PETER’S PINOY PATTER — SEPTEMBER 2019
Bridge Generation
BG Personality of the Month: Evangeline “Vangie” Canonizado Buell, 87. In Dorothy Cordova’s foreword to Vangie’s 2006 memoir “Twenty-five Chickens and a Pig for a Bride”, Vangie was described as a “Renaissance Woman”. This tribute from the co-founder of the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS), could not be more deserving. Indeed — Vangie is widely known as a musician, folk singer, historian, arts aficionado, community activist, and administrator. Undoubtedly, her musical talents were inherited from her parents Estanislao “Stanley” Carpio Canonizado and Felicia (Bunag) Stokes, both natives of the Philippines. Her father, Stanley — a career U.S. Navy man — enlisted as a steward’s mate at the outset of World War I, was sent to music school by future World War II admiral Chester Nimitz, and eventually rose to the position of Navy Bandmaster. Vangie’s mother, the daughter of a Filipina war bride and an African American “Buffalo Soldier” who served in the Philippines during the 1898 Spanish-American War, sang and played the guitar. She taught young Vangie to sing the Philippine ditty “Planting Rice is Never Fun” – (the same tune taught to many BG kids of those days by their mothers, including mine). Vangie was born in San Pedro CA in 1932 but spent most of her life in Oakland and the East Bay. Her growing up years were spent in West Oakland where she learned to appreciate the diverse cultures of Filipino, African American, Chinese, Portuguese, Irish, Mexican, Japanese, and Italian. Venturing outside the neighborhood, however, was often fraught with discrimination. The family found it difficult to find a suitable place to rent; during World War II Vangie was taunted by white kids who said she was “filthy.” Undaunted, Vangie went on to graduate at San Jose State. Mentored by famed folk singer Malvina Reynolds, she honed her singing and guitar-playing talents — resulting in a generous offer to join folk singer Lou Gottlieb and the Limeliters in New York City. She declined the offer, deciding it was more important to stay on the West Coast and care for her children full-time. By 1986 Vangie was the Public Events Manager at the International House, University of California, Berkeley that hosted a FANHS historical display — thus beginning her long association with the historical society. Regarding Vangie’s other “Renaissance Woman” accomplishments: (1) Historian: In addition to her memoir she authored “Beyond Lumpia, Pansit, and Seven Manangs Wild” and “Filipinos in the East Bay”; served two terms as FANHS national president; founded FANHS East Bay Chapter. (2) Community Activist: Arranged food caravans and helped the Berkeley Consumer Co-op raise $75,000 for the 1960s Delano farmworkers strike; Vietnam War protestor. (3) Arts Aficionado: Chaired Berkeley Arts Center, Berkeley Arts Commission, and Oakland’s Cole School Performing and Arts Magnet. (4) Administrator: Founded, Kiddie Korral Children’s Center in Berkeley; served as long-time Public Events Manager, International House, UC Berkeley. Moreover, as a “Renaissance Woman”, she was one of only two women to receive the Sheroes Award by the Filipina Women’s Network; featured on a mural at the San Francisco 16th Street BART Station representing the Filipino community; and received a Very Important Pinay Award from FANHS…………… Maurice “Morie” Legare March 20, 1933-July 12, 2019. Morie was the only child of missionary parents. His father, Rev. Maurice B.S. Legare, was the first pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Stockton, home of the Filipino Presbyterian community that remains active today. A graduate of Whitworth College, he joined the U.S. Navy in 1955 during the Korean War, became a naval aviator flying rescue missions during the Vietnam War, and ultimately rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander…………… Did you know: Respected attorney and now retired Mike Nisperos of Oakland is a relative of Jose Nisperos — the first Filipino recipient of the coveted Congressional Medal of Honor………….. Happy September Birthdays: Mardena (Ambon) Ragsac, Peter Bacho, Pam Bulahan, Ernie Cabreana, Narce Caliva, Gloria (Carido) Nomura, Pastor Engkabo, Jerry Salac, Aurelio Simon.
