PETER’S PINOY PATTER — OCTOBER 2019
Bridge Generation News
BG Personality of the Month: Arlene (Lagrimas) Dark: Although Arlene and I have known one another for years, we never had the opportunity to talk about her life as a showgirl at San Francisco’s “Forbidden City” nightclub. In a space of a month we were able to do so twice. First was on July 14 when she was the featured speaker at the monthly “Afternoon at the Museum” series at the Filipino American Museum in Stockton and then on August 12 in a one-on-one interview at her home. At 80 years of age, Arlene retains her slim figure and lives quietly in north Stockton. While dancing at “Forbidden City” was her chosen career, it was not the work she first sought. In 1958 at the age of eighteen she left Stockton for San Francisco to attend beauty school. But on the suggestion of her older brother Tony Lagrimas — long-established as the lead male dancer at the nightclub — she became a showgirl instead ($55 a week was much more than she could make as a beautician). For more than a dozen years, Tony — seventeen years older than Arlene — became her mentor, protector, and sometime dancing partner. “Forbidden City” was advertised as an all-Chinese show. So the first thing Arlene had to agree to was change her stage name to “Arlene Wing”, the same last name Tony had assumed. She also was required to use makeup to look more slant-eyed. Dancing came easier for Arlene who possessed the natural rhythm and grace of her Filipino background. In the book “Forbidden City USA” by Arthur Dong, Oriental dancers — Chinese, Japanese, Korean — were described as having “two left feet”. Consequently, Filipina/o’s job seekers were favorably considered by the nightclub. Among pinay/pinoy performers Arlene remembered were: showgirls Anna Lea and Rita Adonis, singers Jimmy Borges and Pacita Todtod; and pianists Mike Montano, Flip Nunez, and Primo Kim. By the 1960s Arlene’s pay had risen to $65 a week and then to an astronomical $200 a week when she went on tour with the Oriental Playgirl Review that traveled throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Caribbean, and Japan. Performers were always paid in cash — never by check. Most showgirls were not from the San Francisco Bay Area. Steeped in traditional culture, local Asian parents considered it shameful for their scantily clad daughters to dance in nightclubs for all their relatives and friends to see. Arlene enjoyed being a dancer and being with the other showgirls. However, she strongly disagreed with the nightclub’s policy requiring showgirls to fraternize with guests during breaks (so they might spend more). Describing herself as a “rebel”, she led a protest that ultimately ended “Forbidden City’s” fraternization policy. The youngest of six children, Arlene was born on August 31, 1938 in Stockton CA and grew up on Center Street in the virtual center of “Little Manila.” As a youth she played on a volleyball team that competed against other Filipina teams. After the closure of Forbidden City in 1970, Arlene, in a twist of irony, purchased a beauty shop in Stockton that she still manages with the help of her daughter. Today, she continues to be close to “Forbidden City” friends as evidenced when a surprised Arlene excitedly greeted several of her former showgirl pals that showed up unannounced in the midst of her July 14 presentation at the Filipino American Museum………… It was good to see that retired Channel 2 Oakland TV-journalist Lloyd LaCuesta is still active in his chosen profession. On August 14 he covered the official renaming of a Mountain View CA public school to “Jose Antonio Vargas Elementary School” in honor of arguably the most famous undocumented immigrant. A student of the school as a youth, Vargas was unanimously selected by the school board over a long list of notable persons, including Barack and Michelle Obama…………….Cris (Krisologo) Elliott, community leader and member of the first Filipino Youth Activities of Seattle Drill team founded by the late Fred Cordova in 1959, is so proud of her daughter, Teri (Chunn) Bariquit. The Nordstrom company recently promoted Teri to the corporation’s newly created position of Chief Merchandising Officer. With Nordstrom for 33 years, she will serve as a member of the company’s executive team and will be reporting to Co-President Pete Nordstrom…………….. Happy October Birthdays: Al Acena, Abe Amen, Angie (Castro) Gamido, Luna Jamero, Delia Rapolla, Art Suguitan, Andres “Sonny” Tangalin, Jo (Tenio) Canion, Don Velez, Connie (Viernes) Pasquil.
