LEAPin' and Learnin'

Oct 27

Occupy Oakland

“We need to re-imagine and re-think what it means when we say democracy, work, education […] what it means to be human being. It needs to be a evolution, evolution, TRANSFORMATION”

Danny Glover was a student at SF State and was part of the Third World Liberation Front during the longest student strike in history in 1968 that resulted in the only College of Ethnic Studies in the entire nation.

Gaaah, times like these when I miss the Bay.

Oct 22

“We must not think ourselves victims,
Disadvantaged, held back –
Because of race, colour, creed,
Education, class, gender,
Religion, height, or age.
The world is not made of labels.
The world, from now on,
Will be made through the mind.
Through great dreaming, great loving
And masterly application.
Those who transcend their apparent limitations
Are greater than those who apparently
Have little to transcend.
Our handicaps can be the seed of our glories.
We shouldn’t deny them.
We should embrace them,
Embrace our marginalization,
Our invisibility, our powerlessness.
Embrace our handicaps, and use them,
And go beyond them,
For they could well be the key
To some of the most beautiful energies
That we have been given.
Accept no limitations to our human potential.
We have the power of solar systems
In our minds.
Our rage is powerful.
Our love is mighty.
Our desire to survive is awesome.
Our quest for freedom is noble, and great.”

Ben Okri (via la vie en rose)

(via daughtersofdilla)

Oct 12

Let’s Take it Back to FPAC!

I have totally lagged posting about FPAC, so here it goes! My exit interview with Nancy was refreshing, it gave me the opportunity to reflect on the LIA program and my experience at my community based organization.

So I have been in this transition mode since I have relocated back to Southern California from SF and overall, just figuring out life after college. I’m not going to lie—it was hard because during the summer as I was working with folks in Los Angeles, it just made me miss the familiarity of the community in the Bay Area. It wasn’t until college that I was exposed and connected to my heritage- to the Fil-Am community- which is the reason why San Francisco holds such a close place in my heart. Last week, I was skimming through my high school journal and found a list of things I wanted to accomplish in during my senior year and #3 on that list was:

“Embrace my culture and the fact that I am going to be surrounded by Filipinos my entire life. Stop trying to deny what I am and who I am”

When I read this, I was like “wow.” It’s crazy to look back because I never realized that I had internalized self shame for being Filipino American. What was beautiful about this process was that I was working with an organization that was centered around community. All the events, conversations, work, and time spent with folks at FilAM Arts were little snippets leading me to what my FPAC experience would be. One of my goals coming into this program was to find the Fil-AM community, its presence in LA-in SoCal- which leads me to FPAC. Sometimes I find it hard to describe my FPAC experience, but there was this energy that was flowing. I think at one point it was also emotional for me because I was able to see all the work that a lot people put into planning this festival manifests itself. Before I never understood when my ED said that FPAC was a neautral space, but when I was there I saw it- it was this celebration and love for what Filipino and/or Filipino American culture, community, and history represented for you and you alone, but it also allowed for folks to connect and to heal.

Because of FPAC I was able to connect with The Narra Project, an organization based Long Beach that organizes Filipino and Filipino American youth which is what I did in SF and love doing. It also happened to be that the director was an old school PEP teacher and graduate of SF State- Perfect!!!

el fin.

P.S. I got a jooob!! wahoo teaching Middle School Students in an After School program, just one step closer to chasing my big city dreams.

Oct 10

kiwizzo:

SF EXCELSIOR DISTRICT WHAAAT!

Aristyles - “Alphaspit”

Download the free mix tape: Rhymes of color
www.aristylesmixtapes.bandcamp.com

Sep 29

cops got told! check it.

Sep 27

“Education is the property of no one. It belongs to the people as a whole. And if education is not given to the people, they will have to take it.” Che Guevara (via daughtersofdilla)

My CBO supervisor showed me this video, offered a different perspective on pain +growth= love.

Sep 19

Mark Gonzales- As With Most Men

Hypocrisy of the war on terror, and the misogyny/ objectification of women in western pop culture.

Sep 14

“And we marginalized people are only allowed one archetypical voice, usually the least threatening one. I strive to challenge and explode the idea that there’s just one voice or one story to tell. People sometimes ask me if I am limiting myself—I always turn it back on them and ask, why do you think writing about Asian Americans is limiting? We are limitless. There are so many poems to be written—it’s really about whether or not I have the skills and endurance to keep doing it, not the limitation of a community.” Bao Phi in an interview with Jane Kim (via surnameviet)

(via kiwizzo)

Sep 13

“I will love you on purpose.
I will be open on purpose.
And I will not be sorry for any of it.” Ntozake Shange: For Colored Girls (via shukr)

(via daughtersofdilla)

LEAPin' and Learnin'

Southern California Native 2nd Generation Pinay SFSU college graduate My favorite number is 4

Let’s Take it Back to FPAC!

Southern California Native
2nd Generation Pinay
SFSU college graduate
My favorite number is 4