New Officers of FANHS Metro New York

FANHS-Metro New York is pleased to announce our new officers for 2013-2015!

Co-Presidents: Lorial Crowder & Kevin Nadal
Secretary: Gail Prado
Treasurer: Dolores Alic
Communications Officer: Joey Tabaco
Board Members: Kilusan Bautista, Andre Dimapilis, Brenda Gambol, Cecile Sison, Jackie Tabaco, Rose-Anne Ubarra-Cunanan

CONGRATULATIONS, EVERYONE!!

FILIPINO AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH RECOGNIZED IN NEW YORK CITY

NEW YORK –            For the third year in a row, Mayor Michael Bloomberg will sign a resolution that will declare October as Filipino American History Month in New York City.  Filipino American History Month (FAHM) has been in celebration since 1982, when it was first declared by the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) to commemorate the first Filipinos that landed in Morro Bay, California on October 18, 1587.  In 2009, the U.S. Senate passed U.S. House Resolution 780, which recognized October as Filipino American History Month across the United States. In 2010, the governor of New York also proclaimed FAHM in the month of October.  

To commemorate the historic month, the Metro New York Chapter of FANHS is hosting and co-sponsoring several events in New York City throughout October. First, the Philippine Consulate General and FANHS are hosting an “Opening Ceremonies” at the Philippine Center in Manhattan (556 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY), on Wednesday October 3rd from 6-9pm.  At the event, there will be a photo exhibit entitled “Filipino Americans in New York” featuring Filipinos in various time periods, including students at Columbia University in the 1920s, military personnel in the 1940s, immigrants in the 1960s and 1970s, and even indigenous Filipinos who were “displayed” at the Coney Island Amusement Park in 1911.

At the opening ceremony, FANHS will be presenting community awards to several individuals who have demonstrated commitment to the preservation of Filipino American history and the promotion of the Filipino American community of the Metropolitan New York area.  Two “Contributions to Excellence” Awards will be presented.  One will be given to Rhodora Ursua, MPH, a cofounder of Kalusugan Coalition and the director of Project AsPiRE in New York University’s Center for the Study of Asian American Health; Mrs. Ursua has worked diligently with several partnering organizations to promote health in the Filipino American community in New York for over ten years.  The second will be awarded to Rio Guerrero, Esq., a partnering attorney in the law firm Guerrero Yee, LLP.   Attorney Guerrero is a co-founder of Collaborative Opportunities for Raising Empowerment (CORE), is an expert in immigration law, and has provided countless hours of pro bono legal service to the Filipino American community in the greater New York area for the past decade. Two “Outstanding Artists” Awards will be presented to Kilusan Bautista (spoken word artist and activist) and Randy Gener (author, director, and visual artist) for their ability to promote Filipino American identity and experiences into their respective artistries.  One “Youth Leadership Award” will be awarded to Jackelyn Mariano- an officer of Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment (FiRE) and a research assistant in the Physical Activity and Pilipino American Youth (PAPAYA) project.  The young person being recognized is Alex Adapon- an officer of the Filipino Intercollegiate Networking Dialogue (FIND) and the current New York City Regional Director for Filipino American Civic Engagement (FACE).

In addition to a number of events that will be held throughout the month, a Closing Ceremony will be held on Tuesday, October 30, 2012 from 6-9pm at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (524 W. 59th Street).  At this event, a Lifetime Achievement Award will be bestowed to Mr. Joe Bataan, also known as the “King of Latin Soul.” Joe Bataan, whose given name was Bataan Nitollano, was born and raised in Spanish Harlem in 1942 to an African American mother and Filipino father.  As a musical pioneer, he has credited as one of the innovators of SalSoul (Salsa and Latin Soul), Latin Funk, Latin R&B, Latin Jazz, and Boogaloo.

Other events throughout the month include a Tagalogue- a theatrical performance at the world famous Nuyorican Poets Café on October 12 and 13, as well as “Universal Self”- a one-man show starring FANHS award winner Kilusan Bautista on November 2 and 3. A complete list of events can be found on the FANHS Metro New York website http://www.fanhs-nyc.org.

For more information about the event, you can contact Kevin Nadal knadal@gmail.com or (212) 237-8795.