Musings
Is excluding People of Color in favor of White Nationalism/Supremacy in America’s Future? Part III (In my August blog, Part I posed this question after pointing out examples where the Trump Administration’s inflammatory words and policies only targeted People of Color — not Whites. Part II concluded that White Nationalism/Supremacy is alive, well, and growing. In Part III, I will explore the aftermath.) In responding to the mass shootings in Dayton OH, El Paso TX, and Gilroy CA, Trump in his prepared speech on August 5 called White Nationalism/Supremacy “evil”. However, his tweets and comments the next day were completely silent regarding White Nationalism/Supremacy, mass shootings, and the associated spike in gun violence and hate crimes. Instead, Trump blamed video games and mental health — despite the lack of scientific evidence to substantiate his claims. How did the public react to the rise of White Nationalism/Supremacy and mass shootings? Polling data strongly show widespread public fear and anxiety . Perhaps the best example was the panic on a crowded Times Square in New York City when a car’s backfire was mistaken for gunshots. Personally, I’ve felt real fear and anxiety for my life on three occasions. First, when I was in war-ravaged Korea in the early 1950s; second, during the 9/11 destruction of the Twin Towers; and now, with the deadly targeting of People of Color in America — including brown-skinned persons like me. How strong is my fear and anxiety? I avoid public gatherings where significant number of People of Color are likely to congregate. A recent example: I decided to forgo attending one of my passions in life — straight ahead jazz at the San Jose Jazz Festival. I gave my expensive ticket away!……………. Countdown Today — minus 1 year, 5 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 vicinity of California’s Central Valley on a weekend, I strongly suggest visiting the Filipino American Museum in Stockton.)
Pinakbet — News Across America
Meet Juanita (Tamayo) Lott: After forty years working as a demographer and policy analyst in Washington, D.C., Juanita retired to her hometown of San Francisco in 2008. It was as a student activist in the late 60s, however, that she first attained prominence. Concerned about the lack of cultural-specific curricula at San Francisco State University, she joined Philippine American Collegiate Endeavor (PACE) led by Patrick Salavar, Ron Quidachay, Robert and Ed Ilumin, and Alex Soira. These were the years of nationwide civil rights unrest. PACE was no different; it joined the Third World Liberation Front – a campus multi-ethnic, activist, umbrella organization composed of not only People of Color groups but also White campus clubs. From November 1968 to March 1969 student strikes against SFSU’s dismal record serving minorities drew national media attention that ultimately resulted in the establishment of the School of Ethnic Studies and an increase in minority faculty. Juanita’s career as a demographer and policy analyst was spent entirely in the nation’s capital. There, she became the first Director of the Office of Asian American Affairs, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. She also served with the Census Bureau, National Center for Education Statistics, Commission on Civil Rights, Committee on National Statistics, and National Academy of Sciences. Juanita is the author of “Asian Americans: from Racial Category to Multiple Identities”, “Common Destiny: Filipino American Generations”, and “Golden Children: Legacy of Ethnic Studies.” (Thanks to Lisa Suguitan Melnick for her article in the May 22, 2019 issue of “Positively Filipino”.)……………. On August 10 I was privileged to attend the One Year Anniversary Celebration of Life invitation-only event in Stockton for Dr. Dawn (Bohulano) Mabalon — the respected historian, scholar, author, poet, and university professor. The hall was filled to capacity with family, friends, and colleagues; some from far away such as Kevin Nadal from New York City and Emily Lawsin from Detroit. Guests were treated to beautiful tributes to Dawn, a sumptuous meal of Filipino food (all Dawn favorites), and entertainment from “Little Manila Rising” youth clad in traditional Muslim dress dancing to Philippine Muslim music played by a kulintangan ensemble……………. Rise and fall of a major league shortstop: In 2016 Addison Russell was on top of the baseball world — the starting shortstop in the All-Star game and for the World Champion Chicago Cubs. But on August 2, 2019 the Cubs unconditionally released him. The 25-year-old struggled badly as a fielder and hitter after coming back from a 40-game suspension for domestic violence issued by Major League Baseball. He did not appeal the suspension.
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