Beyond Lumpia April 2015.Indd

Beyond Lumpia, Pansit, and Seven Manangs Wild Stories from the Heart of Filipino Americans Beyond Lumpia, Pansit, and Seven Manangs Wild STORIES FROM THE HEART OF FILIPINO AMERICANS Edited by EVANGELINE CANONIZADO BUELL EDWIN LOZADA ELEANOR HIPOL LUIS EVELYN LULUQUISEN TONY ROBLES MYRNA ZIÁLCITA A project of Filipino American National Historical Society, East Bay Chapter Eastwind Books of Berkeley Berkeley, California Copyright © 2014 by Filipino American National Historical Society, East Bay Chapter All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any form or by any means without prior permission of the editors . Editors: Evangeline Canonizado Buell, Edwin Lozada, Eleanor Hipol Luis Evelyn Luluquisen, Tony Robles, Myrna Ziálcita Cover Art: Lewis Suzuki Cover and Text Design: Edwin Lozada ISBN: 978-0-692-02154-5 LCCN: 2014939966 This books was made possible by Eastwind Books of Berkeley and a grant from City of Berkeley Arts Commission Acknowledgments of previously published works: “Babaylan in Playland By the Sea” by Oscar Peñaranda, published in Tayo Literary Magazine, Issue 4, December 22, 2013; “The Two USAs” by O. Peñaranda, published in Poor Magazine “Blackapina, Third Movement: The Blend,” from Midnight Peaches, Two O’clock Patience, J. Stickmon (Broken Shackle Publishing, 2012) “Hey, Brown Man” by Juanita Tamayo Lott appeared in Third World Women edited by Janice Mirikitani (Glide Foundation, San Francisco, CA, 1972) “Human Removal” by Juanita Tamayo Lott, Copyright 1976, Juanita Tamayo Lott, appeared in Summary and Recommendations: Conference on Pacific/Asian American Families and HEW Related Issues (US Department of Health, Education and Welfare, May, 1978) “My Life as a Lumpia” by Jessica Jamero, published in Talk Story, Filipino American National History Society, Central Valley Chapter (Carpenter Printing, Merced, CA , 2008) Portions of “If I Were a King” by Carlos Zialcita, published in the January 15, 2013 issue of Positively Filipino magazine: “Joe Bataan: Ordinary Guy With An Extraordinary Heart” Lyrics from “If I Were A King” by Joe Bataan is used with permission from the artist. “My Gay Father and the Supreme Court” by Nikki Vilas appeared in Positively Filipino magazine, April 2013. Published by Eastwind Books of Berkeley 2066 University Avenue Berkeley, California, 94704 EMAIL: [email protected] http://www.asiabookcenter.com Printed in the United States of America First Printing: 2014 Second Printing: 2015 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Maraming Salamat EVANGELINE CANONIZADO BUELL Many thanks to the family, the clan, and the village for their support: Eastwind Books of Berkeley, Publisher FANHS East Bay Chapter Executive Board Vicky Santos, President Renato Alfonso, Vice President Myrna Ziálcita, Secretary Evangeline Canonizado Buell, Treasurer and President Emerita FANHS Evelyn Luluquisen, Treasurer Tom Bates, Mayor of The City of Berkeley Bill Buell Piedmont Gardens Manilatown Heritage Foundation To the Editorial Board: Evangeline Canonizado Buell, Evelyn Luluquisen, Eleanor Hipol Luis, Edwin Lozada, Tony Robles, and Myrna Ziálcita To The Artists: Lewis Suzuki, Illustrator; Edwin Lozada, Layout We commend Jeanette Lazam for helping to make this book possible as one of the former editors. We give special thanks to Erika Pallasigue for her contribution. Our special thanks to the City of Berkeley Arts Commission. Their two-year support of this project made completion of this book possible. Dedication to Helen C. toribio EVANGELINE CANONIZADO BUELL We honor Helen Cabulejo Toribio, the late editor of the FANHS Anthology of Filipino American Writers, Seven Card Stud with 7 Manangs Wild. Helen was a professor of Filipino American History at San Francisco State Univer- sity and City College of San Francisco, a community activist, and a leader. Helen, one of the founders of the Filipino American National Historical Society-East Bay, was truly the majestic flower in the FANHS Literary Gar- den. She caressed and inspired the writers to bloom and flower with prose and poetry. She left us a great and important legacy and was a beacon of light to the new budding Filipino American writers. Helen’s inspiration continues to encourage us and many of her students to continue writing and documenting our stories, the Filipino American ex- periences, because if “we do not tell our own story, then others will tell it for us, as they interpret it, and we will risk losing the essence and truth about the Filipino American experience. That history could fade from memory and one day our children’s children could be asking, Who were our ancestors? What were they like? What did they do?” And there could be no one to answer and nowhere to look. I quote Helen Toribio, “May we have many more stories to write and share.” vi vii Dedication to Bill Sorro and AL Robles TONY ROBLES Bill Sorro and Al Robles, sons of Manilatown, sons of the manongs and sons of the I-Hotel. Bill and Al, whose poems are written in lechon skin, whose lives are danced in barrio fiesta songs, whose feet moved across the carabao mud of the I-Hotel, collecting the stories and songs and tears of the first gen- eration of manongs and manangs in this country. They looked into the eyes of the manongs and manangs and saw life clearly, as a salmon sees, as it travels its way home, cutting across the water of memory. Bill and Al, whose dedication to the community and our stories and our art and our youth and elders were always with us—and still are. It was Al who said, ako ay Pilipino—from across the 7000 islands & seas i am the blood-earth patis flowing thru the mountain soil-veins of my people And Bill Sorro who said, “We were trying to change the world, and quite frankly, you know, most of us still are. We still feel the same wonderful an- ger towards the system. And I really feel that it is important, particularly for young people, to be pissed off but to channel it, channel it with your love.” We dedicate this book, this work of love to you Bill Sorro and Al Robles, whose love for food and music and poetry and unending dedication and love for the Filipino community gave us the best of our community. As Al once wrote, Our struggle is the best Part of our poetry And our poetry is the best Part of our struggle Bill Sorro and Al Robles, presente! vi vii TRIBUte TO FRED CORDOVA EVANGELINE CANONIZADO BUELL We pay tribute to Fred Cordova, founder and leader of the Filipino Ameri- can National Historical Society, also responsible for why the United States celebrates October as Filipino American History Month. This book could not have been possible if it had not been for him and his wife, Dorothy Laigo Cordova, who paved the way for Filipinos in America to document our history. Both Dorothy and Fred, Filipino American historians, established this prestigious community-based organization on November 26, 1982 “to promote understanding, education, enlightenment, apprecia- tion, and enrichment through gathering, identification, preservation, and dissemination of the history and culture of Filipino Americans in the United States.” Fred headed and maintained the archives at the headquarters of FANHS National in Seattle, Washington. He was the inspiration and mentor in helping Filipino Americans to be proud to be Filipino, and proud of our culture, history, and heritage. Fred led us in ethnic spirit and solidarity. He enriched the lives of Filipinos in America, Filipinos all over the world, and the community at large. He is a Filipino American historical gem. We quote Fred Cordova: “Everybody doesn’t have to be a hero; everybody doesn’t have to be fa- mous. Each person who’s Filipino American, to me, is very, very important as a story. Our stories are really in our people. It’s not so much in what the achievements are…as much as what is the story itself.” FRED CORDOVA (1931 – 2013) www.fanhs-national.org viii CONteNTS INTRODUCTION 1 IDENTITY AND ASSIMILATION RENELAINE BONTOL-PfiSTER • Ginger Sleeping 5 TITANIA BUCHHOLDT • On My Birth Certificate 9 ANN FAJILAN • Ann 13 WILFRED GALILA • Perhaps the Coyote Knows 17 JUANITA TAMAYO LOTT • Hey, Brown Man 22 ELEANOR HipOL LUIS • Finding the NOLA Root 23 ELEA LUIS MANALO • Hindi Ako Nakakaintindi 26 TONY ROBLES • Whisper, Carabao 30 JEANINE SILVERIO • A Visit to Grandpa’s House 34 ADRIAN JAMES SOBREDO • Filipino American Identity: 38 A Teenager’s Experience JANET STicKMON • Blackapina— 45 Third Movement: The Blend CLifTON TRINIDAD • I Am an American 50 NIKKI VILAS • My Gay Father and 54 the Supreme Court CARLOS ZIÁLciTA • If I Were a King 59 CULTURAL BRIDGES JEffREY TANGONAN AciDO • Letter To My Kadkadua 67 JEANNIE BARROGA • Haunted 71 EVANGELINE CANONizADO BUELL • Tribute to Oscar 75 TESS CRESciNI • Birth to the Ancient in New Time 77 BRENDA MANUEL FULTON • Dominador Cruz Manuel 79 • Filipino Weddings 84 HERB JAMERO • The Raid 88 JESSicA A. JAMERO • My Life as a Lumpia 93 EMILY PORciNCULA LAWSIN • Papa’s Two Left Feet 97 JEANETTE GANDIONCO LAZAM • Aunties Win Tram Ride 102 at Hanauma Bay viii CULTURAL BRIDGES JUANITA TAMAYO LOTT • Uncle Paul Lives on Minna Street 104 in Central City EVELYN LULUQUISEN • Attitude Adjustment 106 REBEccA MABANGLO-MAYOR • Gift of Plums 110 LISA SUGUITAN MELNicK • Agtawid (Inheritance) 115 • Out the Back Door 119 VERONicA MONTES • Beauty Queens 123 OSCAR PEÑARANDA • Babaylan in Playland by the Sea 128 FELiciA PEREZ • Initiation: My Filipino Tattoo Experience 136 ROBERT V. RAGSAC, SR. • Sakada 140 MARIVic REYES-RESTIVO • Nana Meng’s Tsokolate 145 TONY ROBLES • Up and Down

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