk about your very first film, egghead and Twinkie. Welcome to Apex Express. Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:02:04] Thanks so much for having me. Miko Lee: [00:02:06] So first I'm gonna start with a personal question, which is an adaptation from the amazing poet Chinaka Hodges. And my first question is, who are your people and what legacy do you carry with you? Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:02:19] Oh wow. What a great question. , I think that I represent my family and my heritage. I'm mixed, so I'm half Japanese and half British. I grew up partially in Japan and partially in the States. I feel like those experiences, my family, they make up who I am and the stories that I wanna tell. Miko Lee: [00:02:41] And what legacy do you carry with you? Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:02:45] I think the legacy of my family, my grandparents on both sides have overcome so much, and, , they're a big inspiration to me. Funny enough, my grandparents play kind of a secret role in this film. My grandparents on my mom's side were incarcerated in the Japanese American camps. My grandmom, my British side overcame a lot of adversity as well in her life. , I think that's the legacy that I carry. Miko Lee: [00:03:09] Thank you. Tell me a little more, what secret role do your grandparents play in the film? Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:03:14] all my grandparents have always been very supportive of, my art and my filmmaking. But my grandparents on my mom's side, they passed away ahead of the making of this film. And I inherited my grandfather's car. And that car is the car in the movie that, Egghead Twinkie drive cross country. So I like to think that this is their way of supporting me. I think that they would get a kick out of the fact that their car is like a main character in the film, Miko Lee: [00:03:41] literally carrying you on your journey. I had so much fun watching the film. Can you share with our audience a little bit about what the film is about and what inspired you to create this? Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:03:52] So the film is called Egghead and Twinkie, and it's about this mixed Asian teenage lesbian named Twinkie who's coming out and her best friend Egghead, who unfortunately is in love with her and she does not feel the same. , and they end up going on this cross country road trip to meet Twinkie Online love interest IRL for the very first time. So it's kind of like a buddy comedy road trip movie. Coming of age queer story, , and it's one that's very personal to me, I think is a mixed Asian queer person. This was a story I was drawn to tell because it was a story that I didn't really see on screen when I was growing up. Miko Lee: [00:04:30] Can you talk to me a little bit more about the use of the name Twinkie, which for many folks in the A API community is seen as a slur, and I know she talks about it a little in the film, but can you share more how you came up with that? Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:04:44] Yes, it's a very nuanced thing and it's something I was kind of nervous to tackle, especially like in a comedy film. , but really with the creation of Twinkie's character, , I feel like she's going on this journey to embrace herself as a lesbian, as a gay woman, but then also I think that she's searching for herself as a mixed Asian person. I feel like within the Asian American community, if you're raised here in the US or if you're mixed or if you're adopted, I think that there can be this feeling of not feeling Asian enough. I think the word Twinkie was something that was kind of weaponized against her. Like, oh, you know, you're not Asian enough, you're a Twinkie. And her way of coping with that is to kind of reclaim that word and kind of own that. As her own name. Miko Lee: [00:05:31] Thank you so much for sharing. I read online that this is the very first feature film to be crowdfunded on TikTok. Can you talk a little bit about, I know your background is in as a social media creator. Can you talk about that journey from social media creator to filmmaker? Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:05:51] Yes. Yeah. TikTok and social media was such a big part of getting this film made. Uh, so for myself, yeah. I was a YouTuber before I was a filmmaker. I should be clear, I wasn't like PewDiePie or anything like that. I had like 40,000 followers. Um, but for me at that time when I was like 15, 16, that felt like the whole world. Um, and I think that YouTube was really my first introduction to. Storytelling, but also to making friends with people through the internet. And that ended up being a really big influence on this film because Twinkie is traveling cross country to meet a girl that she meets online. And I think that that is such a common story nowadays. Like people make friends online all the time. Um, and the ways that we find love and community has changed.Because of the internet. Um, so it felt very appropriate that we turned to TikTok turned to social media as a means to raise money for this film. Uh, we did a whole targeted crowdfunding campaign on TikTok and we raised over $20,000 from a lot of strangers that I will never meet, but I owe a lot of thanks to. Miko Lee: [00:06:53] So now that the film has been going out to different festivals and being screened at different places, have any of those that participated in the crowdfund, have you met any of those kind of anonymous supporters? Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:07:05] Yes. And that was crazy. it was awesome. We screened it over 40 festivals all around the world. Our international premiere was at the British Film Institute in London. And it was at that screening that someone raised their hand during the q and a and they were like, I just wanted you to know that I backed your movie, uh, and I found you on TikTok. And that just blew my mind that someone on the other side of the world, you know, had donated whatever, you know, 10, 20 bucks to making this thing a reality. Miko Lee: [00:07:31] Oh, I love that when the anonymous becomes real like a person in front of you that you can actually meet. How fun. I'm wondering if your use of animation is, , been influenced by your social media background. Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:07:45] Not really. Actually. I think the animation part of this film is just because I'm a total nerd. I really love animation, I love comics. And so that kind of bled into Twinkies character. You know, she loves comics, she wants to be an animator. And, uh, I think I've always been interested in the idea of combining 2D animation with live action footage. I feel like that's something that we see a lot in like children's movies or, um.Music videos, but it's not something that you really see in like, feature films all that often. So I was kind of excited to explore that, and it was a really fun collaboration with myself and our lead animator, Dylan Ello, who did most of the animations in the movie. Miko Lee: [00:08:28] Oh, thank you for that. I, I, it was very delightful. Um, I'm wondering, because we're, our world right now is incredibly complicated and so conflicted. How do you feel filmmaking can make a difference? Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:08:44] I feel like art is more important now than ever because I see even in just this film's journey how art literature and movies, it can change people's minds and they don't even realize that their minds are changing.I think especially with this film, 'cause it's so lighthearted and funny and silly, you'd be like, oh, it's just, you know, a good laugh and that's it. But, but not really. I've seen this film. Open doors and open conversations. And I think that that's really my hope is that maybe, you know, parents who have a queer kid and they're not sure what to do about it, maybe they'll watch this film and they'll be able to talk to their kid about things that maybe they're afraid to talk about. I think that art really has the power to, to change people's minds. Miko Lee: [00:09:29] Have you experienced that with somebody that has actually seen your film, that you've had a conversation with them where they walked away, changed from seeing it? Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:09:38] Well, on a very personal level, um, my parents, uh, are conservative and I think when I first came out to them, it was an adjustment for sure. Um, I. When I initially kind of pitched the idea of Egghead and Twinkie to them years, years ago, uh, as a short film, they were confused. They were like, why do you wanna make this film about being gay? Like, why do you have to make everything about being gay? And that's not really what it was. I just wanted to tell this story. And it's been such an amazing journey to see my parents like fully embrace this movie. Like they are egghead and Twinkie biggest fans. They might love this movie more than me. Uh, so that has been really amazing to be able to kind of talk to them about queer issues in my identity through the making of this movie. Miko Lee: [00:10:24] I love that. So let our audience know how they can see your film, egghead and Twinkie. Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:10:31] So Egg and Twinkie is coming out on streaming platforms on April 29th. It'll be on Apple tv, Amazon Prime, uh, any video on demand streaming platform in North America. Miko Lee: [00:10:43] Yay. And Sarah, what are you working on next? Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:10:46] Oh boy, have a big question. Uh, I have a few screenplays in the works, one of which is a time traveling lesbian rom-com. So, uh, I'm waiting for when I get the big bucks so I can make my first period piece. Miko Lee: [00:10:59] Love it. Sounds fun. , thank you so much for sharing with us. It was such a delight to see your film and I look forward to seeing more of your work. Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:11:08] Thanks so much for having me, Miko. This was great. Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:11:11] Listen to Kushimoto Bushi by Minyo crusaders, a Japanese cumbia band MUSIC Welcome back. This is the Powerleegirls on apex express, and that was Kushimoto Bushi by Minyo Crusaders Miko Lee: [00:15:24] Welcome, Alleluia Panis, the Executive Director of Kularts to Apex Express. Alleluia Panis: [00:15:30] Thank you. I'm so honored to be here. Miko Lee: [00:15:34] I wanna talk with you about your film, but first I wanna start with a personal question, which is an adaptation from the amazing poet Chinaka Hodges. And that is, who are your people and what legacy do you carry with you? Alleluia Panis: [00:15:49] Wow, that's deep who are my people? My people is my community. And so it is here in, in the diaspora, Filipino Americans, Asian Americans, and folks of color. And then of course the indigenous people in the Philippines. . What I carry with me and continues to inspire me on the daily is the knowing that we have been here for a long time. Our ancestors have survived eons of whether it's, good times and bad times. And so that keeps me going. Miko Lee: [00:16:28] Thank you so much for sharing. you have been working in the field for a long time. You're really, , a trailblazer in terms of putting Filipino arts on the map and really lifting up the culture. Can you talk about your new film Memories of Mindanao, where that came from, what it's all about? Alleluia Panis: [00:16:49] Is a leg of, , Tribo tour, which began in 2002. But actually inspired by my first trip to, , then the wild and being with in 1989 , and, , basically traveling and. Setting myself and my, my, my music and dance company at the time to just be with indigenous people. ,and how profoundly that particular experience really impacted me. For years I've been wanting to like, how can I bring this? Experience or share the experience with other diasporic folks. Fortunately I was able to connect with Carlo Abeo in the Philippines, who's been my tour manager, in 2001. And then in 2002 we embarked on the first, Tribo tour. Miko Lee: [00:17:50] So this was an effort to really share this powerful kind of artistic travel journey with more folks. Is that right? Alleluia Panis: [00:17:57] Yes. And it's actually beyond artistic. It's really about recognizing something deeper, right? Because our history of colonization is pretty intense. 500 years and or is it 400 years? Give or take, a century. And so there are a lot of things that had been co-opted. It has been erased, it has been gaslit. And fortunately, I feel like within the culture of the archipelago, there are, and even those. That are, of the, what is considered the colonized people or the Christianized people. there are practices that exist today that might have a different name, um, or but actually is indigenous and so, and only. Could I say that because I was able to really experience and be with folks and, uh, and it's years, you know, it's years of kind of like assessing and looking at you know, different, uh, practices. And so that is so I don't know. It's beyond gratifying. It's connecting. I mean, it seems so cliche. It's connecting with something so deep, you know, it's like connecting to, you know, to Mother Earth in, in that way our, our Mama Ocean. And recognizing yourself that, that you are bigger and have, and has agency, you know, in terms of just. What you are connected to, uh, what we are connected to. Um, and so it's, it's it, of course within the cultural practices, which is artistic practices that we see that connection. Miko Lee: [00:19:40] You were looking at, the impact of colonization and how arts and culture has really spoke to that or fought back against that in the Philippines. Can you talk about bringing that over to our colonized United States and how you see that playing out? Alleluia Panis: [00:19:58] Well, I think first of all as, um, as folks of color. And as former subjects of the United States, you know, 40 years of the US and still, still, um, you know, in some ways kind of soft power over the people of the Archipelago. It's, it's really, um, first and foremost knowing or getting that sense of connection and confidence and, um, self-identity. That leads, that would lead us to create, um, in the diaspora. And so what, what this pro with this project, this particular program does and, and I continue to prove it with so many folks, is that it's really. Kind of finding yourself, I mean, that, that seems so cliche and knowing your place in the world and how you are connected so deeply despite all the, you know, like all the brainwashing that you don't know anything. Everything is, uh, you know, everything that, that, that, um, that exists in terms of the cultural practices of the arch of the people of the archipelago are borrowed or, or, um. Basically borrowed or taken from another culture, um, really kind of diminishes that, that colonized thinking. And so I think the power of it is finding your stepping into your own power in this way. Um, and, and, um, you know, it is also not just the current, like in, in once lifetime do you get that abuse or trauma, but it's also all the. You know, the, the, the inheritance from our, you know, from our parents, from our grandparents, right? Great. Passed down the generation and, um, oftentimes construed as the real deal, unt true. And so, aside from the form. Aside from, um, the practices, because this trip is really a little, is is focused more on not learning or like, you know, we don't go to learn like dance music or. Weaving or, you know, design or anything like that. Yes, that happens. We do, we do have workshops, but you know, it's not like it's, it's more like opening the ice of each, you know, individual. I. To the, to the, the whole, the whole thing. What, what is the, the presence of nature is, are they water people? Well, how does the water impact the cultural practices and therefore the artistic practices, um, and understanding sort of like, oh, they, they do that kind of steps with the, you know, flat feet or whatever. Because the sound of the bamboo slats is just. Amazing, you know, uh, under their feet. And so it's not so much that I'm gonna learn, you know, x, y, Z dance or x, y, z music, music or gongs, or, but it's more like w. Through those practices, how do we see the people, how do they mirror our own existence? And what, what we can remember really is remembering, um, what my, what, what we have forgotten or what we know it's true, but we're not sure. So I dunno if I'm answering your question. It's a roundabout response. Miko Lee:[00:23:26] I feel like you're talking about how we step into our ancestral wisdom and power. Alleluia Panis: [00:23:33] Correct. Miko Lee: [00:23:33] And I'm wondering if you can expand on that,, to talk a little bit more about this time of oligarchy we are living in, which is really built in colonization. How do we both as artists use our superpowers to fight back against that and then encourage other people? How do we use our artist beings to encourage other people to fight back against the world that we're living in right now? Alleluia Panis: [00:24:00] One of the most powerful impact on me , in experiencing, indigenous practices and culture is the practice of spirituality, the rituals, the ceremonies. There's one specific ceremony from Ana as a magana on ceremony, um, that really, It was just such a profound experience in opening up, my senses and my sense of connection to something larger than this. And, and the EPO and, um, there's several, um. Ritual practices with different names. It's basically similar, uh, practice, uh, is the connection to the five elements and the basic, um, um, and fundamental elements of life. You know, water, earth, wind, fire, and the darkness. The, there's a transcendence. Um. And that that discovery is a, or that connection, um, is something that's, it sounds really woo woo, right? I mean, um, but it really becomes kind of a, a, an experience, an embodiment experience, a belief in your own kind of intuition, your gut feeling. My, uh, my. Um, response, you know, to it, a physical response. And, um, that, that's become like a, a guide for, for everything that I do. And so, um, to me that that is the grounding that, um, has allowed me to continue the work that that. That I've been doing, continue living, period. And so it's really, I think the, a matter of really kind of