PETER’S PINOY PATTER — March 2022
Bridge Generation News
BG Personality of the Month, Lois (Balaoro) Fleming, 87: Lois was an integral, if not always a visible, part of Seattle’s 1960-70s civil rights activism. With her husband and civil rights activist partner, Phil Hayasaka, she marched in demonstrations, was a strong advocate for fairness, and performed unsung but critical work, such as researching and documenting ethnic minority issues.
To understand her passion for fairness, one must go to her childhood. Born on August 5, 1934 in Seattle, Lois was the eldest of two daughters (a younger sister died at 7) of Juan Faustino Balaoro from Abra Province, Philippines and Oregon native Ruth Potter, of German-Irish ancestry. As victims of miscegenation and discrimination while also enduring the Great Depression, the young family underwent difficult times. As early as age six she remembered the family repeatedly refused housing, her mother receiving uncomplimentary remarks for marrying a Filipino, and her father encountering problems finding employment and being called racist names. Lois may not have clearly understood the reasons for the hatred; but inherently, she knew it was wrong. The family’s economic fortunes improved when they moved from Bellevue WA, where her father worked as a houseboy, across Lake Washington to Seattle where he found steady employment painting buildings and houses.
During Lois’ early years, her parents expected her to return home from school promptly — no lingering with neighborhood children. A dutiful daughter as a teenager, she didn’t date. However, her parents encouraged a friendship with a mestizo, Victor Fleming, to whom she became engaged at sixteen years of age. (Her marriage after graduating from Seattle University, resulting in three children, ended in divorce.) Like other Filipino youth of the times, she worked during summer vacations picking strawberries and green beans before finding less back-breaking work in fish canneries on Seattle’s waterfront. During her college years, she worked in a laundry and as a page at the Seattle Public Library.
While the nation was engaged in the fight for civil rights during the 1960s, Seattle’s ethnic minorities, led by African Americans, were fighting for Open Housing. Strongly committed to civil rights, Lois participated in numerous demonstrations along with other persons of color, including Filipinos such as community leader Vic Bacho and activist Bob Santos. In 1963, the City of Seattle enacted an ordinance (1) outlawing discrimination in housing and (2) establishing a Human Rights Commission. Under its new director, Phil Hayasaka, the HRC introduced non-discriminatory employment clauses in the city’s public works contracts, initiated a six-week course on racial discrimination for supervisors, and convinced the mayor to issue an Executive Order on fair practices. These accomplishments were achieved despite years of delay to fully implement the controversial ordinance because an affirmative vote of the people was required for passage. Finally in 1969, in the wake of Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1998 assassination, the ordinance (which also upgraded HRC to a City of Seattle department) was fully implemented.
Employment for college graduates was limited during the 1960s, particularly for female persons of color. Lois found work as a secretary with the newly-established HRC and later promoted to Public Information Officer when the commission became a department. While the PIO position had a clear mission, it did not have the tools to operate effectively. Lois immediately developed a series of informational brochures describing issues facing Seattle’s Asian, Native American, and Chicano communities. At the same time, Seattle’s school district, colleges and universities, and the private sector were experiencing their own civil rights issues. The brochures were quickly gobbled up. Lois became in demand as a speaker. She wrote a regular column “Minority Voices” in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer — the morning daily newspaper. Her success as PIO subsequently led to greater responsibilities as department Contract Compliance Officer and Affirmative Action Specialist.
During the 1960s the Asian community was also beginning to assert itself. With the founding of the Asian Coalition for Equality (ACE), Lois again found herself playing a prominent civil rights role, along with Filipino Americans 
Tony Ogilvie and Sonny Tangalin. With Lois as lead person, ACE helped bring reforms to Seattle’s Minority Contracting Opportunities Program. Tony led the effort that established the Special Education Program at the University of Washington. Sonny was in the forefront that brought an end to discriminatory practices of social clubs like the Elks. Lois’ association with ACE subsequently led to years of employment with Washington State government assuring civil rights protections for the Asian community. Her employment with the state began in 1972 with her appointment by Governor Dan Evans to the Asian American Advisory Council. She rose to become Chairperson, then Executive Director, of the Washington State Asian American Commission — precursor to today’s Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs. In recognition of her many contributions to civil rights, she received an Outstanding Achievers Award from the Filipino Youth Activities in 1985.
