New York, NY – Pilipino American Unity for Progress (UniPro) in collaboration with New York University’s International Filipino Association (NYU IFA) will be hosting the 2015 Opportunity Fair on Sunday, March 8th at the NYU Palladium Hall from 12:00pm until 5:00pm. This free event will showcase companies and organizations looking to hire passionate students and young professionals. UniPro and NYU IFA hope that this event can empower young Pilipino Americans in finding success in their careers while also attaining visibility for the community throughout various industries.
The 2015 Opportunity Fair is a unique event, featuring an array of opportunities that include jobs, internships, fellowships, as well as immersion programs. The fair is also a great way to connect and network with individuals hailing from different industries and career sectors. There will also be professionals conducting on-site resume reviews for individuals looking to improve their resumes.
To further engage the attendees, there will be a workshop as well as two panels geared towards career building and professional development. UniPro’s Maria Cruz Lee and Edsel Batucan, along with Cris Mercado of GrantAnswers, will be facilitating a workshop titled, “Where I’m At: Personal Branding & Navigating the Market,” which aims to offer practical career advice and strategies for students and recent graduates. Following the workshop is the first panel “Who Run the World: Leadership & the Power of Networks,” featuring professionals who completed prestigious fellowships and leadership programs such as the Civic Corps, FYLPro, and Fulbright programs. The second panel, “Lemme Upgrade: The Journey to a Higher Degree,” will feature panelists and their journeys toward their degrees in law, medicine, and public administration.
Confirmed organizations and companies that will be present at the 2015 Opportunity Fair include: Ameriasian, Anakbayan NY/NJ, BuzzFeed, GrantWriters, J3PERSONICA, Kinding Sindaw, Legacy NY, Jeepney/Maharlika, NextDayBetter, Pagasa Social Foundation Inc., Philippine-American Friendship Committee (PAFCOM), United Federation of Fil-Am Educators (UNIFFIED), the Social Security Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Small Business Administration, and the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Representatives will also be in attendance for fellowship programs such as Civic Corps, the NYU Leadership Initiative, Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans, as well as the Kaya Collaborative Immersion Program.
Event details:
2015 Opportunity Fair
NYU Palladium Hall (140 E. 14th St.)
Sunday, March 8, 2015, 12:00 - 5:00pm
For more information and to register for the upcoming 2015 Opportunity Fair, head over to the 2015 Opportunity Fair Eventbrite page.
Lobster-Silog? Tender, sweet lobster, with a side of sinangag or garlic fried rice and an egg cooked to order sounds like a localized, Filipino-fantastic way to start a Sunday in Boston, a city well known for its crustacean bounty.
UniPro executive board vice-president Noel Aglubat told me, “Although we are not even at the midpoint of the collaboration, we have gone beyond cross-blog content and posts. We are right in the thick of planning our Boston brunch pop-up, and it’s super exciting.”
Added our own Chef AC Boral, “It is a unique and powerful thing to see Filipinos united together to advance the discussion about our identities and who we are, as well as showcasing pride for it.”
EATING THE CRAB MENTALITY
An oft-cited criticism of Philippine society is crab mentality: crabs trying to escape from a bucket pull each other down. It's regarded as a selfish, self-hatred that results in personal failure and mediocrity across the board. Writes Antonio Contreras on the GMA News Opinion blog last year, "Pinoy elites and the fallacy of the crab mentality":
One of the elitist ways by which we dismiss and demean the ordinary and the lowly classes is to accuse the non-elites who rant against the elites as guilty of crab mentality. Having an “isip talangka” is a derisive and critical commentary on how ordinary Pinoys behave in relation to upward mobility. In the world of the “talangka,” the crabs that dwell below would pull down those at the top, the upwardly mobile and those who have the ability to climb up the social ladder—that is, the elites and the rising neo-elites.
THE MENTALITY I'VE OBSERVED IN THE #FKEDUP COLLABORATION THAT WE HAVE WHEN IT COMES TO CRABS (AND LOBSTERS, TOO) IS HOW TO COOK THEM AND WHERE WE CAN EAT THEM. BECAUSE SUCCESS CAN BE MUTUAL, WHEN YOU SUPPORT EACH OTHER'S GOALS AND COMMUNICATE WELL.