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FANHS MNY Community Recognition Awards nominations until August 30

FANHS-NY accepting nominations for community awards till Aug. 30 Posted: August 2nd, 2012 ˑ Filled under: Culture, Identity ˑ No Comments The FANHS board and supporters The Filipino American National Historical Society- Metro New York requests nominations for its second annual Community Recognition Awards There are three awards: (a) the Contributions to Excellence Award, (b) the Youth Leadership Award, and (c) the Outstanding Artist Award. The awardees will be recognized during the opening ceremonies of Filipino American History Month on October 3, 2012 at the Philippine Consulate on Fifth Avenue. Last year’s award winners include Venessa Manzano (Contributions to Excellence), Kirklyn Escondo (Youth Leadership Award), Ryan “Hydroponikz” Abugan and Dennis Sy (Outstanding Artist). Who may be nominated for the Contributions to Excellence Award? • A self-identified Filipino American who has lived in the Metropolitan New York area for at least three years. • Must be at least 18 years of age. For the Youth Leadership Award: • A self-identified Filipino American who has lived in the Metropolitan New York area for at least three years. • Must be under 24 years of age. For the Outstanding Artist Award: • A self-identified Filipino American artist who has lived in the Metropolitan New York area for at least three years. Art forms can include, but are not limited to, music, hip hop, spoken word, poetry, photography, studio art, theater, dance or comedy. Overall, the nominee is an individual: • who has demonstrated commitment to the preservation of Filipino American history and the promotion of the Filipino American community of the Metropolitan New York area. • who models civic responsibility through outstanding service and involvement within the Filipino American community of the Metropolitan New York area. • who is a positive role model in both professional and personal life. Please send your nominations electronically to fanhsmny@gmail.com with the following: 1) A nominee’s one-page biography of under 500 words. Consider incorporating the following a. Personal Information: (e.g., full name, year of birth, where individual was born and has lived, parents’ names, educational history, short job history, spouse/partner/children, and hobbies). b. Community Service History: (e.g., general volunteer service to school, public office, service in your church, fraternal or political organizations, sports, etc.). c. Service to the Filipino community of Metropolitan New York: (Filipino community organizations, publications, lectures on Filipino American history, preservation of Filipino American history, etc.) 2) A current photograph (300 dpi preferred). 3) Her/his contact information. 4) The reason you are nominating the individual (under 300 words). For more information contact Dr. Kevin Nadal at knadal@gmail.com or 212-237-8795. Nominations are due August 30, 2012.

The Launch of: History of Filipinos in Philadelphia Told Through Images

Dear Friends,

I hope this message finds you well. Attached is our Press Release for the book launch/signing scheduled on Saturday, September 15, 4-6pm in Philadelphia.

Kindly distribute widely.

Best,
Eliseo Art Silva

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History of Filipinos in Philadelphia Told Through Images
Author highlights nation’s oldest Filipino American organization in new book

The newest addition to Arcadia Publishing’s popular Images of America series is Filipinos of Greater Philadelphia by artist and author Eliseo Art Arambulo Silva, for the Filipino American Association of Philadelphia, Inc. (FAAPI). The book boasts more than 200 vintage images and memories of days gone by.

Regarded as the first book to document the history of Filipinos in Philadelphia; this landmark publication contains pioneering documentation of Filipino boxers on the east coast, pre-war Filipinos participating in Philadelphia’s Mummer’s Parade, the first Filipino painter to receive international acclaim, and some of the earliest Asian American participants in the American Revolution and the US Civil War. In addition, the history of the Philippines is ingeniously interwoven within the sequential narrative of the book, expanding the background and knowledge of Filipino culture and history often missing in the United States academia.

Rare photographs are included in this collection, e.g. Philippine exhibition at the 1876 Philadelphia Exposition, a photograph of Cesar Chavez, director of the United Farm Workers of America, receiving an award from Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos, and the earliest photograph of a Jose Rizal Day celebration in the United States, a 1923 FAAPI Rizal banquet held in Philadelphia’s Hotel Majestic. In fact, FAAPI is the only Filipino American organization that has consistently celebrated Rizal Day for over a century.

Find out why Filipino sailors in the US Navy and Coast Guard would cross state lines during their liberty breaks to be in Philadelphia, doubling the local Filipino population. Learn which historical figure is the first on record to use “Pinoy”- which has become the politicized demonym referring to the Filipino people. Discover the largest permanent exhibition of Philippine heritage and artifacts in the United States on public display for more than half a century (1909-1961), featured in this book with several photographs taken in 1910.

Eliseo Art Silva, is an artist and founding president of the Pennsylvania chapter of the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS), served as events coordinator for Gawad Kalinga, Pennsylvania, a teaching alumnus at the Asian Arts Initiative (AAI) Youth program, and producer of over 25 public art projects for various Philadelphia neighborhoods including a centennial mural in Hershey, Pennsylvania as a contract mural artist for the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program (MAP) from 2002-2012.

A 1995 graduate of Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, California where he earned a BFA, Silva relocated to the East Coast in 2000 after receiving a Hoffberger Scholarship from the Maryland Institute College of Art and Design’s Hoffberger School of Painting, where he obtained his MFA in 2003 under the auspices of Grace Hartigan and Dominique Nahas.

In 2002, after receiving his first MAP mural project, Eliseo created a historical timeline of Filipinos in Philadelphia, which was used in a 2003 Filipino community proposal to design and create the very first public art to honor east coast Filipinos. This initial research led Eliseo to the pre-1965 Filipino Philadelphian resources belonging to Temple University Urban Archives, which alerted him to the Filipino American Association of Philadelphia, Inc. (FAAPI), the oldest Filipino organization in continuous existence in the United States. Afterwards, the national office of FANHS was informed about this discovery, and in 2005, the local chapter of FANHS was established.

Silva is internationally recognized for creating the largest Filipino American mural in the United States at the age of 22, which is located in Los Angeles’ Historic Filipinotown. He was recently awarded (along with team member Celestino Geronimo, Jr.) the commission to design and build the 500k Gateway to Historic Filipinotown.

He hopes that this book will give readers a better understanding of what it was like to be a Filipino in Greater Philadelphia; and spark a more comprehensive effort to gather, collect, preserve and present images and narratives that tell the story of Americans of Filipino descent in the City of Brotherly love. Silva considers this book, along with the Filipino mural of Philadelphia, as his lasting gift to the Filipino Philadelphian community on the occasion of FAAPI’s centennial celebration. May this book enrich even more and add multiple centuries to FAAPI’s monumental achievement and enhance among the general public, a heightened interest and expanding knowledge of Filipino American history and culture in the United States!

Join the Author for a Book Signing!

When: Saturday, September 15th at 4 - 6pm.
What: Centennial Gala for the FAAPI, Book Signing Event
Where: Hilton Philadelphia City Avenue
4200 City Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131

Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, FAAPI, or through Arcadia Publishing at www.arcadiapublishing.com or (888)-313-2665.

Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States. Our mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America’s people and places. Have we done a book on your town? Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com.

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-Eliseo Art Silva
www.eliseoart.com
http://issue3.tayoliterarymag.com/post/12079637163/eliseo-art-silva-is-a-weaver-of-history-and
http://www.asianartsinitiative-livingarchives.org/interviews/18-eliseo-art-silva.html
https://www.facebook.com/eas.murals
http://www.sites.si.edu/exhibitions/exhibits/singgalot_filipinos_in_america/main.htm
http://www.vimeo.com/18978056
https://www.vcu.edu/artweb/mitchell/works_2004/silva/silva.html
http://fallonandrosof.blogspot.com/2005/06/mural-lessons.html
http://aar.ucr.edu/NotableAsianAmericans/Filipinos/index.html
http://www.lompocmurals.com/price_of_freedom.html
http://www.circlesocal.org/303_mural.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTm69eppK3E
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“Don’t stop loving your country. Demand greatness and generosity from yourselves and inspire them in others…” - Tony Meloto (Gawad Kalinga)

“Filipinos in New York” Photo Exhibit at Kalusugan Coalition

In celebration of October Filipino American History Month, the winners of the “Filipinos in New York” Photo Contest, hosted by the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) Metro New York Chapter, will be on display at Kalusugan Coalition, Inc. (39-04 63rd Street Woodside, NY 11377).  A few of the pictures were found from the Philippine Student Bulletin that was published from 1923-1937.  These include a photograph of six Filipina women that were students at Teachers College- Columbia University (circa 1923), as well as a group of young men who were part of the Filipino Aero Students Club at Lloyd Bennett Airport (circa 1935).  Other submissions include photographs of Filipinos in historic landmarks like Times Square and Central Park in the 1950s and contemporary photos from the Philippine Independence Day Parade in 2011.  Also available at the exhibit will be the Proclamation from Mayor Michael Bloomberg declaring Filipino American History Month in October 2011.

The exhibit will be available for viewing throughout the month of October and early November.  A reception will be held on Saturday, October 8th from 2-4pm.

If you have any questions, please contact Daniel Ballesteros at deballesteros@gmail.com.

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The mission of the Filipino American National Historical Society shall be to promote understanding, education, enlightenment, appreciation and enrichment through the identification, gathering, preservation and dissemination of the history and culture of Filipino Americans in the United States.

The Kalusugan Coalition is a multidisciplinary collaboration dedicated to creating a unified voice to improve the health of the Filipino American community in the New York/New Jersey area through network and resource development, educational activities, research, community action, and advocacy.