like, knowing yourself, it just sounds all so cliche, you know? And, and, the power of, Really understanding that you have or I have a depth of connection, that I can draw from in terms of energy and spirit and love, that is beyond kind of the physical, but also the physical. And so for me, that sense of knowing. Is what is allowing me to continue doing what I do despite all the, you know, challenges and difficulties and, you know, the insanity of these times or any time. and having kind of that grounding, I mean, you, you, the, the, clarity, is everything. it allows me to. follow what seems to be the correct route to wherever I was going. it doesn't mean that it's, it's, I'm, I'm not working on it, you know, but I'm also not, not pushing in a way that, you know, I'm, I'm gonna make you believe in me and I'll, you know, like, sort of like, I will tell you what is the right thing and, and, and I will make you, um, agree with me. It, it's, it's not that. Um, I is, I dunno. Is that making any sense? Do you have any other, Miko Lee: [00:27:24] you totally make sense to me. I'm wondering how people can find out how, how can people find out more about your film and about all of your work? Alleluia Panis: [00:27:34] Oh, sure. people can find out about, my work and the film through, um, the website. It's, uh, KulArts SF dot org and, most of, if not all of my work, uh, and the work of others, are actually on there. There's a lot of information there. the, the film is gonna be shown at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific, film Festival May 3rd at, uh, a MC. Eight or 14 or is it in, Monterey Park and, folks can actually just find that information on our website as well. Miko Lee: [00:28:13] And what would you like audience to walk away from your film with an understanding of? Alleluia Panis: [00:28:21] I want the audience to feel the. Power of being there in TT T is the southernness most islands of, of the Philippines. And, not too many people actually go there. If you have seen the Sam Baja, um, you know, divers, uh, where they can dive for, I think they can stay from five to 15 minutes underwater without any, you know, oxygen or assistance. These are, these are the people who, who, uh, these islands belong to. and as usual, their, you know, their live livelihood is being challenged by everything that's happening in the world. And what the, the film itself, itself, is really trying to put, put the audience within the, you know, like the, I guess the, the shoe of the there and how, you know, their experiences. there's not a lot of explanation to it because we really want it to be a more visceral experience. for the audience, Miko Lee: [00:29:22] is there anything else you'd like to share with us? Alleluia Panis: [00:29:26] Let's keep on going. Let's, you know, we, we all, we all need to be in community to uplift each other and keep hope alive. Miko Lee: [00:29:38] Thank you so much for joining us today and sharing a little bit more about your film and about your work and your connection to the ancestors and the need to move forward. Alleluia Panis: [00:29:47] Appreciate you. Thank you, Miko. Miko Lee: [00:29:51] Welcome Kyle Casey, Chu, also known as Panda Dulce to Apex Express. Kyle Casey Chu: [00:29:57] Hi so much for having me. Miko Lee: [00:29:59] We're so happy to have you back here, onto Apex Express Land and you have a bunch of new things happening, not just a new film, but also a new book. First off, I'm gonna just start with a personal question, which I ask everyone. Who are your people and what legacy do you carry with you? Kyle Casey Chu: [00:30:16] Ooh, that's a juicy one. Um, my people, I would say my people are the weirdos and the art freaks of the world. Uh, queer and trans people, Asian Americans, queer and trans Asian Americans, people of color, people from the Bay Area. Um, people who have noticed the boxes that they're in and are pushing the walls and the boundaries of that. I feel like these are the people who really inspire me the most. In terms of the legacy I bring, I am a fourth generation Chinese American, uh, queer and trans femme person living in the San Francisco Bay area where I was born and raised. Miko Lee: [00:30:56] Thanks so much for sharing. , first let's start with just finding out more about your film, which was based on a true story called After What Happened at the Library. This was a national story, I remember hearing about it, but for folks that don't know, can you describe the real incident that inspired the film? Kyle Casey Chu: [00:31:14] So, I'm one of the founders of Drag Story Hour, which is exactly what it sounds like., drag queens reading stories to, , children and their families and libraries, bookstores and schools. In 2022, I took a gig in Pride Month at San Lorenzo Public Library, , where I was doing a drag story hour and the Proud Boys stormed in. They called me a tranny, a groomer and an it. They wore shirts saying, kill your local pedophile and I had to retreat to the back and lock myself in the back room. They scoured the premises looking for me. , the authorities showed up and didn't get any of their names or information, um, and just. Dispersed them. And after the incident, I came back to the reading room where the children and families were there, but shaken and I completed the reading. Miko Lee: [00:32:05] Incredibly traumatic. What happened after that in real life? Kyle Casey Chu: [00:32:10] It's funny that you, uh, because the short film is called After What Happened at the Library, uh, for a reason because I feel like it's natural as social creatures for humans to focus on the incident itself. We want to approach people with empathy and we want to, really put ourselves in their shoes, uh, to kind of be there as a support for them. What I wasn't prepared for was the gauntlet of media attention, how people would be coming out of the woodwork to ask me about the situation. They would send gushing praise, hate mail, death threats, love letters, care packages, and this wave of attention. Almost added to the overwhelm of the experience and the fact that I had suddenly become a figure and a lightning rod in a culture war when I just wanted to read a book in a library. 'cause that's what I was doing. Um, and not only this, but in the coverage of the event. Because the authorities were so slow to act on this and only started investigating it as a hate crime after it blew up on Instagram and they suddenly felt the heat of media attention. Um, I felt the, my only recourse was to go to the media and was to talk, and especially as a writer and a storyteller, I felt I needed to kind of sound the alarm because it was pride month. This was the first, this was the inciting incident of a national, even international anti-D drag wave of right wing extremism. Um, it was a couple days later that the oath keepers were found planning some kind of resistance, like violent insurrection in before Ohio Pride. And so I would talk to these journalists and. I felt in the beginning I trusted them because, you know, I trusted that they wanted to get the word out, that they had the same intentions that I did in protecting my people. And what I found instead was that they kind of almost, they tried to elicit the most emotional response from me, which often involved asking me to relive the most excruciating aspects of that time and that experience. So I had to go back and revisit it over and over again. And when the stories actually came out, I'd found that my story was edited to suit another preconceived formula that they had already pitched a certain idea for how the story was would go. That painted me as this static monolithic victim. And they would just plug in one tearful soundbite and the rest of the story, they could just say whatever they wanted with.And there's a certain violence in that. There's a certain. Greater injustice to going through something like that, number one. But number two, telling your story and having that be distorted to suit other political aims or to, you know, buttress a call for public safety. And that specific dynamic of the direct aftermath of notoriety is what the short film gets at. Miko Lee: [00:35:11] Oh so you're taking back your own story. Kyle Casey Chu: [00:35:14] Absolutely. So after what happened at the library, the short film is a very much a radical reclamation of my own voice and my own story. Um, prying it back from the hands of the media and telling it on my own terms. Miko Lee: [00:35:26] Thank you for that. And how has it been received Kyle Casey Chu: [00:35:29] So far it's been received very well. The short film World premiered at Florida Film Festival in Orlando. Received a special jury prize for courageous voice in a time of great need, which is incredible. It's our first screening and we already got an award, which is so exciting. It just screened at SF Film on April 23rd as part of the shorts block. SF film is an Academy Award qualifying festival, and it is going to screen again at Can Fest, one of my favorite local festivals, the world's largest Asian and Asian American film showcase it's screening on Friday, May 9th at Kabuki and tickets are on sale. Miko Lee: [00:36:11] Thank you for that. And can you tell us about your new