For the past eight weeks, we’ve been building a partnership from a group of seven individuals, across four states and three time zones with a single mission: expand the conversation about Filipino food, and by extension, Filipino culture. We planned, wrote, co-edited, and cross-posted articles centering on Filipino cuisine and culture: our memorable dishes from last year, our un-trendy predictions for the year-to-come and a pun-derful piece about bangus, “My Milkfish Brings all the Girls to the Yard.”
“I love this blog-based collaboration,” said Aglubat. “It’s something I’ve never done before and to my knowledge, it’s something UniPro has never done before. The latter is a bit shocking since collaboration is the essence of UniPro.”
UniPro, shorthand for Pilipino American Unity for Progress, is a New York City-based, national nonprofit organization whose end goal is a unified and engaged Pilipino America. Though UniPro chapters share the unity mission, how that looks means different things in different cities and regions of the country. Aglubat explained that local community leaders and organizations are consulted on whether a new UniPro local chapter would be a useful and welcome resource. When need and purpose are established, local UniPro chapter members have the freedom to build the organization to address local and specific issues.
In early November, we met several of the UniPro members when they were passing through Chicago for the annual Filipino Americans Coming Together (FACT) conference at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. A brief meeting in a loud beercade devoted to 80s and 90s glory days was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
“When I first approached Sarah and Natalia with the idea of collaboration I did it with three goals in mind; reinvigorating UniPro's blog, pushing forward the Filipino food movement and strengthening our ties to the Fil-Am community in the Midwest,” noted Aglubat. (See postscript on a potential Chicago UniPro.) Even as the blog collaboration stretches UniPro in a new way, so too, does the pop-up restaurant. “We've never done a pop-up restaurant before,” Stephanie Chrispin, UniPro’s director of fundraising, said. “The majority of our collaborations fall under our education or advocacy missions -- related to policy, e.g. the DACA [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals] workshops we did with FALDEF [Filipino American Legal Defense & Education Fund] to help sign up undocumented Pinoys and help them determine their eligibility.” “I would say this [effort] is an educational one in that it seeks to expand Filipino cuisine to nontraditional audiences,” continued Chrispin.
FREE YOUR MIND AND THE REST WILL FOLLOW
In late November, while on his last tour stop in Chicago with Wiz Khalifa, my longtime friend and fellow Pitt alumni, Brandon Glova, better known as DJ Bonicsto you hip hop aficionados, asked me if I wanted to try and speak together at the ECAASU conference. It was never a question, however, because my answer was always yes.
The Blacc Hollywood Tour continues as we finish a 2 nights at Webster Hall in NYC. On the second night Busta Rhymes affiliated rapper O.T. Genasis turn it out with his performance of "COCO." At the end of the video you see Busta get a little emotional on stage with Wiz!
After all, in my undergraduate days, the ECAASU conference was where I learned to say and give names to what I long felt as an Asian American. I remember sitting in an auditorium with probably a thousand kids like me. I’d never seen so many me’s in one place. I remember my tears when Chicago-based Asian American spoken word quartet, I Was Born With Two Tongues (yes, that's a MySpace page), reflected our experience with visceral art. I remember going to the conference with my betters at Pitt, led by upperclassmen ates (older sister) and kuyas (older brother), and then in short time, becoming that ate to a group of young bloods. That conference was one of many beginnings that lead me to Filipino Kitchen.
To think of the possibility of giving back at ECAASU felt like coming home. A right idea at the right time.
Our workshop, “Not Enough,” looks at what can often feel like the conflicted space that Asian Americans exist in -- one that is not American enough to peers and greater society, and one that is not Asian enough for family elders or relatives in the motherland. Just as much, if not more, than twenty years ago, Asian Americans need to own our histories and to understand our identities as a source of power, not exile.
“What we are doing [in Boston] is bigger than we are. It is very refreshing to realize that we are part of something bigger than what Filipino Kitchen is,” said photographer Natalia Roxas-Alvarez of Filipino Kitchen. “It's beyond the blog, it's beyond the pop-ups. It's really embracing being cultural ambassadors.”
“Boston will be a great stepping stone,” said Boral. “It's our way of showing people that we mean business, and we're going to do business by talking about who we are, as well as feeding you amazing, delicious food.”
“We hope to inspire a whole new batch of kids,” added Roxas-Alvarez of the college ‘kid’ participants of the conference. “It is a different feeling from when I used to [present at conferences] six and seven years ago. And plus… THIS IS HARVARD.”
KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL
After Saturday's feeding of the mind at ECAASU comes Sunday's feeding of the body and soul. Chef AC Boral will cook alongside Paolo Espanola from The Errant Diner.
Espanola’s diverse, diasporic range of experience with food and places isn’t atypical for Filipinos: a childhood in Saudi Arabia, teen years in a seminary in rural Wisconsin, his collegiate tribulations in Minnesota, and now in the concrete jungle of New York City. In his own right, a self-described pop-up dinner n00b, caterer and blogger, Espanola told me about his motivations in participating in this venture.
A photo posted by Paolo Espanola (@errant_diner) on
“For me I wanted to show that food can and should be cooked by everybody and anybody because it’s what tells our stories, keeps us together,” said Espanola, who is also on the UniPro staff. “It’s one of the few languages that doesn't need to be spoken. I swear we could solve a ton of our world problems if we just found the time and courage to share a meal.”
As for the menu itself, the brunch will be a Boston reprise of the wildly popular, not-your-Nanay’s Filipino American breakfast franchise, Rice & Shine. “This Rice & Shine menu takes a kind of back to basics approach to what Filipino food can be,” said Boral. “It will be focused on the staple breakfast food group, "silogs," meaning [a breakfast meat] served with garlic fried rice and fried egg. Our silogs will still stray a bit from tradition as we bring some Boston-inspired components to our dishes.”
“There will still be some Rice & Shine favorites but I'm excited to have curated a new menu for Boston along with our partners in the #FKEDUP collaboration,” added Boral.
Natalia and I will be joined by Aglubat and Chrispin of UniPro to serve our Boston guests a dose of Filipino American culture and history with the delicious brunches.
Aglubat added, “The big takeaway I want our audiences to see from this collaboration is how collaboration and working together can increase the visibility of the Filipino American. Oh, and of course, how delicious, diverse and dope Filipino Food is.”
POSTSCRIPT: Exploratory talks have begun among a few young professional Pinoy organizers to start a UniPro chapter in Chicago. That prospect is in the very beginning stages.
The 2015 ECAASU Conference will be held at Harvard University on February 20 and 21, and is open to college students. Interested participants may late register for $85 or $90 on-site. Currently 1,100 participants are registered. The "Not Enough" workshop will be on Saturday, February 21, at 1:15 PM.
On Sunday, February 22, the #FKEDUP Rice & Shine Boston popup brunchwill be held at The Vault, 105 Water Street in Boston, from 11 AM to 4 PM. A full, a la carte menu of fun Filipino twists on American brunch classics is available, and reservations are recommended via Eventbrite though walk-ins are accepted, too. ECAASU participants get a 10% discount with badge.
ABOUT OUR #FKEDUP COLLABORATORS!
With this collaboration Pilipino American Unity for Progress (UniPro) aims to push forward the Filipino Food Movement. Engaging Filipino Americans in not only dialogue, creation but also consumption of some of their favorite and least favorite dishes will explore where Filipino Cuisine stands and where Filipino Cuisine is heading.
Throughout Paolo Espanola's childhood years in Saudi Arabia, his teen years in a seminary in rural Wisconsin, his collegiate tribulations in Minnesota, and finally in the concrete jungle of New York, food has always been a large part of his life. Paolo has dabbled in blogging, catering, and throwing pop-up dinners as The Errant Diner. Check out his blog for all things food, from philosophical rants, culinary techniques, event reviews, and the occasional recipe.
Through our cuisine, Filipino Kitchen connects Filipinos everywhere with our cultural heritage and the possibilities of our shared future. Filipino Kitchen documents with photography, interviews, stories and recipes, the makers and appreciators of Filipino cuisine and its continuing evolution. Currently based in Chicago and Southern California, we cook our delicious cuisine and share it with our communities at pop-up brunches, dinners and other food events. Through connecting across the diaspora with our shared love and pride of our food, we hope to lead a long-coming renaissance. The masterminds and masterhearts behind Filipino Kitchen are three Filipino Americans: writer Sarahlynn Pablo, photographer Natalia Roxas-Alvarez and chef AC Boral of so good & delicious. Filipino Kitchen is online at http://filipino.kitchen and on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
New York City-Based UniPro Expands to the West Coast
Honorary Consul Audie de Castro : “This is the best time for UniPro to be created in San Diego.”
