Contrary to the model minority stereotype, 1 in 10 Asian Americans live in poverty

Can we please finally put this "model minority" nonsense to rest? 

The term 'model minority' was coined in 1966 by sociologist William Petersen in an article he wrote for the The New York Times Magazine entitled "Successful story: Japanese American style." The term has haunted Asian Americans ever since.

The trouble with stereotypes is that there is usually an element of truth to them. Some Asian Americans have achieved financial and educational success. But that ignores the wide-ranging diversity of the Asian American community. Indeed, more than 2.3 million Asian Americans – about one-in-ten – live below the poverty line in 2022, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of US Census Bureau data.

Of the 24 million Asian Americans, about 2.3 million live in poverty. Many are working to overcome the economic hardships they encounter and achieve their American dream. Some have lost hope of achieving that dream.

        FYI: Read more about the Pew Analysis about Asian American poverty

While Filipinos and Indian Asians generally enjoyed financial security in contrast to  about 17% of Hmong Americans and 16% of Mongolian Americans, who live at or below the poverty line, according to a Pew analysis.

The wide diversity of the Asians coming from over two-dozen countries, is further splintered by when they immigrated to the US or if they are US-born; proficiency in English. Most of the poor tend to be more recent immigrants who still are unfamiliar with the options open to them or are more comfortable staying within their own community bubbles.

“After coming [to the U.S.], there were many problems to face, first … the language problem. We have read English … but we are not used to speaking. … We also had education … but since we can’t explain ourselves in English – what we can do, what we know … we are getting rejected [from jobs] as we cannot speak," said a rBengalis-speaker Pakistani.

"Another problem was that I had a child," she continued. "My child was small. I could not go to work leaving him. At that time, my husband was working. He also had the same thing – he had education, but he could not get a good job because of the language... we had to work below the minimum wage.”

One of the surprising findings was that among Asian Americans ages 25 and older who are poor, one-third have a bachelor’s degree or higher contradicting the general belief that a college degree would almost guarantee a good-paying job. At least that's what Asian parents always tell their children. 

Not so surprising is that the survey found that most of those living in poverty lived in the metro centers of New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Each of these urban centers have about 100,000 Asians living under the poverty line. With their large Asian American populations, it makes sense that there are more poor in those metropolitan centers.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the blog Views From the Edge. 

AANHPI Higher Education Leadership Summit will be held at UC Berkeley on April 2

With students of Asian descent making up about 42% of its undergraduate studnt body, it is fitting that the University of California, Berkeley host an April 2 summit of higher education leaders from colleges serving AANHPI students.

The University of California, Berkeley is hosting a summit for institutions serving large
numbers of AANHPI students.

AANHPI leaders, education experts and officials from the current administration will convene to discuss the challenges facing the AANHPI communities in the field of education, and spotlight institutions that have been successful in catering to their needs.

The summit will also spotlight innovative institutions of higher education – including Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions(AANAPISIs) and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions (NHSIs) – that have made strides to build inclusive campus communities, create culturally responsive academic support services, and promote student success.

 

“Minority-Serving Institutions often serve as empowering and helpful resources for students and recent graduates interested in public service, including those from Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities,” said US Office of Personnel Management Director Kiran Ahuja. 

“As the federal government’s chief human resources agency, OPM is deeply committed to developing policies and services that advance equity across federal agencies and remove barriers to serve for underserved communities.”

The event, which will be co-hosted by OPM, will bring together Biden-Harris Administration officials with higher education leaders, faculty, administrators, and staff to share best practices and address urgent challenges facing Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AA and NHPI) in higher education.

Over the past two years, the White House Initiative of Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI) has hosted numerous virtual and in-person events to engage with AA and NHPI communities across the nation. This includes efforts to highlight federal internship and fellowship opportunities, demystify the federal jobs application process, and raise awareness about critical federal resources available for Minority-Serving Institutions. 

Following the April 2 summit, the White House Initiative plans to continue to deepen its engagement with higher education leaders, students, and faculty to empower AA and NHPI communities and bolster pathways to public service.