book? This is very exciting. You have a coming of age story, the Queen Bees of Tybee County. Can you tell us about your book? Kyle Casey Chu: [00:36:22] Absolutely. When it rains, it pours in creative worlds. I had a lot of irons on the fire and it just so happened that all of them were exhibiting or debuting or hitting shelves in the same week of April, which is last week. The Queen Bees of Tybee County is my debut novel. It's middle grade, so for ages eight through 12, though like a Pixar movie, it's for all ages really. Um, and it is a hopeful drag coming out story about a queer Chinese American seventh grade basketball star. Derek Chan, who is unceremoniously shipped off to his grandma Claudia's in rural Georgia, and she is volunteering for a local pageant. And so he. Explores his queer identity and his love for drag via Southern pageant culture. Miko Lee: [00:37:09] Ooh, do we see a film of this in the future? Kyle Casey Chu: [00:37:12] Actually, Queen Bees of Tybee County was optioned by Lambert Productions, which put on the Hardy Boys on Hulu. So it is on its way to becoming a TV show if every, if all the stars align, it'll be on TVs in the uk. Fingers and toes crossed for that. Miko Lee: [00:37:27] Amazing. I'm looking forward to that. Can we pull ourselves out a little bit and talk about the times that we're living in right now and how artists use our super powers to fight back against the oligarchy that we're living in? Kyle Casey Chu: [00:37:43] We all know, or perhaps should know that the beginnings of fascism involve suppressing intellectuals and artistic voices, increasing police presence and trying to maintain a stiff and consistent lid on the voices of the people. And so this type of suppression is happening right now. There are book bans across the country. , there are state and federal efforts legislatively to curtail the rights of trans kids and trans athletes, and Intellectuals, diplomats and scholars are all being expelled or suppressed, and I think something that I've learned is that, and it sounds really cheesy, but that quote is so real where it's like being brave isn't the absence of fear, but it's doing things in spite of it. I know it feels very scary to speak out right now, but now is the exact time to speak out because any. Ground that is seated cannot be taken back. And so holding of the line by way of protest, by way of publication, by way of dissenting is how we crack this. The armor of fascism. Miko Lee: [00:38:55] And can you talk a little bit about the moment of joy or celebrating joy within the context of the strife that we're living in? I bring that up because , you've given me much joy as part of the rice rocketts and a lot of the work that you do. So I wonder if you could just talk about what does joy mean in the moment like this? Kyle Casey Chu: [00:39:16] Yeah. I think. I have a background in social work and one of the first things that we learned is this is hard work. It is hard to always start on your back foot and to have to argue your own humanity and justify your existence as an artist or as a person. I found myself doing that when coverage of the library incident was happening and. One of the things that they tell you is the way that you do your best work and the way that you best serve your communities is by keeping your own self afloat. And what this means is maintaining a balance. When you have hard work, you also need to reward yourself. You also need to take care of yourself. And I don't think it's enough to just say self-care. You need to expose yourself, and you need to fully embrace the full spectrum of human emotion, which necessarily includes joy. And so. After completing such an intense project, like after what happened at the library, I knew that I needed to engage in something that was hopeful and that really struck the cord of why community is so vital and important, and why social support is integral to all of us thriving. And so the Queen Bees of Tubby County, I was told by a reviewer, and this is my favorite review, they said that it's like Chapel R'S Pink Pony Club. If it were a book. Um, and I'm going with that 'cause I love that. But this story is really just about hope. It's about friendship, it's about, it's about dancing towards the future we want. And I don't think it is enough for us to react. I don't think it's enough for us to strike down. Terrible and horrifying regimes. We also must have a vision for the future that includes ourselves thriving and enjoying ourselves. And I think a part of that practice for me is making art and scaffolding a vision for the future that is positive. Miko Lee: [00:41:20] And what would you like people to walk away from after either reading your book or seeing your short film? Kyle Casey Chu: [00:41:29] I think after seeing the short film. What this gets at is whenever there's a flashpoint of a culture war and it's localized on one person, whenever a culture war is personified in one singular person, like for example, ma Moon kil. There's only so much of his life that we get to see, and it's through the headlines and this viral moment of like a flash on the pan. And I want people to realize that the way that you interact with these people in that fleeting moment is going to stick with them long after this moment of notoriety passes. And. To be conscientious and aware of what impact you're bringing to that person because it may just be a moment or a blip in your feed, but the impact is enduring for the person who's living it. And I also want us to be critical of how we consume trauma and violence in the media, and to ask ourselves if. We really, truly need to get all the details if we really, truly need to be put, put that victim in the position of reliving their experience just so we can relive it for a moment. Whereas they will have to relive it for the rest of their lives. And I think survivor narratives and victim narratives are way more messy and complicated and sometimes funny than people give it credit for or realize. And to realize that when you are reading something. That is just one dimension in one shade. Uh, yeah. So that was a lot, sorry. But, um, the other thing is for the Queen Bees of Tybee County. And the reason why I wanted to end on that is because it's uplifting is as dark as the world can be. It can also be as dazzling and bright and hopeful, and that the future that we are fighting for is worth fighting for. And we need to remind ourselves of that. Especially in times like these, and I know it might seem counterintuitive for us to celebrate or to be around each other when it feels earth shatteringly bleak, but it is essential to our survival, and don't be afraid to embrace that. Miko Lee: [00:44:00] Kyle, thank you so much. Kyle, Casey Chu, thank you so much for joining us on Apex Express. I encourage people to check the film out and the book out and we appreciate chatting with you. Kyle Casey Chu: [00:44:11] Thanks so much. Ayame Keane-Lee: [00:44:14] Kyle's film will be showcased at Cam Fest, the nation's largest showcase for new Asian American and Asian films, which runs from May 8th to 11th in San Francisco at a time when it feels particularly fraught to express stories from communities of color. Cam is doing what we've done for over 40 years, sharing films from Asian America to a wide array of audiences. It says, Cam's, director of programs, Dawn Young. Watching these stories in a theater full of friends and neighbors is an opportunity to laugh and cry, and ultimately to celebrate human experiences that transcend bounds. This year's festival will return to the A MC Kabuki in San Francisco's Japan town for opening night, and a total of four days of screenings in the historic neighborhood that is undergoing its own resurgence with new restaurants, cafes, and boutiques, highlighting both traditional and youth oriented culture. The Roxy Theater will also host three days of screenings. Cam Fest continues to strengthen ties with other local arts institutions with the Asian Art Museum hosting the Cam Fest gala. Following the opening night film on Thursday May 8th and SF M Om a opening the Phyllis Wa Theater for Mother's Day programming on Sunday, May 10th. Turning a lens on history, whether it's the end of the Vietnam War or the trailblazing women in the Bay Area, offers a chance to reconsider the stories through which we come to understand ourselves. Says Cam Fest program Manager Del Holton, ranging from intimate narratives of family and memory to experimental work that bends the conventions of storytelling. These films illuminate the many perspectives of Asian America. CAAM Fest 2025 wraps up on Mother's Day with dedicated events that highlight strength and visionary artistry of Asian American women. You can also catch my sister Jalena Keane-Lee's film Standing Above the Clouds at 5:00 PM at the Kabuki. Honoring Mothering also includes celebrating the nurturing of community and pioneering of aesthetics. Cam's final day reflects on the contributions of Asian American women's work while looking to the future of storytelling. Another major multimedia arts, dance and music festival to check out is the annual United States of Asian America which runs through June 1st at venues around the Bay Area. This