Contributor, Author at Asian Journal News

[ESSAY] Takao Ozawa and Bhagat Singh Thind: Asian Americans’ role in revealing the implicit ambiguity of ‘whiteness’

Editor’s note: Once a year, an essay competition is held at Cal State University, Northridge, amongst Asian American Studies and Education majors, as part of an endowment set up by the columnist, Prosy Abarquez-Delacruz, for her deceased mother, Asuncion Castro Abarquez and her deceased sister, Rosalinda Abarquez Alcantara to provide a scholarship grant to deserving students. The essays are vetted…

Asian Americans call for multi-racial solidarity at first-ever unity march

By Sunita Sohrabji/Ethnic Media Services WASHINGTON DC — Approximately 15,000 people gathered June 25 at the National Mall here for the first-ever Unity March, organized to draw attention to the dramatic spike in hate crimes against the Asian American Pacific Islander Community. The enthusiastic young crowds gathered against the backdrop of the Capitol Building in…

Young Fil-Am lawyer makes history, wins Miss Texas title

By Gus Mercado/Contributor ALL Filipino Americans in the State of Texas, especially in the DFW Metroplex, brimmed with pride when its very own Averie Danielle Bishop won the Miss Texas crown on Saturday, June 25. From North Texas to the Miss America stage in December this year, Averie will make history as the first Asian…

Aloha Game Nights at Plaza West Covina

Last Saturday, Plaza West Covina hosted an island-themed trivia night in honor of AAPI month. Included in the event was a performance by the Polynesian Entertainment Group. Guests enjoyed hula performances, played trivia games, won prizes, and kids were invited to make crafts as part of the Kids Club at the center. Guests to the…

[COLUMN] The history and blessings of Philippine independence

By Gus Mercado June 12, 1898 marks a most important milestone in the history of the Philippines as the day the Republic was born. Every year since then, Filipinos all over the world take time to commemorate this significant event in their history — the culmination of nearly four centuries of struggle for nationhood. The…

Promoting Leadership With AAPI Stories and Voices

SCE celebrates community and business partners during Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. By Shulie Tornel Patty Rhee’s parents stopped checking her grades when she started high school, which is unheard of in most Asian American households. Instead of focusing on academics, Rhee’s Korean immigrant parents wanted to nurture their children’s heart and spirit, so…

[OPINION] Why Rep. Susie Lee is an advocate for AAPIs, Southern Nevadans

By Angelyn Tabalba, President, AAPI Democratic Caucus of Southern Nevada It has been a long two years for Southern Nevada. While COVID-19 relentlessly afflicted our communities, we saw our biggest industries shut down, our small businesses struggle to stay afloat, and an unprecedented spike in employment in the heart of the entertainment capital of the…

[OPINION] Learning from and uplifting the AAPI community is our responsibility as Nevadans

By Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada As one of the fastest growing communities in Nevada, Asian American Pacific Islanders are an essential part of our state and enrich our economy every day. Today there are close to 22,000 Asian-owned businesses in Nevada across all industries, and that number continues to grow. During AAPI Heritage…

[COLUMN] Why the habit of saving is key to becoming financially healthier

Savings is a foundational piece to financial health since research has found that unexpected expenses, like car repairs, can become a hardship when people don’t have access to emergency savings funds. “When it comes to saving, the most important thing to do is to simply to start,” said Eileen Viray Alcones, Community Manager in San…

Fil-Am attorney leads class action team, gets $21.56M payout to drivers

By Val Abelgas LOS ANGELES — XPO Logistics Inc., one of the biggest truck companies in the United States, has agreed to pay $20 million to 561 drivers misclassified as independent contractors in a major class action suit handled by a group of lawyers, led by Filipino-American attorney C. Joe Sayas Jr. XPO additionally paid…

[OPINION] There is a dire need for Filipino language access services in San Francisco

Filipinos have been a significant part of San Francisco and California’s history and society for more than a century, and a majority use Filipino (Tagalog) as a language. Not to mention the constant influx of Filipino immigrants from different regions in the Philippines with English as their second or even third language. It is through…

BA.2 COVID variant now accounts for more than one third of new infections, says CDC

By Sunita Sohrabji / Ethnic Media Services THE BA.2 variant of Omicron now accounts for 35 percent of new COVID infections in the U.S., and more than 50 percent in New York and New England. But experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that cases overall will be less severe. “As we’re learning from…

[OPINION] Masking up helps, but getting vaccinated critical to keeping kids safe

Whether or not kids should wear masks in school remains a heated topic with strong opinions on both sides. Adding to this conversation is the state’s latest masking guidance, which went into effect on March 12. Schools are no longer required to enforce a mask mandate and instead are maintaining masking as a strong recommendation…

California EDD adds 15 languages, expands access to unemployment insurance

By Sunita Sohrabji/Ethnic Media Services Settling a complaint brought about by several civil rights organizations, California’s Employment Development Department will expand language access for its unemployment insurance program by translating all written materials into the 15 most-used languages in the state and adding more interpreters to its phone lines. Documents from the EDD will now…

Tax season is open! Here’s how to get your refund quickly

TAX season officially opened Jan. 24, but early birds will have to wait for refunds until March, as the Internal Revenue Service is barred from issuing payments before Feb. 15. “It is our intent that filing is as smooth and easy as possible. We want to make certain that consumers are getting all the credits…

Hope after the rain: An update on Gawad Kalinga’s Typhoon Odette relief operations

An operation walang iwanan: Typhoon Rai/ Odette update Last December 17, 2021, Gawad Kalinga Philippines (GK) activated Operation Walang Iwanan: Typhoon Rai: Odette (local name) in response to the calamity that struck thousands of Filipino families residing in Visayas and Mindanao. In the wake of such massive and widespread destruction reminiscent of the 2013 Typhoon…

From pandemic to endemic: Will we ever be there?