Lois and her husband and civil rights activist partner, Phil Hayasaka, retired from full-time employment in 1988. Phil passed away in September 2020. Today, Lois lives independently and focuses on exercise, reading, and activities with her grandchildren. In looking back at her life, she is, “……… grateful for the many blessings I have, and of the wonderful years I had with Phil — they were the best years of my life.”
Passings:
George Ramirez of San Bruno CA, 84, maintenance planner for United Airlines at the SF International Airport, passed away from Covid in December 2020. He played Filipino youth club basketball with the Stockton “Fils” and the Bay Area “Bards”………….. World War II veteran and recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal, Maurice Artiago of Hawaii, 97, died on December 20, 2021.
Happy March Birthdays: Bob Balandra, Eleanor (Engkabo) Paular, Pas Fidel, David Galanida, Evelyn (Guillermo) Agdoma, Dolores (Ladaga) Abasolo, Manuel Luna, Rich Tenaza, Ed Ventura.
Pinakbet News Across America
Filipino American Historical Tidbits:
On May 14, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt dedicated a monument in San Francisco’s Union Square to memorialize Admiral George Dewey‘s victory over the Spanish Armada………… In 1919, Pablo Manlapit organized Filipino sugar plantation workers in Hawaii into the Filipino Labor Union.
Did You Know:
In December, New York Mayor-elect Eric Adams appointed Maria Torres-Springer as Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development………… Also in December, President Joe Biden appointed Teresita Batayola to the 20-member President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. As President and CEO of International Community Health Services in Seattle, she built the agency into Washington State’s largest Asian and Pacific Islander non-profit health center. (As this blog was being published, Teresita announced her well-deserved retirement)……….. Running back Josh Jacobs rushed for 132 yards to help the Las Vegas Raiders to a 35-32 National Football League playoff victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on January 9. He is only the third Raiders’ Filipino running back since the team’s 1960 founding. The others — Rick Berns and Marshawn Lynch.
Musings
White Supremacy in America, (to) It Has Always Been About People of Color, (to) Equitable Justice for People of Color, (to) Multi-ethnic Democracy Weakened, Part XIX:
(After Congress’ failure to pass the Freedom to Vote Act to overturn voter suppression/election subversion state laws, it may be useful to examine the Trump-inspired January 6, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol in more detail. Following are analyses from three respected figures.)
- According to Barton Gellman‘s article Donald Trump’s Next Coup Has Already Begun in the December 6 issue of “The Atlantic”: The twice impeached president and the Republican party have convinced large number of Americans “that the essential workings of democracy are corrupt, that made-up claims of fraud are true, that only cheating can thwart their victory at the polls, that tyranny has usurped their government, and that violence is a legitimate response.” Gellman predicts the former president will seek and win the Republican nomination for president in 2024. He will count on the ongoing “bitter grievance of Republican voters that they lost the White House, and are losing their country, to alien forces with no legitimate claim to power.” The January 6 insurrectionists see their White-dominated status slipping and believe People of Color “will eventually have more rights than whites.” Lastly, Gellman opines that the ex-president has built a massive political movement that is ready to “fight by any means necessary, including bloodshed, for its cause” and believes “…..a hidden hand is encouraging the invasion of nonwhite immigrants, and the rise of nonwhite citizens, to take power from white Christian people of European stock.”
- In the December 23 New York Times, respected constitutional attorney, Harvard University Professor Emeritus Laurence Tribe opined, “The legal path to investigate the leaders of the coup attempt is clear. The criminal code prohibits inciting an insurrection or “giving aid or comfort” to those who do, as well as conspiracy to forcibly “prevent, hinder or delay the execution of any law of the United States”…… “the overriding test that Attorney General Merrick Garland and the rest of the government face is the threat to our democracy from people bent on destroying it.”
- Regarding lies and misinformation fomented by social media, winner of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for Journalism, Filipina American Maria Ressa said on December 10, “……….. without facts, there is no truth, and without truth we have no democracy.”
Is America’s multi-ethnic democracy weakened?
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