year's theme Critical Refuge asks us to reflect on our journey as immigrants, refugees, and generations of descendants and or mixed raced people in the diaspora as we seek necessary sanctuary within ourselves and in our communities in times of unrest and uncertainty. The festival will honor a API Arts and Culture, reflecting on where we have been, where we are now, and what our collective future holds, while acknowledging our roots as immigrants, refugees, and mixed race descendants. Also check out the 42nd annual Himalayan Fair in Berkeley's Live Oak Park happening May 17th and 18th. There will be Himalayan Food, handicrafts, music, and Dance. There are so many events happening in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Check out our show notes for links to all the wheelchair accessible events In addition to the films we featured tonight, camp Fest and United States of Asian America, there is also May 3rd, two to 6:00 PM daily city AAPI fest celebrating local Asian American and Pacific Islander culture in daily city in the greater San Francisco Bay area. May 10th, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM Our heritage, 5K 2025. A free family friendly, 5K fun walk slash run. Honoring the rich history and contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in San Francisco. This scenic route winds through the heart of the city. Passing by over 16 plus historic A API Landmarks featuring goodies, resources, and fun facts about its cultural significance. Expect cheer stations, photo ops, sweet treats, and entertainment along the route to keep the energy high. May 10th is also a API Mental Health Day. The Our Wellness Festival will celebrate mental health, community and joy. The festival will feature family friendly activities, carnival style games, music, dancing, wellness resources, and more. May 23rd at 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM Asian American and Pacific Islander, LGBT Q2 s plus Mixer, NJAHS, peace Gallery 1684 Post Street in San Francisco. Children's Fairyland in Oakland and Stanford's Asian American Studies apartment will also host a series of events throughout the month that we will post in the show notes for you to check out in Bay Area Public Library News. Oakland Public Libraries feature reading lists for all ages, a grab and grow seedling kit and events like Watermelon Kimchi making. San Francisco Public Libraries will have events for all ages at library locations throughout the city, including free author talks, book clubs, film screenings, crafts, food programs, and musical and dance performances. Highlights for adults include the launch of Corky Lee's Asian America at the main library on May 23rd. The new book features over 200 breathtaking photos celebrating the history and cultural impact of the Asian American Social Justice movement. We've covered Corky Lee's work in multiple previous Apex episodes. Additionally, four members of the Asian American Journalist Association, AAJA, who cover the Asian American and Pacific Islander News beat will discuss how authentic local reporting happens, important stories they've reported recently, and how having reporters dedicated to the BEAT impacts the A API community on May 8th, moderated by the interim president of the AAJA-SF Bay Area chapter Harry Mock. The panel features Ko Lyn Chang from the San Francisco Chronicle, Han Lee from the San Francisco Standard, and Ravi Kapoor, CEO of Dia, TV on May 25th. The library partners with the Chinese Cultural Center of San Francisco to welcome Curtis Chin, author of everything I Learned, I learned in a Chinese restaurant for a book talk and library popup. For youth on May 25th, join June Jo Lee Food ethnographer and award-winning children's book author for a kimchi demo. Read aloud and krautchy making activity. Experience a read aloud of New Picture Storybooks for Children and participate in a drawing workshop on comics with illustrators mini fan and Sophie Dialo on May 23rd at Excelsior Branch Library. Katie Kwan, who has been featured on Apex dives into the world of comics and zines through the lens of an Asian American artist and educator, and teaches the community how to make their own comics and zines at multiple locations throughout May. San Jose Public Libraries host a series of events with highlights being top of cloth making on May 6th and vegan Filipino cooking with Aztec Vegan on May 7th. Once again, happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month from us at Apex Express. Please do checkout CAAM Fest. May 8th through 11th in San Francisco. If you get the chance and you'll be able to see Kyle's film. As well as many other incredible AAPI, histories and stories. You can check out all of that community calendar info in our show notes, as well as information on all of the guests you heard from tonight. Miko Lee: [00:51:55] Please check out our website, kpfa.org to find out more about our show tonight. We think all of you listeners out there. Keep resisting, keep organizing, keep creating and sharing your visions with the world because your voices are important. APEX Express is created by Miko Lee, Jalena Keane-Lee, Preeti Mangala Shekar, Anuj Vaidya, Swati Rayasam, Aisa Villarosa, Estella Owoimaha-Church, Gabriel Tangloao, Cheryl Truong and Ayame Keane-Lee. The post APEX Express – 5.1.25 – Filmmakers Exploring Boundaries appeared first on KPFA.
Hello Listeners!In this episode, we had the opportunity to have a conversation with Denise Julia.Denise Julia is a multifaceted singer, songwriter, and producer, born, raised and based in the Philippines. Denise began singing and writing songs at the age of 13, and was heavily inspired by the R&B and Pop sounds of the 2000s that played non-stop in her childhood home television. After a string of music releases and cover videos that garnered millions of views on Tik Tok, Denise caught the world's attention with her viral song "NVMD". The song catapulted her into the spotlight, solidifying her as a rising star in today's global music landscape. “NVMD” is the fastest and only OPM (Original Philippine Music) song by a Filipina to reach 200M streams on Spotify and it reached the Top 20 of Spotify's Global Viral chart. In October 2023, Denise collaborated with Filipino-American producer and rapper P-Lo for her single “B.A.D.”, off her debut mini-album, ‘Sweet Nothings (Chapter 1)'. Denise Julia is set for her first headline shows in both Thailand and Indonesia this May. Fresh off releasing her highly anticipated mini-album Sweet Nothings: Chapter 2, as well as performing in her For Immediate Release motherland, the Philippines, in 2024, Denise is getting ready to take on Jakarta and Bangkok in the second installment of her tour. Denise will also unveil exclusive live renditions of her newest tracks.Listen full episode on Bingkai Suara with Lusiana and don't forget to follow our podcast on any podcast platforms, our Instagram Bingkai Karya, and stay updated with our recent news on www.bingkaikarya.com
Send us a textWhat happens when a Black man and a Filipino woman fall in love and build a life together for nearly two decades? Kory and Gen pull back the curtain on their interracial relationship, revealing the beautiful and challenging reality they've navigated since meeting at an unexpected place.Their story transcends typical discussions about race by delving into the personal experiences that shaped their worldviews before they met. Kory shares how growing up Black meant dealing with overt racism where "people either treated you very well or very bad," while Gen describes navigating the unique challenges of being Filipino-American, often facing "invisibility and stereotypes" in spaces that failed to acknowledge Asian identities.Family acceptance didn't come instantly. These growing pains eventually transformed into genuine love and acceptance across family lines.Perhaps most revealing are their candid discussions about navigating public spaces as an interracial couple. Rather than becoming bitter, they've protected their peace and developed empathy.Their relationship stands on a foundation of shared values and mutual cultural immersion. As Kory says, "You marry someone, you marry into the culture and the history." The journey has taught them patience, forgiveness, and the wisdom to choose their battles. Their powerful message for listeners? In the fight against racism, "the more love you pour on this fire, the quicker it's going to go out."Connect with us and join a conversation that brings understanding, not assumptions. Look up, and let's elevate! Support the showhttps://linktr.ee/genthebuilder
Send us a textWhat are your plans for this 4/20? The Kuyas discuss their plans for their favorite holiday plus an extensive grow update from the Buddha Lounge.Support the showFor secret grow story updates and plant footage follow the Canna Kuyas on Instagram @cannakuyas
In this TFAL episode, Joe talks to Dr. Allan Lumba, writer, researcher, historian, and professor at Concordia University in Montreal, about potential of Filipinx Studies to inspire our community to fight for a better world. Listen how he developed into a brilliant scholar focused on Philippine Studies, the growing number of Filipino and Filipino American...