San Diego, CA – On Friday, February 6, the Pilipino American community of San Diego welcomed the arrival of the new San Diego chapter of the New York City-based Pilipino American Unity for Progress (UniPro). Over 50 attendees gathered at the United Domestic Workers of America (UDW) Community Hall for the chapter’s official launch and town hall meeting.
The event, co-sponsored by UDW, National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), and Silayan Filipina, opened with a keynote speech from the Philippine Honorary Consul for San Diego Audie de Castro. Echoing the goals of UniPro, he urged the audience to strive for unity and to promote the Pilipino American in San Diego. He stated, “In the past couple of years, our community has worked together better than ever. A major reason is that I have seen many of you reach out to all generations and to others with different political views. This is the best time for UniPro to be created in San Diego. I look forward to working with all of you.”
Hon. Consul Audie de Castro opens the UniPro San Diego launch.
The town hall dialogue followed the launch and consisted of small group discussions on the importance of communities to individuals, and what UniPro can do to serve the San Diego area. Groups discussed the questions, “What does community mean to you? What were your expectations of the Pilipino American community when you first joined? How do you perceive the Pilipino American community and what are your expectations now? Identify any needs of the community and potential solutions for those needs. Identify existing community organizations and how those organizations can work together to fulfill those needs.”
The discussion groups then reconvened and presented their responses to the entire audience. Some of the recurring themes included the needs for improved communication, greater visibility in the political sphere, and professional and personal development. Some of the possible solutions presented were the creation of a Pilipino community center, a database of Pilipino American organizations in San Diego, recurring town hall meetings, and leadership and mentorship programs in the community.
Attendees participate in small group discussions at the UniPro San Diego launch.
Founded in 2009, UniPro’s San Diego chapter is the organization’s first venture outside of New York City. “UniPro has always been interested in expanding beyond the metro-NY area. How could we work towards our vision of a unified and engaged Pilipino America without a presence in other major Pilipino American communities?” asks UniPro NY President Iris Zalun. “The answer came when we became involved in the Empowering Pilipino Youth through Collaboration (EPYC) conference, held in San Diego last August. Through EPYC, we met a group of passionate leaders whose values of collaboration, advocacy, and education aligned with ours. That team then approached us, expressing a need for UniPro in the San Diego community. Thus, UniPro San Diego was born.”
San Diego has been identified to have the second largest Pilipino American population in the nation. UniPro San Diego aims to identify and resolve the needs of the community while providing support, resources, and networks to organizations and individuals, most especially the youth. UniPro San Diego President Romyn Sabatchi adds, “It was humbling to be able to listen to the experiences and expectations of the Pilipino American community of new and seasoned members. Together we will be able to fulfill our needs with positive and effective solutions."
UniPro San Diego will host a Town Hall and Community Dialogue Follow-Up on May 15, 2015. For more information, read the story in the Filipino Press and contact sandiego@unipronow.org.
From left to right: UniPro San Diego Vice President Alicia Ricafrente, President Romyn Sabatchi, and Director of Community Relations Anthony DeGuzman (Photo Credit: Ernie Sasis)
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Pilipino American Unity for Progress (UniPro) is a New York City-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that envisions a unified and engaged Pilipino America. Founded in 2009, UniPro's mission is to engage Pilipino Americans through collaboration, advocacy and education. It seeks to transform Pilipino students & young professionals into community leaders through its various programs, which incorporate professional development, history, and policy through the lens of the Pilipino experience.The organization allows Pilipino Americans the opportunity to explore their place in the community in the hope of owning their niche. Ultimately, UniPro asks Pilipino Americans to critically answer, "How do you define Progress?"
San Diego, CA – Pilipino American Unity for Progress (UniPro) is proud to announce the launch of its new San Diego chapter. The official launch, scheduled for Friday, February 6th at the United Domestic Workers of America (UDW) Community Hall in San Diego, will coincide with a town hall dialogue and will touch on UniPro’s role within the thriving Pilipino American community in San Diego.
The official UniPro San Diego launch and town hall event – co-sponsored by UDW, National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), and Silayan Filipina – will feature guest speaker Hon. Consul General Audie de Castro as well as an introduction by the members of UniPro San Diego. The town hall dialogue following the launch will then consist of small group discussions on the importance and meaning of communities to individuals and what UniPro can do to serve this community.