Even as COVID-19 hospitalization rates surge in some parts of the U.S., many public health experts are advising a shift from thinking of the crisis as a pandemic to an endemic, in which COVID will continue to be around for an unknown number of years, but at levels that are low and controllable. At a…

Filipino Americans in Las Vegas aid communities hit by Typhoon Odette

LAS VEGAS – Filipino Americans in Las Vegas, through the Philippine American Charity Foundation (PACF), a non-profit charitable organization in Nevada, sent funds to municipalities struck by Super Typhoon Rai, locally known as Typhoon Odette. “We were able to raise from generous donors close to $10,000. This enabled us to buy and distribute rice and…

[EVENT] Sinolog dance ritual to be featured at Santo Niño celebration on Jan. 29

STRONG drum beats will signal entrance of Sinulog dancers from Our Lady of Fatima Rosary Crusade / Holy Family in Glendale and Vessel of Mary Liturgical Dance Group/ Holy Name of Mary/ San Dimas at a Eucharistic Celebration of Feast of Santo Nino at St. Anthony Church (2110 N. San Antonio Avenue, Upland, CA) on…

Gov. Gavin Newsom proposes universal health care, including for undocumented

By Sunita Sohrabji/Ethnic Media Services CALIFORNIA Governor Gavin Newsom recently announced his plan for universal healthcare, which would extend coverage to the state’s 1.1 million undocumented residents. If approved, California would be the first state in the nation to provide universal health care. Speaking at the Clinica Sierra Vista’s Lamont Center in Kern County, an…

[COLUMN] Vaccines for children ages 5-11 available – get them vaccinated and keep them safe

By Dr. Jay Yeh, Medical Director, Pediatric Echocardiography Laboratory, UC Davis Health Last month, COVID-19 vaccines became available for 5- to 11-year-olds, and that could not have come at a better time. With new variants like Delta and Omicron, health experts know that COVID-19 has not gone away. Protecting our children against the virus should…

[EVENT] Celebrate the feast of Santo Niño on Jan. 16, 2022 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels

An archdiocesan celebration ON Sunday, January 16th, 2022, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (555 W. Temple Street, Los Angles) will celebrate 500 years of Philippine Christianity and 35th Anniversary of the Feast of Santo Nino. This year’s theme is” Gifted To Give.” Fr. Rodel Balagtas, Pastor of Incarnation Church in Glendale and…

Slow but steady rise in eviction filings – no ‘tsunami’ yet

By Pilar Marrero/Ethnic Media Services SINCE the federal moratorium on evictions ended in late August, court eviction filings by landlords have increased across the country, particularly in cities with the lowest local and state protections. So far, there is no sign of the “tsunami” of evictions predicted a few months ago. The federal moratorium on…

Kick It California is here to help Californians quit smoking — and improve their mental and physical health

California is once again emerging as a leader in the fight against Big Tobacco with the California Smokers’ Helpline, renamed Kick It California — the state’s official effort to help people stop smoking. Through Kick It California, anyone who wants to quit tobacco use – whether it’s cigarette smoking, vaping, chewing or anything else –…

[EVENT] Simbang Gabi masses slated from Dec. 15 to 23

IN the Catholic Christendom, it’s that time of the year again to express the rich Filipino tradition of attending a nine-day novena of masses at dawn known as Simbang Gabi or Misa de Gallo (Spanish Mass of the Rooster) because Philippine masses are held at 4 a.m. from Dec. 15 to Dec. 23. In the…

[OPINION] Vaccination protects children from the dangers of COVID-19

Our state experienced the most devastating point of the pandemic last winter. More than 21,000 Californians were hospitalized with COVID-19 in the last week of December, and we lost 18,518 mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers to this deadly virus in January. The light at the end of the tunnel felt out of reach. Today, we…

[COLUMN] Q&A with Chase’s Cora Mopera

Tell me about your current role and how your upbringing got you to where you are today. I’ve been a Branch Manager for over 10 years and my main role is to make sure that we maintain a culture of excellence and an environment that delivers world-class service by building relationships and excellent customer experience….

[Opinion] Voting rights is the civil rights issue of our time

It’s the “civil rights issue of our time,” voting rights advocates say, but three different proposals to strengthen and create nationwide standards on voting are all stalled in Congress. “Democracy is facing challenges unlike any we have seen in modern time,” said Wade Henderson, CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, at…

To boost or not to boost: What is the answer?

By Sunita Sohrabji/Ethnic Media Services Contributing Editor AS of Oct. 22, both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup recommended expanding the use of a booster dose of the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines for eligible populations. The CDC and Western States Workgroup had…

IRS helps taxpayers in 350 languages — touting expanded child tax credits and other benefits 

By Jenny Manrique / Ethnic Media Services ON the same day that marked the last pandemic-related extension for filing taxes, IRS officials briefed ethnic media reporters about another major benefit under the American Rescue Plan — the expansion of the Advance Child Tax Credit. One of the most widely used tax credits in the country, the…