Send us a textErick and Mitch are back with a Buddha Lounge garden update right before they hit the road back to San Diego for another UBEWORLD performance at Mic Drop Comedy. Stay tuned to our instagram stories for video garden updates. Support the showFor secret grow story updates and plant footage follow the Canna Kuyas on Instagram @cannakuyas
On today's episode of Gourmand, I sat down with Kevin Cardenas from Solo Diner. We discussed his experience working in fine dining and how the skills translate to his pop-up, how Solo Diner presents Filipino American cuisine through embodying nostalgia while incorporating elements from their position in NYC, the collaborative nature of pop-ups and those who supported them during their first year, and so much more. So let's dig in! This episode uses Royalty Free Music - (Music: www.bensound.com).
In this exclusive in-studio interview, Rob Herrera sits down with Filipino American rising rapper Carl Angelo as he opens up about the making of his debut album and the inspiration behind the movie, 'SILAB'.Carl discusses his journey in the music industry, how his cultural background influences his sound, and the unique blend of music and film that led to the creation of 'SILAB.' Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed and learned something from this podcast please be sure to follow and rate it in order to help us grow in the podcast space.You are also welcome to help support this podcast with a small monthly donation to help sustain future episodes.If you'd like to watch my video interviews, I invite you to Subscribe to my channels at www.YouTube.com/FrontRowLiveEnt & www.Youtube.com/Punkvideosrock Follow Us: @FrontRowLiveEnt | @Punkvideosrock |@Robertherrera3#carlangelo #silab #FrontRowLiveEnt
Send us your thoughts! Jon Irabagon is a Filipino-American saxophonist, composer, and founder of Irabbagast Records.[1]Winner of the 2008 Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition[1] and one of Time Out's "25 essential New York City jazz icons",[2] Irabagon is known for the breadth of his work on a jazz continuum ranging "from postbop to free improvisation, avant country to doom metal".[3] His "extraordinary eclecticism"[4] has led to performances with such diverse artists as Wynton Marsalis,[5] Lou Reed, Evan Parker, Billy Joel, the Maria Schneider Orchestra, Bertha Hope, Herbie Hancock, Conor Oberst,[6] Christian McBride,[7] Mike Pride,[8] Kenny Barron, Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, Bill Laswell, Peter Evans,[9] Tyshawn Sorey, Ingrid Laubrock,[10] Ava Mendoza,[11] Mick Barr, and Tom Rainey.Irabagon's many projects as bandleader include a quartet with Luis Perdomo, Yasushi Nakamura, and Rudy Royston,[12] as well as a trio with Mark Helias and Barry Altschul.[13] He is also a member of the Mary Halvorson Quintet, Septet,[14] and Octet;[15] the Dave Douglas Quintet;Support the show
"Say yes to opportunities that scare you" - David Pangilinan, Senior Manager of Market & Cultural Intelligence at Paramount, aka @DavidIsHereNow. David Pangilinan, blesses the podcast in this episode to share insights on cultural intelligence, the importance of personality in the workplace, and how his Filipino-American background influences his storytelling. Our conversation highlights the significance of understanding diverse cultural backgrounds and the role they play in shaping narratives (and consumer behaviour!). David discusses the evolving nature of cultural trends and their impact on marketing strategies, emphasizing the need for brands to authentically engage with their audiences. In this engaging kōrero, we explore the themes of authenticity in content creation, the balance between passion and trends, and the importance of recognizing burnout. Of course we discuss the concept of Tall Poppy Syndrome, the significance of surrounding oneself with the right people, and the power of intentional living and gratitude. David shares his personal experiences with saying yes to opportunities and how it has led to unexpected successes, emphasizing that life is not a competition but a journey of personal growth.Listen to the full interview on Spotify, iHeart Radio, or Apple Podcasts. #culture #paramount #business #influencer #marketing #podcast #iheartradio #celebrate #confidence #learning #newzealand #aotearoa #mentalperformance #tallpoppytalk #mentalhealthmatters #quote #intelligence #trends
Send us a textErick and Mitch are back with another bountiful harvest update and shares all the new genetics they've added to the Buddha Lounge.Support the showFor secret grow story updates and plant footage follow the Canna Kuyas on Instagram @cannakuyas
Amielynn Abellera talks making the decision to switch from doctor to actor, her breakout role in "The Pitt", and shares the audition that got her the role! About Amielynn: Amielynn Abellera is a Filipino American actress whose journey from a suburban upbringing in Stockton, California, to the bright lights of television and film is marked by resilience, passion, and an ever-burning creative flame. Born to immigrant parents who worked as medical professionals, Amielynn grew up surrounded by a strong work ethic and a deep appreciation for the arts. Her parents' love for theater, film, and travel exposed her to a world of storytelling, planting the seeds of her future career. Despite a natural inclination toward the arts, Amielynn initially pursued a Bachelor of Science in Psychobiology at Santa Clara University. However, her passion for performance proved undeniable, leading her to earn a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Southern California and fully commit to acting. Since then, she has built a dynamic career spanning television, film, and voice acting. She has guest-starred in hit series such as Bosch: Legacy, Shrinking, The Cleaning Lady, and NCIS, bringing authenticity and nuance to every role. One of her most significant moments came on The Cleaning Lady, where she portrayed a Tagalog-speaking head surgeon in Manila—a role that deepened her connection to her Filipino heritage. She took on the challenge of learning and perfecting her lines with the help of her mother, embracing the responsibility of representing her culture on screen. In 2025, Amielynn stepped into her most high-profile role yet as Perlah Alawi in Max's highly anticipated medical drama The Pitt. As a seasoned nurse working in the high-stakes ER alongside Noah Wyle's Dr. Robby, her character embodies the resilience and expertise that define frontline healthcare professionals. Beyond television, Amielynn will return to the stage in HIDE & HIDE at Skylight Theatre. In this play, she will portray Constanza, an undocumented Filipino immigrant navigating survival and identity in 1980s Los Angeles. Theater remains essential to her artistic journey, offering a space for raw, immediate storytelling. Amielynn is passionate about representation in media and continuously strives to bring depth, complexity, and authenticity to her roles. She is proud to have endured the unpredictable rollercoaster of an acting career and maintained her love for the craft despite its challenges. Off-screen, she is a devoted partner and a loving mother to their daughter, Sampaguita, named after both the national flower of the Philippines and a character that holds special meaning in her theatrical career. Follow the show on social media! Instagram: https://instagram.com/thanksforcominginpodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/tfci_podcast Facebook: http://facebook.com/thanksforcominginpodcast/ Patreon: patreon.com/thanksforcomingin YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXj8Rb1bEmhufSBFSCyp4JQ Theme Music by Andrew Skrabutenas Producers: Jillian Clare & Susan Bernhardt Channel: Realm For more information, visit thanksforcominginpodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this week's Capitol Chats episode, freshman Rep. Angelito Tenorio, D-West Allis, talks about his milestone as the first Filipino American in the state Assembly and his priorities in office.
What would you do if your mother was arrested for shooting a man over a mango tree? For award-winning journalist and author Annabelle Tometich, this was just the beginning of an unforgettable journey through family, culture, identity, and resilience.In this episode, Annabelle sits down to discuss her highly acclaimed memoir, The Mango Tree: A Memoir of Fruit, Florida & Felony. She shares her Filipino-American upbringing, the challenges of navigating multiple cultures, and the shocking events that shaped her life. From medical school rejection to becoming a renowned food writer and author, Annabelle's story is one of transformation, discovery, and survival.