Pinakbet — News Across America
On August 5 Filipino American “Mail Bomber” Cesar Sayoc was sentenced to 20 years in prison by the Federal District Court in Manhattan for mailing bombs (fortunately, none exploded) to thirteen high-profile people in 2018. His targets included leading critics of Donald Trump — former President Barack Obama, ex-Vice President Joe Biden, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, actor Robert De Niro and financier George Soros. Sayoc, 57, drew inspiration from Trump for his terrorist campaign by listening to his self-help books He championed him on social media and watched Fox News religiously. At his arrest he was living in a decrepit white van plastered with bombastic stickers glorifying Trump while placing Obama and Clinton in cross-hairs………… Did You Know? Only Mexico has sent more immigrants to the U.S. than the Philippines…………. On July 15 catcher Travis d’Arnaud of the Tampa Bay Devil-Rays hit three home runs to beat the vaunted New York Yankees 5-4…………. On June 30 Dawn Mabalon‘s children’s book on labor hero Larry Itliong was delivered by “Little Manila Rising” volunteers to sixty Stockton schools. The books’ distribution is another step towards fully implementing Assemblyman Rob Bonta‘s 2017 legislation that mandated the teaching of Filipino American history in California public schools.
Musings
(Part I — Is excluding People of Color in favor of White Nationalism/Supremacy in America’s Future? — this question was posed after pointing out examples where the Trump Administration’s inflammatory words and policies only targeted People of Color — not Whites. ) Part II: Today, in the wake of the recent mass shooting in Dayton OH and the ones targeting brown people like us in El Paso TX and Gilroy CA, the answer is crystal clear: White Nationalism/Supremacy is alive and well in America. Most Americans have expressed their dismay over the shootings. But I believe former President Barack Obama said it best in the following powerful August 5 statement: Michelle and I grieve with all the families in El Paso and Dayton who endured these latest mass shootings. Even if details are still emerging, there are a few things we already know to be true. First, no other nation on Earth comes close to experiencing the frequency of mass shootings that we see in the United Sates. No other developed nation tolerates the levels of gun violence that we do. Every time this happens, we’re told that tougher gun laws won’t stop all murders; that they won’t stop every deranged individual from getting a weapon and shooting innocent people in public places. But the evidence shows that they can stop some killings. They can save some families from heartbreak. We are not helpless here. And until all of us stand up and insist on holding public officials accountable for changing our gun laws, these tragedies will keep happening. Second, while the motivations behind these shootings may not yet be fully known, there are indications that the El Paso shooting follows a dangerous trend: troubled individuals who embrace racist ideologies and see themselves obligated to act violently to preserve white supremacy. Like the followers of ISIS and other foreign terrorist organizations these individuals may act alone, but they’ve been radicalized by white nationalist websites that proliferate on the internet. That means that both law enforcement agencies and internet platforms need to come up with better strategies to reduce the influence of these hate groups. But just as important, all of us have to send a clarion call and behave with the values of tolerance and diversity that should be the hallmark of our democracy. We should soundly reject language coming out of the mouths of any of our leaders that feeds a climate of fear and hatred or normalizes racist sentiments; leaders who demonize those who don’t look like us, or suggest that other people, including immigrants, threaten our way of life or refer to other people as sub-human, or imply that America belongs to just one certain type of people. Such language isn’t new — it’s been at the root of most human tragedy throughout history, here in America and around the world. It is at the root of slavery and Jim Crow, the Holocaust, the genocide in Rwanda and ethnic cleansing in the Balkans. It has no place in our politics and our public life. And it’s time for the overwhelming majority of Americans of goodwill, of every race and faith and political party, to say as much — clearly and unequivocally…………. Oops! In my last blog I inadvertently omitted the Filipino Repatriation Act of 1935, providing a one-way return to the Philippines, as one of two laws fomenting Filipino exclusion. The Act was unsuccessful in that only 2,200 of the 45,000 Filipinos then residing in America went back to their homeland. The other exclusionary law was the McDuffie-Tydings Act of 1935 — not 1924…………Countdown — Now minus 1 year and 4 months and growing: When will the Board of Trustees, Filipino American National Historical Society — who have program and fiduciary responsibility — provide critically needed financing to assure keeping open the Filipino American Museum in Stockton, the historic center of Filipino immigration? If you are in the Bay Area or California’s Central Valley on a weekend, I strongly suggest visiting the one-of-kind Filipino American Museum in Stockton.
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