The UC Berkeley summit is the first to be held on the West Coast where a majority of AANHPI reside. It marks a major step in WHIAANHPI’s efforts to put the promise of higher education in reach for more Americans – and builds on several key actions taken by the Biden-Harris Administration, including:

• Celebrating AANAPISI Week: In September 2023, President Joe Biden issued the first-ever White House proclamation to recognize National Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) Week.

• Launching a higher education listening tour: In late 2023, WHIAANHPI kicked off a national listening tour to deepen community collaborations and strengthen the infrastructure of both AANAPISIs and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions as they prepare students to thrive in the workforce. To date, WHIAANHPI has made initial stops at Queens College, City University of New York (CUNY) and the University of Massachusetts Lowell, with additional visits to AANAPISI and AANHSI campuses being planned later this year.

• Tackling barriers to educational attainment: With the release of the Administration’s first-ever national strategy to advance equity, justice, and opportunity for AA and NHPI communities in January 2023, WHIAANHPI and the U.S. Department of Education are working to create a higher education system that is more inclusive, equitable, and affordable for all Americans.

“Our White House Initiative is laser focused on building on President Biden’s commitment to strengthen the capacity of Minority-Serving Institutions that have long served as engines of opportunity and empowerment for millions of Americans,” said WHIAANHPI Executive Director Krystal Ka‘ai. 

“With our higher education leadership development summit, we look forward to continuing to strengthen our engagement with students and higher education leaders to advance educational equity for our diverse AA and NHPI communities.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the blog Views From the Edge. 

'The Cleaning Lady' Season 3 Episode 2 ' For My Son' is special

REVIEW

Twenty-five minutes in, The Cleaning Lady's Season 3, episode 2 took a historic turn when the characters of the drama series began discussing aspects of Filipino culture.

With Fiona (Martha Millan) and her son Chris (Sean Lew) in Manila, it gave the drama series' writers an opportunity to remind audiences of the Filipino roots of the De La Rosa family.

The locale also introduced a new character, Paolo Bellea, played by JB Tadena, a Fililpino American actor from the unfortunately cancelled Kung Fu.

Belleza, a fun-loving and charming guy with a breezy sense of humor and sexy confidence. Paolo owns and operates a “Turo Turo” food stall in Manila where he is loved by his community and i (surprise, surprise) as it turns out,  is Chris's biological father. 

Martha Millan and Sean Lew are mother and son in 'The Cleaning Lady' sTV eries.

(Just an FYI: Turo turo, translates into "point, point," wherein he customer orders by pointing at the dish in the steamer or on the grill.)

Paolo eases Chris' anger aimed at his mother for taking him away from his father by leaving the Philippines to the US. He explains the Filipino value of "malasakit," in the cself-sacrifice for the benefit of others.In this context:Fiona, he explains, gave up her family and everything she loved in the Philippines so that Chris can have better opportunities in the US. Hence, the episode's title: "For My Son."

During the spisode, on the way to Paolo's turo-turo, Fiona and Chris wander through a street market where the writers again used the locale to introduced Ruby Ibarra, the Filipino American rapper whose music is often played in the background of the gritty atmosphere of Las Vegas' underworld.

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Rapper and song-writer Ruby Ibarra is featured in an 'The Cleaning Lady.'

Pay close attntion to Ibarra's lyrics  because they fit perfectly into the secondary storyline of Chris discovering his past and Filipino heritage.

FYI: Watch The Cleaning Lady — Season 3 with a subscription on Hulu, or buy it on Vudu, Prime Video, Apple TV.

The Cleaning Lady follows a Cambodian doctor from the Philippines, Thony De La Rosa portrayed by Elodie Yung, who comes to the US for medical treatment for her son. She is forced to become an undocumented immigrant making a living as a cleaning lady. She gets involved with the of criminal underworld rabbit hole and finds herself unable to get out. 