My buddy Joseph Zoleta of the Black 6 Project showed me that the guys over at This Filipino American Life (TFAL) recently recorded an episode on Filipino American Masculinity. They did a great job and I thought I'd share my thoughts and takes on what they discussed.Leave us a rating and review. Follow us on IG @pinoypatriarchproject
FreshEd is on holidays. We'll be back with new episodes in February. In the meantime, we are replaying some of our favourite episodes from our archive, which now totals over 380 episodes. The best way for you to explore our archive is on our website, freshedpodcast.com. You'll find hand-picked playlists, transcripts, and even accompanying educational resources. And while you're there, please consider becoming a member of FreshEd for as little as $10/month. Members receive exclusive benefits. -- The past few shows have focused on climate change as being the biggest issue facing teacher unions globally. There are, of course, other big issues. One of them is propaganda. Misinformation campaigns have been on the rise partly due to the turn towards right-wing extremism in many parts of the world. Social media has created new ways to spread misinformation and propaganda, making education a powerful tool to combat the spread of lies and what we might call fake news. My guest today is Maria Ressa, a Filipino-American journalist and author. Co-founder of online news site Rappler, she has been an investigative reporter in Southeast Asia for CNN and was included in the 2018 Time's Person of the Year for her work combating fake news. She has been arrested for her reporting on Duterte, the Philippine president, and is currently on trial for cyberlibel. This episode was put together in collaboration with Education International. www.freshedpodcast.com/mariaressa/ Twitter: @FreshEdpodcast Facebook: FreshEd Email: info@freshedpodcast.com
On this episode of the podcast we have Isidora Torres, author of Working with Feelings, to discuss the topic of Dimensions of Care.As a daughter of Filipino immigrants, Isidora greatly emphasizes understanding family dynamics and how they inform generational patterns. She has published work on her exploration as a Filipino-American within American culture and the impact of acculturation on identity. As a People Operations and Culture expert, Isidora has developed a genuine interest in the intersection of emotion and work, expanding on her findings about the cultural and emotional landscape of the workplace in her book, Working With Feelings: Caring For Your Employees Through Cultural Humility and Emotional Fluency. She previously held People Operations roles at various startups and advocates for developing soft skills. She holds a Masters Degree in Counseling from Northwestern University. Listen as we cover a range of topics from:What it's like to show up as Filipinos in the Human Resource/People fieldRemembering our Babaylan history, and what it means to hold the healer/caretaker roleHow do we take care of ourselves as caretakers so we don't burn outIf this episode has piqued your interest to be in conversation, I encourage you to bring your questions to the virtual office hours that we're hosting on Monday, Feb 17th at 7pm ET. The event will be donation-based, and we'll be giving the proceeds to Filipino families impacted by the LA fires.More info on the event to be shared on our IG!
Dr. Stacey Litam, a licensed clinical counselor and psychologist, discusses intergenerational trauma and healing in the Filipino-American community. She shares the impact of cultural scripts on relationships and self-worth. Dr. Litam emphasizes the importance of secure attachment in relationships and the need for partners who understand, anticipate needs, and love without transactional expectations. She also explores the concept of diasporic wounds and the process of healing and growth in the Filipino-American community. In this conversation, Dr. Stacey Litam and Krystl discuss the importance of intergenerational healing and the role of secure partnerships in the healing process. They explore the need to decolonize our understanding of healing and embrace both individual and interpersonal healing. They also touch on the concept of epigenetics and how trauma can be passed down through generations. The conversation emphasizes the value of community and connection in the healing journey and encourages celebrating our accomplishments and prioritizing self-care.takeawaysIntergenerational trauma and cultural scripts impact the Filipino-American community's relationships and self-worth.Seeking white proximity for acceptance is a survival strategy rooted in colonial mentality.Healing and growth in the Filipino-American community require secure attachment in relationships.Partners who understand, anticipate needs, and love without transactional expectations support healing and self-acceptance.Acknowledging and addressing diasporic wounds is essential for personal and collective healing. Intergenerational healing involves recognizing and embracing the strengths and patterns inherited from previous generations.Secure and healthy partnerships can be a powerful tool for healing and growth.Healing should be approached from both an individualistic and collectivist perspective, acknowledging the importance of self-care and community support.Epigenetics highlights the impact of trauma on our DNA and the potential for resilience and growth.It is important to celebrate our accomplishments and prioritize self-care in order to avoid burnout and find fulfillment.WebsiteInstagram: @drstaceyalitamintergenerational trauma, healing, Filipino-American, white proximity, cultural scripts, relationships, self-worth, secure attachment, diasporic wounds, growth, intergenerational healing, secure partnerships, decolonizing healing, epigenetics, trauma, community, connection, celebration, self-care
For generations, society has taught Filipinos and Filipino Americans what our specific gender roles should be. For men, masculinity is usually associated with ideas of strength, competition, emotion-less, family responsibilities, and protection. At times, these concepts can create narrow definitions of manhood and can pigeon-hole heterosexual men into certain prescribed racial, classed, and gender identities....
In this episode of Yellow Glitter podcast, we're joined by Mike Talplacido. Mike Talplacido is a queer Filipino-American artist based in North Carolina. He is the author of Kiss My Mike, a memoir detailing his life as a gay Filipino immigrant navigating self-discovery and acceptance in America. In this episode, we chat about: Acceptance and what it means to be gay in an immigrant household Unlearning the colonized mindset and the pressure to assimilate as an Filipino-American Navigating family and writing your own story of self-love Radical acceptance and unconditional love of your entire personhood You can find our guest at: Website: kissmymike.com Instagram: @kissmymike_official Facebook: @kissmymike TikTok: @kissmymike YouTube: @KissMyMike_Official You can follow me at: Instagram: @stevenwakabayashi YouTube: @stevenwakabayashi Subscribe to my weekly newsletter: yellowglitterpodcast.substack.com Visit our website yellowglitterpodcast.com
Mary Rose Gonzales, known as "Beef," is a Filipino American drummer from Chicago, making waves in the punk and garage rock scenes for over a decade. She currently plays with Bev Rage & The Drinks and will be reuniting with Mystery Actions for a special show at Punk Rock Bowling in Las Vegas in May 2025. When she's not behind the drums, she works a 9 to 5 at a merchandising photo studio. Outside of music, she enjoys pickleball, playing pool, and fingerboarding.
In this episode of Hidden in Plain Sight, Dr. Mark Martell, Director of the Asian American Resource Center, discusses his journey as a Filipino American living in Miami to becoming a leader in higher education. He emphasizes the importance of representation, sharing how his lack of visible Asian American mentors influenced his career. Mark's work includes research on microaggressions and teaching courses that integrate comics and superheroes to explore cultural identity and social issues. He highlights the need for diverse representation in media and the workplace, advocating for visibility and empowerment of underrepresented groups — listen to the podcast to hear all the details!