“UniPro has always been interested in expanding beyond the metro-NY area. How could we work towards our vision of a unified and engaged Pilipino America without a presence in other major Pilipino American communities?” asks UniPro NY president Iris Zalun. “The answer came when we became involved in the Empowering Pilipino Youth through Collaboration (EPYC) conference, held in San Diego last August. Through EPYC, we met a group of passionate leaders whose values of collaboration, advocacy, and education aligned with ours. That team then approached us, expressing a need for UniPro in the San Diego community. Thus, UniPro San Diego was born.
San Diego has been identified to have the second largest Pilipino American population in the nation. UniPro San Diego aims to identify and potentially resolve any needs of the community while providing support, resources and networks to organizations and individuals, most especially the youth.
UniPro San Diego Official Launch and Town Hall event details:
Friday, February 6, 2015
6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
United Domestic Workers of America: Community Hall
This next #FKEDUP collaboration piece comes with photos, a recipe, and a food-centric essay by Cris Mercado in response to UniPro's featured writing prompt for January, which was:
What Filipino food do you identify with the most and why?
If we truly are what we eat, then I'm Bangus- otherwise known as Milkfish. But I'm not that sanitized, boneless small version you see at restaurants. I'm grown. I'm full-flavored and I'm prickly as hell. See that's the thing with me and Bangús: It will take some patience and effort to enjoy the unique taste we bring.
Put Bangús in Sinigang (tamarind stew), or roast it with onions and tomatoes, or just deep fry it, and you will be amazed at its distinctive flavor. If you're lucky enough to have the whole fish, the taste will leave you wanting to suck the head until it has no contents left. There's also the belly fat portion that has a richness so lovely, I always save it for last. You almost have to eat Bangús with a large side of bland white rice as a break from the flavor. Yes, it tastes THAT good. After all, it is the national fish of the Philippines!
But what scares people away are the thousands of small bones you have to remove to enjoy the meaty parts. You literally have to deconstruct Bangús to enjoy it. Break it apart with a fork, and use your fingers to pull out the small bones one-by-one. If you're not careful, one bite can simultaneously have your your taste buds in ecstasy while you are gasping for air as small bones get stuck in the back of your throat. My parents always said to have a banana ready to eat in case the Bangús bones left me choking. I think that advice is for the careless cowards who don't know how to fully appreciate an amazing catch of the day when they see it.
A photo posted by Sarahlynn Pablo (@sarahlynneats) on
This heightened intercourse between unrelentingly delicious flavor and unapologetic prickliness is why I love Bangús and why I identify with it. You're forced to be adventurous and get your hands dirty if you want to enjoy it. It's going to take a lot of time and resilience to break us into pieces that can give you one of the most delectable experiences in your life. But whether you handle it with proper care or not, I guarantee you this: Your last bite only leads to your next bite.
If that wasn't enough to get you hungry for bangus, check out The Errant Diner's rendition of “Poisson En Papillote” that uses the milkfish.
If there is a Filipino Food you identify with, share your own answer with us by submitting it here!
ABOUT OUR #FKEDUP COLLABORATORS!
With this collaboration Pilipino American Unity for Progress (UniPro) aims to push forward the Filipino Food Movement. Engaging Filipino Americans in not only dialogue, creation but also consumption of some of their favorite and least favorite dishes will explore where Filipino Cuisine stands and where Filipino Cuisine is heading.
Throughout Paolo Espanola's childhood years in Saudi Arabia, his teen years in a seminary in rural Wisconsin, his collegiate tribulations in Minnesota, and finally in the concrete jungle of New York, food has always been a large part of his life. Paolo has dabbled in blogging, catering, and throwing pop-up dinners as The Errant Diner. Check out his blog for all things food, from philosophical rants, culinary techniques, event reviews, and the occasional recipe.
Through our cuisine, Filipino Kitchen connects Filipinos everywhere with our cultural heritage and the possibilities of our shared future. Filipino Kitchen documents with photography, interviews, stories and recipes, the makers and appreciators of Filipino cuisine and its continuing evolution. Currently based in Chicago and Southern California, we cook our delicious cuisine and share it with our communities at pop-up brunches, dinners and other food events. Through connecting across the diaspora with our shared love and pride of our food, we hope to lead a long-coming renaissance. The masterminds and masterhearts behind Filipino Kitchen are three Filipino Americans: writer Sarahlynn Pablo, photographer Natalia Roxas-Alvarez and chef AC Boral of so good & delicious. Filipino Kitchen is online at http://filipino.kitchen and on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