The Cleaning Lady's Paolo Belleza is a rare character in US television. Tadena's Bellaza is a positive image of the Asian man who is not (so far) not involved in crime, or an overbearing husband or a sexless wimp providing comic relief. He is also not a computer techie, or a "best friend" relegated to the background or a martial artist (at least, so far). Hopefully, the writers will find a way to bring him back into the story.

The storyline also reintroduces Fiona's parents, lola and lolo, respectively played by Princess Punzalan and Alberto Isaac, and their complicated relationship with their wayward daughter, a mixture of love and disapproval.

The series must have a writer or cultural adviser on salary to make sure to include and not  mess up the cultural references throughout the stories because someone not knowing the nuances of Filipinoness would take the time to explain some of the decisions made by of the characters. 

Credit must go to the series producers, including Miranda Kwok who conceived the series by taking the original Argentine series and trgiving it an Asian twist (The Philippines, specifically) reminding audiences  at the diversity that makes up this country and a a glimpse at a community rarely depicted on US television beyond the usual stereotypes.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the blog Views From the Edge. 

Buddhists pray that peace and tolerance replaces the racist history of a California city

Downtown Antioch was built over the former Chinatown.

Hundreds of Buddhists convened in Antioch, California, offering prayers to reconcile the city's past treatment of Chinese with a future of of inclusion and tolerance.

On March 16, 200 Buddhists gathered for the "May We Gather" pilgrimage, intentionally scheduled on the third anniversary of the Atlanta mass shooting when a white gunman targeted female employees at Asian American massage parlors. The event also brought mainstream attention to the fearful trend already haunting Asian Americans.

In 2021, Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe formally apologized  for the city's  past treatment of Chinese.

After the California Gold Rush, thousands of Chinese remained and found work building the levees in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta where they eventually settled and built their own communities. 

 In 1876, the Chinesse residents were forbidden from being seen on the city streets. In response, the Chinese dug a series of tunnels connecting the various businesses.

The final blow occured when Whites set fire to the growing Chinatown driving its residents out. Instigators encouraged the mob under the guise of cleaning out the alleged sex and opium dens. With the Chinese driven out, the valuable riverside location became available for developers. It became Antioch's downtown.

The ceremony involved 200 Buddhists from China, Vietnams, Japan, Korea, Laos, Thailand, Tibet, India and Sri Lanka.

Event organizer Duncan Williams, a religion professor at the University of Southern California and a Soto Zen priest of Japanese descent, said thet organizers didn't want just a political reaction. He told the East Bay Times they wanted "a Buddhist response that draws on our teachings and practice," which aims to honor ancestors and heal racial trauma, past and present.

Most of the ceremonies took place in Antioch's Campanile Theater, a restored vaudeville and movie theater located a block from the former Chinatown. 

Antioch's dark history and the Atlanta shootings were part of the past but participants were also tying those events to the present and future.

For years, Antioch residents have reported racist and illegal behavior by local law enforcement including fatal shootings by police officers, reports KQED.

In 2023, an FBI investigation into criminal misconduct by Pittsburg and Antioch police officers uncovered thousands of racist text messages. Nearly half of the Antioch police department was temporarily put on leave after the discovery and the police chief resigned.

Ten law enforcement employees were eventually charged with federal crimes, including fraud, civil rights abuses and falsification of records.Cristina Moon, a Honolulu-based Zen priest, hopes the healing event would provide a new direction for the city. “Our relationship to what happened and the ways in which we can control how to act in the future.”

“It’s important we recognize what happened and acknowledge it’s uncomfortable,” she continued. “It’s about not getting stuck in a painful past but moving forward in a positive manner.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the blog Views From the Edge.

Climate change forcing Pacific islanders to leave their homes

USGS

Seawater regularly tos the manmade perimeter berm on the island of Roi-Namur in the
Republic of the Marshall Islands, 

For the people of the Pacific, climate change is  is not a theory. It is happening. Climate change is so real that people are leaving their ancestral homes to escape the rising ocean waters degrading marine life and increasingly violent typhoons. 

Severe tropical storms, or typhoons, sweep across the Pacific Ocean causing great destruction.

Because of their unique climate and location, the islands of the Pacific are at increased risk for severe weather, including tropical storms, typhoons and hurricanes – and that’s a major reason residents moved from 2015 to 2020, During this five-year period, from a quarter to nearly a half of their residents moved to a new residence, according to recently released 2020 Census of the Island Areas tables.

The nations and territories in the Pacific region are experiencing an approximate increase of 4 millimeters of sea level rise annually in certain regions, which is higher than the worldwide average of 3.4 mm per year, the World Meteorological Organization reports in its 2022 State of the Climate study.

Between 2015 and 2020, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) declared major disasters in all four U.S. Island Areas — American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI).

In the three Pacific Island Areas (American Samoa, CNMI, Guam), over 27.0% of movers reported natural disaster(s) as their primary reason for moving. In the USVI, over 41.0% reported moving because of natural disasters.

Between 2015 and 2020, American Samoa had one declared disaster, Tropical Storm Gita. The CNMI experienced three declared disasters — Typhoons Soudelor, Mangkhut, and Yutu. In addition to Typhoon Mangkhut, Guam experienced two additional declared disasters: Typhoons Dolphin and Wutip. And the USVI had two declared disasters, Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Tropical cyclone Lola battered the island nation of Vanuatu in 2023.

Globally, "2023 is currently the third warmest year to date at 0.43ºC above the recent average, with the average global temperature in July at 1.5°C above pre industrial levels.” said Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director of theEuropean Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service,

The WMO report said that many regions in the Pacific region, including the Solomon Sea, Banda and Timor Seas, and regions east of the Philippines and the southern shoreline of Indonesia, have experienced significant warming, with the rates two to three times higher than the global average.

Radio Free Asia reports the glacier size in the western part of the Indonesian island of New Guinea decreased by 15% from 0.27 to 0.23 square kilometers between July 2021 and April 2022, while ice thickness dropped 24 meters from June 2010 to early 2021, with only 6 meters remaining in December 2022.

In 2022, the South-West Pacific experienced 35 recorded natural disasters that killed more than 700 people, with floods accounting for over 70% of these incidents, according to the report.

These events impacted over 8 million individuals, inflicting an economic toll nearing  $9 billion. In the Philippines and Fiji, increasingly violent and more frequently occurring storms were the predominant reason for the high death toll and the many affected individuals.

Geographic mobility in the island areas

• Roughly a quarter to just over a half of residents (age 5 and over) in the four U.S. Island Areas moved from 2015 to 2020:American Samoa had the lowest (21.3%) mover rate.

• The Commonwealth of Northern Mariana had the highest (50.5%).

• In Guam, more than a third (34.2%) of people in households (excluding those in military housing units) moved.

• One third (33.0%) of residents in households reported moving in the US Virgin Islands.

Climate change wasn't the only reason for residents from the Pacific region to migrate. The top seven reasons for moving are: 

1. Employment.
2. Military.
3. Housing.
4. Family-related.
5. Natural disaster.
6. To attend school.
7. Other.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the blog Views From the Edge.

'Larry the Musical' premiering March 15 brings Larry Itliong's story to the stage

The life and times of Filipino American labor leader Larry Itliong will be told by Larry the Musical, which will have its world premiere March 16 in San Francisco. 

With a cast and production team of Filipino Americans, the musical of a real historical figure has been years in the making building support and anticipation among the Filipino American community.

“This is probably the most meaningful project of my career as a Filipino American theater artist,” said veteran director Billy Bustamante. 

Larry the Musical was created by a Filipino American creative team led by Gayle Romasanta, writer and executive producer, and Bryan Pangilinan, composer and executive producer. Inspired by the book "Journey for Justice: The Life of Larry Itliong," authored by the late historian Dr. Dawn Mabalon and Romasanta, the musical pays homage to Itliong's remarkable legacy.

The San Francisco premiere will be March 16 at the Brava Theater and run through Aparil 4.

Itliong's key role in the formation of the United Farm Workers with Cesar Chavez is not well known outside of the FIlipino American community despite California declaring Oct. 16 as Larry Itliong Day. A handful of cities celebrate the day and a few schools have been named honoring the labor leader.

In order to find financial support, the creative team had to educate the funders of the importance of Itliong's role in US history.

A grant from the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) allowed the creators and artists continue their work on the musical with 20 songs and dance numbers.

“We first heard about Larry The Musical from an online fundraising event they were hosting,” said Don Young, Director of Programming at CAAM. “We attended and were just mesmerized by the musical numbers, but as importantly, just so inspired by the team and their commitment to both creating great art and building a community foundation for the future. We decided we had to do what we could to be part of this amazing collaboration and support their efforts as best we could.”

Larry has since received grants from other organizations such as the San Francisco Arts Commission, SoMa Pilipinas, the National Endowment for the Arts, and more. They’ve also received support from individuals within the Filipino American community, as well as the wider Asian American community.

FACEBOOK

Appropriately, the cast of 'Larry the Musical' are all union members.

Other producers include community activist, publisher, and filmmaker Mona Lisa Yuchengco; Dr. Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales, professor of Ethnic Studies, Filipina/x/o American Literature and Art at San Francisco State University and founder of Pin@y Educational Partnerships (PEP); and Dr. Kevin Nadal, professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, psychologist, author, activist, and President of the Filipino American National Historical Society.

Both Romasanta and Pangilinan have previous background experience in theater, particularly with the San Francisco-based Filipino American theater, Bindlestiff Studio.

The creative team of Larry the Musical includes Director and Choreographer Billy Bustamante (assistant director, Here Lies Love; assistant choreographer of Stephen Sondheim’s last musical Here We Are on Broadway), music director and co-composer Sean Kana (music director, Hippest Trip - The Soul Train Musical, associate music director, Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations), and writer Kevin Camia (Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Frankie Quinones Show, The Dress Up Gang).

Larry comes a few months after the close of Here Lies Love on Broadway, created by Broadway veterans David Byrne and Fatboy Slim. Despite the all-Filpino cast and the infusion of celebrated Filipino and Filipino American producers, the Broadway musical stirred a debate within the Filipino American communitiy for supposedly glamorizing Imelda Marcos, the wife of the Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

The responsibility of proper representation is not missed by Romasanta. She feels the responsibility of spotlighting a story that has implications, both politically and culturally. “So it’s a lot [of] trying not to feel all the pressure, but it is a huge ask; a huge, huge ask that we didn’t know that we were going to tumble into. But here we are.”

Bustamante adds:  The musical “can help fill the integrity ingredient in representation. ... This will be the first time I’ll have been a part of an all-Filipino American theater project where that doesn’t just put Filipino bodies on stage, but puts words and notes and ideas, visual creativity that come from other Filipino Americans that they get to share. That has been a missing piece, that idea of who’s writing the words, who’s writing the notes.”

FYI: Larry the Musical will be playing at the Brava Theater in San Francisco from March 16 to April 14. Get more information and buy tickets at Brava.org. Some performances are already sold out.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the blog Views From the Edge.

Who is Robert Kyoung Hur, the DOJ's spcial counsel investigating Hunter Biden

 

It seems that no one, neither Democrats or Republicans, was pleased with Speical Council Robert Kyoung Hur's report on President Biden's handling of classified governmentt documents.

Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee criticized Hur's assessment of Biden's memory and Republicans didn't like that Hur ultimately vindicated Biden's mishandling of the documents.

"What I've observed in this hearing is that one side thinks you're trying to get Trump elected and the other side thinks you're trying to get President Biden elected," said Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colorado. "Welcome to Congress."

"I did not sanitize my explanation, nor did I disparage the president unfairly," he said in defending his report. "I explained to the attorney general my decision, and the reasons for it. That's what I was required to do."

 In Januaary 2023 Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Hur, a Republican, to conduct the investigation of the alleged unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents discovered at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement and the Wilmington, Delaware private residence of President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.

Hur testified in front of the Judicial Committee as a civilian. The day after he issued  his report, Hur resigned. 

Democrats on the judiciary committee accused Hur of deliberately mentioning Biden's alleged memory lapses a political act.

“You could’ve written the report about his comments with specific recollection of a set of documents but you chose a general reference to the president. You understood when you made that decision, that you would ignite a political firestorm with that language, didn’t you?” said Demorat Adam Schiff,D-CA.,

“What you did write was deeply prejudicial to the interests of the president,” Schiff said. “You say it was not political and yet, you must have understood — you must have understood — the impact of your words.”

His parents are Haesook Hur and Dr. Young Hur of Monroe Township New Jersey, The New York Times reported. Her father is an anesthesiologist, according to a NYTimes article.

Republicans were just as critical at Hur's decision to not file charges against Biden. Hur felt that there was not enough evidence to convince a jury of any crimes. However, after the hearing, Hur said his reporte did not exonerate the President.

As a US Attorney, one of the high-profile cases he “led criminal cases against former Mayor Catherine Pugh, a Democrat, and two state delegates,” reported The Baltimore Sun. Pugh was convicted of wire fraud and tax evasion, according to a press release from the  DOJ.

In 2022 he was appointed by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan to head a commission to investigate hate crimes against Asian Americans.

Before his appointment as Special Counsel last year,  Hur was a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, and Co-Chair of the Firm’s Crisis Management Practice Group. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the blog Views From the Edge.

AAPI Victory Fund joiin Latino and Black PACs to commit $30 million for Biden's reelection

President Joe Biden got a boost with the endorsement of three major PACs representing people of color.

Three major political action committees representing Asian American, Black and Latino voters ndorsed President Biden’s reelection bid last week and commit $30 million to mobilizing communities of color.

The AAPI Victory Fund, The Collective PAC, and Latino Victory Fund announced their endorsement during Biden's rally in Atlanta.

“President Biden and Vice President Harris have delivered for Asian American Pacific Islanders, and that’s why the AAPI Victory Fund stands strongly behind the Biden-Harris ticket,” said Joe Nguyễn, President and CEO of the AAPI Victory Fund. 

“Asian American voters are going to be key to the success of Democratic candidates up and down the ballot in 2024," said Nguyễn. "Between now and Election Day, we have robust plans to persuade and mobilize AAPI voters in culturally competent ways to speak to our communities’ values – while also aggressively calling out the harmful, xenophobic policies and rhetoric coming from Donald Trump and extremist Republicans.”

The Biden-Harris Administration has delivered historic results for communities of color in their first term in office:

• Canceled student debt for more than 3.9 million borrowers and created new rules that will cut the average Black borrower’s payments in half, after Trump’s nominees to the Supreme Court stopped President Biden’s larger debt forgiveness plan.

• Created 2.6 million jobs for Black workers and achieved the lowest Black unemployment rate on record.

• Covered almost two-thirds of births for Black mothers, helped to address Black maternal mortality, by expanding Medicaid coverage after birth from two to 12 months in most states.

• Asian American unemployment has fallen by more than half since Biden took office. The Small Business Administration has distributed more than $16 billion in loans to AA and NHPI entrepreneurs. The number of Asian American owned businesses increased by 18% compared to pre-pandemic.

• AANHPI Americans are represented throughout the Biden-Harris Administration, including Vice President Kamala Harris, the first vice president of South Asian descent.

• Created nearly 12 million jobs, achieving the lowest unemployment rate on record for Latinos.

• Cut Latino child poverty by 43% through the American Rescue Act and Inflation Reduction Act.

• The Administration invested $450 billion and provided emergency relief to more than 6 million small businesses - leading Latinos to start new businesses at the fastest rate in the last decade.

“The stakes of this election could not be higher for voters of color, and President Biden and Vice President Harris could not be more honored to earn the support of these three national organizations that represent both the diversity of our party and the backbone of the coalition that stood up and voted in record numbers to defeat Donald Trump in 2020,” stated Biden campaign manager Juile Chavez Rodriguez.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the blog Views From the Edge.

FilAm food entrepreneur finds an investor on Shark Tank'

SCREEN CAPTURE / SHARK TANK

Jake Deleon was successful in winning over a Shark Tank investor.

A Filipino American's food business, Fila Manila, is about to get bigger after an appearance on Shark Tank, the TV show that links businesses with investors.

“I’ve been a fan of Shark Tank for more than a decade,”  said Fila Manila founder Jake Deleon in an interview. “I remember watching during my time in corporate and being inspired by the entrepreneurs who bared their life and business on the carpet and learning from the shark’s questions.”

Fila Manila makes Filipino foods, which are hard to find in the most mainstream grocery stores.

"Where Filipino cuisine is today is where Korean and Japanese cuisine was 10 years ago," Deleon said during the March 4 episode of Shark Tank.

“I’ve always been in the food business. We come from an immigrant family and with most Filipino families, food is always the center of the household,” New Jersey resident Deleon told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “It’s no surprise that a lot of our entrepreneurial efforts as kids or even with my parents started out with food. We just made food in our kitchen and would sell to friends and family for extra income.”

“One of the cases I made [for Filipino food] on Shark Tank is that we’re actually the fastest growing cuisine in the U.S. right now in terms of popularity,” he said. “What’s working in our favor is that if you go to most groceries, there’s not really any Filipino representation at all.”

Deleon, a graduate from Drexel University, founded the company in November 2020, having previously created an almond milk brand that he discontinued due to setbacks from the COVID-19 pandemic. In just a few years, he has been able to grow Fila Manila into a million-dollar business.

Before becoming an independent businessman, Deleon learned the food industry business while working Procter & Gamble,  developing products and managing brands for Starbucks, Pringles and the pet-food brand Iams.

"I'm a 1st generation FilAm," Deleon writes on the company website. "who was born in the Philippines and raised in NJ with countless memories of joyful family gatherings. His family's recipes were the basis of Fila Manila's products.

"At the center of each gathering was a table overflowing with home-cooked Filipino dishes. I remember the delicious flavors of our food together with the laughter of my family bringing comfort and joy to my heart.

"I created Fila Manila to celebrate the joy of Filipino family, culture, and our delicious cuisine," he says.

Fila Manila's condiments include a banana-based ketchup, the increasingly popular ube and coconut spread, adobo marinade and sauce, creamy peanut sauce, and pineapple rum sauce. All of the spreads are gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan with no artificial colors or flavors. The products are sold by grocers in 25 states at stores including Whole Foods, Target, Stop & Shop and Mom's Organic Market.

FILA MANILA

Deleon said he fully expected to have to negotiate with the sharks to get a deal done.

"You come into the show and then you expect that you have to negotiate. And then you're familiar with how the sharks negotiate as well, so you have to come in with that mentality because if you do make a deal, you're probably starting from way up here and they're going to want to bring you way down here. You have to think about the mentality of meeting somewhere in the middle."

"I'm super psyched I got a deal with Daniel. He was the Shark I was targeting, and I think Daniel's experience building Kind is going to bring Fila Manila where I want it to be," Deleon said during the Shark Tank episode.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the blog Views From the Edge.

FilAm teacher chosen as California's Teacher of the Year

CBS

Joseph Alvarico, center ,was chosen as one of California's Teachers of the Year.

A Filipino immigrant brought to the US to help fill the teachershortage was named one of the top teachers in California.

Robotics teacher Joseph Alvarico, who taches at Ygnacio Valley High School in the SF Bay Area, is one of the five 2024 California Teachers of the Year, as selected by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.

“I am both thrilled and humbled at the same time to have been selected as one of the 2024 California Teachers of the Year," Alvarico said. "This distinction is a reflection of the long hours and unwavering commitment that I have put into my teaching career"

It has been a year of honors for Alvarico, who was hired in 2004 by the  Mount Diablo Unified School District. Alvarico was named a Contra Costa County Teacher of the Year in September and one o the Teachers of the Year for the Mount Diablo school district in the Spring of 2023.

He teaches high school Engineering Essentials, Introduction to Engineering Design, and college level "dual enrollment" courses through a partnership with Diablo Valley College, and is also the advisor of the school's robotics club, "Femineer" STEM club and Interact Rotary Club for youth.

"My gratitude extends to multiple people in my life who have guided me along my professional path and supported my classroom every step of the way. Maraming salamat sa inyong lahat! ("Thank you all!" in Tagalog.)" said Alvarico. Without you, I wouldn't be able to give my students the greatest service that I possibly could. I am excited to continue making a positive impact on the lives of my students, our local community, and the educational world at large.”

California Teachers of the Year are considered to be "ambassadors for the profession and serve as representatives of the state for the calendar year," according to the California Department of Education (CDE) news release announcing Alvarico's selection.

Thurmond said he was pleased to recognize the "remarkable educators, who all display deep commitment and innovation in their work—all while supporting their students through a difficult time. They make profound differences in their students’ lives and provide both inspiration and the practical tools that students need to succeed. They’re all prime examples of the exceptional work going on in California schools.”

Alvarico is the only Northern California teacher to receive this distinguished honor this year as the other four teachers reside in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties.

Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools Lynn Mackey said she was proud that a Contra Costa County Teacher of the Year was named one of the state’s top educators. “Joseph is a great example of the high-quality teaching and learning going on in Contra Costa County schools every day and it’s a great honor for him to be selected as a California Teacher of the Year," she said. "Congratulations to him, his colleagues and MDUSD for the support they have given him throughout this process and his career.”

Born in the Philippines to a family of educators, Alvarico has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and a Bachelor of Secondary Education degree. After answering an MDUSD ad seeking teachers in the Philippines, Alvarico immigrated to the United States in 2004 and initially began his MDUSD teaching career at Oak Grove MS, along with several other teachers hired from the Philippines.

After 12 years, Alvarico transferred to Ygnacio Valley HS, where he has worked for seven years. He combines previous on-the-job experience in the tech industry in the Philippines into his lessons while also focusing on community-building with his students. He strives to show all his students their potential and the possibilities available when they leave high school, no matter their economic status.

Alvarico may be the best argument for recruiting foreign teachers to offset the teacher shortage. The recruitment of teachers from other countries has been done for decades to help fill a teacher shortage of teachers caused, in part, by the retirement of Baby Boomers and those who have left the profession for better pay or burnout. The US lost 370,000 teachers since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, reports the Washington Post.

Foreign teachers are being hired by school districts across the country, especially those who can teach STEM subjects. In 2022 the Philippines provided the most teachers for US classrooms.

In the years 2015 to 2021, the most recent statisticss availalbe, there were 19,491 teachers from 114 countries teaaching in teh US during that six-year period. Filipinos, because of their English fluency and economic conditions in the became part of the Philippines diaspora. The greatest numbers have come from:

• Philippines, with 4,338;
• Spain, with 3,614;
• Jamaica, with 2,213;
• China, with 1,816; and
• France, with 1,431.

SuperintendentThurmond chose the state Teachers of the Year based on CDE selection committees review of applications; evaluation of the teachers’ rapport with students and their classroom environments, presentation skills, and teaching techniques; and interviews with the teachers. 

As part of his application, Alvarico submitted this video, in which he explains how he engages his students in learning and helps to develop their leadership and career skills. He begins with a traditional Filipino "Mabuhay" greeting, which is a formal way of saying, "hello," and includes laying the palm of his right hand over his chest in a welcoming gesture. He was also featured in a KPIX news report here.

"As a Filipino immigrant who didn't have much growing up, I believe education is a way out of poverty," Alvarico wrote in his CDE application. "Education has brought me here to the US And it's through education that I find myself among the best educators in California."

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the blog Views From the Edge.