162: A Look Inside Filipino American History Through Filipino PoetryAlso available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/N-qcmYStaO8To celebrate Filipino American History Month 2024, The Filipino American Woman (TFAW) Project explores what intergenerational family therapy looks like through Filipino American poetry. Cohosts Jen and Nani welcome past guest, Caitilin Damacion, back to the stage for a deep dive into her Master's thesis project, For Those I've Saved Names For.For Those I've Saved Names For is a traveling exhibit of Damacion's late father's poetry, who passed away in 2013. Kenneth Damacion was a farm worker from the Philippines who grew up in Fairfield, California during the Civil Rights Era. He graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a Master's degree in poetry, but experienced many barriers and roadblocks in getting his work published. Caitilin, his daughter, obtained her Master's degree from San Francisco State University in 2023. She uses the body of work her father left to illustrate her own thesis project, which covers a broader narrative about the history of Asian American scholar activism.Love our show? Leave us a message and show us your support! Visit https://tfawproject.com/supportMonthly Book Club -- Every 3rd Friday of the month @ Noon (PT) / 3 PM (ET), members of the Tsismis with Jen and Nani Book Club get together to discuss their latest readings. The best part?? No reading is required! Whether you're an avid reader or just want to soak in what our readers have to share, we'd love to have you. First-timers are welcome to attend for FREE! Join us at THENEWFILIPINA.COM to RSVP today.Upcoming FREE Events (Online)5-Day Reflection SeriesOpen Mic NightsVision Board PlanningFor specific dates and times, join our FREE app today at THENEWFILIPINA.COM--NEWSLETTER: Receive the latest stories, updates, and media coverage by subscribing to our FREE newsletter: http://eepurl.com/cO0bifABOUT US: Welcome to The Filipino American Woman (TFAW) Project, a podcast that strengthens Filipino voices one conversation at a time through all things life, culture and personal development. Hosted by Jen Amos and Nani Dominguez-Smith. This show is brought to you by our family at THENEWFILIPINA.COM. Join the conversation today!UPCOMING BOOK: Special thanks to the Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies at UC Davis for the opportunity to present our academic paper, Pinay Podcasters: Building a Self-Sustaining Community Through Storytelling, Collective Healing & Learning, and Collaboration. The initial draft is now available! Read more at http://pinaypodcasters.com/RECOGNITION: In December 2020 and December 2021, we received an Honorable Mention at the Asian American Podcaster's Golden Crane Podcast Awards. August 2020, Jen Amos participated as a speaker on behalf of TFAW Project for PodFest Global, which now holds the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for Largest Attendance for a Virtual Podcasting Conference in One Week. May 2020, we were recognized as “Amplifying Asian Women Voices” on Spotify during AAPI Heritage Month.We've also
In this episode of Healing Generations, Maestro Jerry Tello engages in a profound conversation with R. Bong Vergara, exploring themes of cultural identity, personal transformation, and activism. They discuss Bong's journey from the Philippines to the U.S., the challenges he faced in higher education, and his evolution into a passionate advocate for social justice and environmental health. The dialogue emphasizes the importance of acknowledging the contributions of Filipino Americans to labor movements and the significance of indigenous knowledge in contemporary activism. Ultimately, the conversation serves as a reminder of the interconnectedness of all people and the collective journey towards healing and peace. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 05:17 Cultural Identity and Personal Transformation 13:03 Navigating Challenges in Higher Education 17:59 Activism and Political Consciousness 30:15 The Intersection of Health and Environmental Justice 33:06 The Role of Indigenous Knowledge in Modern Activism 36:40 Acknowledging the Filipino Contribution to Labor Movements 48:21 Reflections on Healing and Community Engagement To watch the live-streamed event of the Filipino Labor Leaders Hall of Honor Induction, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xac7lEuzVY To learn more about the National Compadres Network, please visit: National Compadres Network Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healgenpodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/HealGenPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Healing.Generations.Podcast Email: HGP@compadresnetwork.org
Ep.223 Pio Abad (b.1983) is an artist whose work is concerned with the personal and political entanglements of objects. His wide-ranging body of work, mines alternative or repressed historical events and offers counter narratives that draw out threads of complicity between incidents, ideologies and people. Deeply informed by unfolding events in the Philippines, where the artist was born and raised, his work emanates from a family narrative woven into the nation's story. He has exhibited at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford; 58th Carnegie International; the 5th Kochi-Muziris Biennial; Ateneo Art Gallery, Manila; Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo; Kadist, San Francisco; Oakville Galleries, Ontario; the 2nd Honolulu Biennial; 12th Gwangju Biennial; 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, Sydney and Gasworks, London. He was recently nominated for the 2024 Turner Prize. Abad's works are part of a number of important collections including Tate, UK; Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh; Hawaii State Art Museum, Honolulu and Singapore Art Museum. Abad is also the curator of the estate of his aunt, the Filipino American artist Pacita Abad. He has co-curated monographic exhibitions on Pacita Abad at the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design Manila and Spike Island, Bristol. Photo Credit: Frances Wadsworth Jones Artist https://www.pioabad.com/ Tate Museum https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/pio-abad-30636/pio-abad-beautiful-things-can-be-vessels-for-painful-stories Ashmolean Museum https://www.ashmolean.org/exhibition/ashmolean-now-pio-abad-those-sitting-in-darkness | Shortlist Turner Prize https://www.ashmolean.org/press/ashmolean-now-pio-abad-turner-prize-shortlist-press-release Pacita Abad https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacita_Abad | https://ago.ca/events/pacita-abad-roundtable-conversation | https://tinakimgallery.com/news/205-first-of-its-kind-retrospective-of-filipino-artist-pacita-abad-opens-cbs-news/ Frieze https://www.frieze.com/article/frieze-masters-magazine-2024-pio-abad-gerret-willemsz-heda University of Oxford https://www.glam.ox.ac.uk/article/artist-pio-abads-exhibition-at-the-ashmolean-museum-shortlisted-for-2024-turner-prize Royal Academy https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/art-artists/name/pio-abad Kadist https://kadist.org/people/pio-abad/ Wallpaper https://www.wallpaper.com/art/turner-prize-2024-artists Widewalls https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/pio-abad-2024-turner-prize Artnet News https://news.artnet.com/art-world/who-will-clinch-the-u-k-s-top-art-honor-inside-the-turner-prize-exhibition-2541699 Museums Association https://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/news/2024/09/turner-prize-artist-explores-ashmolean-collection/ Vogue Philippines https://vogue.ph/lifestyle/art/pio-abad-exhibit-turner-prize/ | Pacita Abad https://vogue.ph/lifestyle/art/pacita-abad-decades-strong-path-of-color-set-ablaze/ Tatler Asia https://www.tatlerasia.com/lifestyle/arts/turner-prize-pio-abad-interview Open Space Contemporary https://www.openspacecontemporary.com/projects/10-minutes-with-open-space/10-minutes-with-pio-abad/ Silver Lens https://www.silverlensgalleries.com/artists/pio-abad
Pablo travels to Minneapolis to spend a weekend with the player responsible for the best celebrations in the NFL: Vikings safety Cam Bynum, a rising star — and proud Filipino-American — whose story is about love at first sight, the value of patience and connecting two countries on opposite sides of our planet. Also: lumpia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Pablo travels to Minneapolis to spend a weekend with the player responsible for the best celebrations in the NFL: Vikings safety Cam Bynum, a rising star — and proud Filipino-American — whose story is about love at first sight, the value of patience and connecting two countries on opposite sides of our planet. Also: lumpia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Pablo travels to Minneapolis to spend a weekend with the player responsible for the best celebrations in the NFL: Vikings safety Cam Bynum, a rising star — and proud Filipino-American — whose story is about love at first sight, the value of patience and connecting two countries on opposite sides of our planet. Also: lumpia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices