Our 2012 Filipino American History Calendar

Absolutely, a beautiful calendar!!!

Just in time for the new year, our 6th annual Filipino American History Calendar is hot off the press and ready for you to order.

At only $10, it’s the perfect gift for everyone and an affordable way to learn Filipino American history. Each month features a historic photograph from the Filipino American National Historical Society’s extensive archives as well as community members’ personal albums,  as well as important dates in Philippine and Filipino American History. This year’s cover features glamorous Helen Lagrimas Liwanag, a manang who was born in Roseville, CA in 1913 and raised in Stockton. Her family owned the Manila Service Station in Stockton’s Little Manila in the 1940s and 1950s.

If you had your 2011 Calendar, you would know Dec. 13 in 1928, California farmers passed a resolution to exclude Filipino immigration. Also, Dec. 13 in 1941, Filipinos in Stockton called a boycott of Japanese businesses and wore “I Am Filipino” buttons to protect against anti-Japanese racial violence that unfortunately erupted against Asian Americans during World War II . And those are just a few examples of all you will learn from our calendar!

All calendar proceeds benefit the preservation efforts of the Little Manila Foundation and the Museum Fund of the Filipino American National Historical Society.

WHERE TO BUY:

Online – Little Manila Foundation Online Store
- Because of USPS delays and possible inclement weather, we cannot guarantee Christmas delivery, but ordering by NOON Friday 12/16 is your best bet. If you live in Stockton or the SF Bay Area, keep reading for other ordering options.

read comments (0)

Dear reader, please take just a few minutes to read, sign, and readily pass on this VERY important petition created by Korean Focus and two leaders of the adoptee community.  The whole process will take you no longer than some of your lengthy Facebook posts about what you ate last night.  Here’s the link.

http://www.change.org/petitions/citizenship-for-all-us-intercountry-adoptees

This is a no brainer petition.  If you disagree with it, dear reader, you’re kind of a troll.  And I mean that in the nicest way possible

So, again, please read, sign, and readily pass on this petition so that citizenship is given to all US intercountry adoptees.

http://www.change.org/petitions/citizenship-for-all-us-intercountry-adoptees

Excerpts from the petition.

“Joao Herbert was adopted from Brazil at the age of eight by a family in Ohio. A charge for attempting to sell marijuana, although a first offense, landed him in immigration detention, after which he was deported to Brazil in 2000. Joao Herbert was murdered in Brazil in May 2004.”

“Korean adoptee Matthew Scherer learned he lacked citizenship when he applied for a U.S. passport. He subsequently obtained permanent resident status, but upon traveling to Korea was identified by the Korean government by his original Korean name and now is blocked by Korean law from returning to the U.S. and threatened with conscription into the Korean army.”

“Jennifer Haynes was adopted at eight from India and sexually abused by her adoptive father, after which she passed through 50 foster homes on her way to adulthood.  Married to a U.S. citizen and mother of two young children, Haynes was nonetheless deported to India in 2008.”

“Adopted as a toddler from Thailand in 1979 by a family in Florida, John Gaul completed a sentence for theft and check fraud in 1996 after the new immigration law went into effect. A judge was prevented under the new law from acknowledging adoption as an extenuating circumstance, and he was deported toThailand in 1999.”

“Tatiana Mitrohina was born in Russia in 1978 with physical deformities that led to her adoption at fourteen to California. She suffered from childhood-related PTSD and postpartum depression. Following a charge of abuse of her son, the court recommended counseling and medication, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement have detained her in preparation for deportation.”

read comments (0)

I think about my mother everyday.  Her memory is always with me.  In many ways, she and unwed women like her are the reason why Land of Gazillion Adoptees exists.  Because of this, I fully support the Korean Unwed Mothers Families’ Association (KUMFA) efforts to raise $7,000 for its facility HEATER, which provides care for Korean mothers who keep their children.  Please read on for additional details, “like” the “Fundraiser Page for the Korean Unwed Mothers Families’ Association (KUMFA)”, and consider making a financial contribution today.

Thank you in advance — KOV

Some Facts About Unwed Mothers in Korea

• Contrary to public perception, 3 in 4 unwed mothers are aged 25 and over and have completed high school or spent some time in college. Their children comprise a mere 1-2 percent of South Korea’s annual live births.
• Maternity facilities operated by adoption agencies have a 37% child-rearing rate compared to 82% for non-agency run facilities. Because most maternity facilities receive government subsidies and are therefore semi-private, they have the authority to refuse or to discontinue services to mothers who are deemed “too troublesome.”
• Although 89% of Korea’s children who are placed for adoption come from unwed mothers, more and more unwed mothers are choosing to rear their children according to recent studies.

__________________________

Image from the New York Times.

The mothers and volunteers of the Korean Unwed Mothers Families’ Association (KUMFA) need your support to raise $7,000 to keep HEATER open.  Please consider sending a monetary gift at the $25, $50, $100, $250, $500, or $1,000 level.

The mothers, volunteers, and friends involved with KUMFA, the efforts of which was featured in the New York Times a few years ago, advocate for the rights of unwed pregnant women, unwed mothers and their children in Korea. KUMFA’s goal is to enable Korean women to have sufficient resources and support to keep their babies if they choose, and thrive in Korean society, rather than feel compelled to place their children for adoption.

As a part of its efforts, KUMFA opened HEATER, a facility that provides care for mothers who keep their children. Each year the facility houses and feeds 24 mothers and their children. Two mothers and their children stay at HEATER for two months at a time. It is a unique place in that, unlike other facilities in Korea, HEATER accepts mothers who are older and/or have children. Some of the children need medical attention.

The mothers, volunteers, and friends of KUMFA need your support to keep HEATER open in 2012. The operating costs for HEATER is $7,000, which covers rent, utilities, food and supplies. KUMFA currently doesn’t have $7,000 in its 2012 budget and so HEATER may have to close its doors if the mothers, volunteers, and friends of the organization are not able to raise the money.

Please consider offering your support to keep HEATER open by donating at the $25, $50, $100, $250, $500, or $1,000 level. Giving is easy. You can PayPal your gift to KUMFA’s e-mail (kumfa.volunteer@gmail.com) or PayPal your gift to KUMFA/HEATER volunteer Shannon Heit’s e-mail (shannon.heit@gmail.com).

The mothers, volunteers, and friends of KUMFA are very thankful for your consideration, and hope that you’ll join them as partners in their efforts to sustain and improve HEATER so that they can best serve Korean mothers and children.

Questions? Please contact the following individuals:

Shannon Heit, KUMFA Volunteer, shannon.heit@gmail.com
Dr. Jennifer Kwon Dobbs, jkwondobbs@gmail.com
Kevin Ost-Vollmers/Land of Gazillion Adoptees, kostvollmers@gmail.com

read comments (0)

Hi Everyone!  Please attend my art exhibit and showcase at the Library of Congress.

PLEASE SAVE THE DATE: OCTOBER 25, 2011 (The Art Collection will start at 2pm Oct. 25th, up until mid-November). Please be sure you go to the Jefferson Building – Asian Division Reading Room.

The Library of Congress (LOC) has reached out to me and asked me to be part of a panel discussion on identity issues that arise as adoptees enter their teenage and adult years.  They’ve also asked me to do a “Tiya DK Art Collection,” on adoption, which will include 6-8 new original paintings, numerous drawings and original sketches from when I first started painting as a child. In addition, they requested me to present some writing samples from my manuscript.

Please note, seats are limited to LOC staff and their guests at the panel discussion. However, my art collection will be open to the public (at 2pm). As a request…the LOC would like me to get an idea of how many people from my guest list will be attending the first day of the art opening and also get an approximate head count of who may attend the month-long art show.

This is a very exciting opportunity and I’m honored to be part of this special event. I look forward to sharing my world with you. Please RSVP and for those who plan on attending, please don’t forget to sign the guestbook when you’re there so I know who stopped by! Through up the time the art work will be showcasing, I will be at the LOC each weekend (late morning until mid afternoon to greet all my guests and clients).

Thank you in advance for all your support.  You can visit me at www.tiyadk.com and www.tiyadk.moonfruit.com.

read comments (0)

If you missed The Learning on PBS earlier the entire documentary is available to view on line! Follow 3 Filipinas who are offered to work as teachers in inner city schools of Baltimore for a year. See what unfolds as they they leave their loved ones in order to become the bread winners of their families.

The Learning

100 years ago, American teachers established the English-speaking public school system of the Philippines. Now, American schools are recruiting Filipino teachers. ‘The Learning’ is the story of four Filipino women who leave the Philippines to teach in Baltimore. The women bring idealistic visions …

video.pbs.org/video/2126707595

read comments (0)

The Transracialeyes Eyes blog is run by a diverse group of international/transracial adoptees. The discussions are honest and examine the less comfortable issues that are not often not given a platform. The topics are meant to be challenging and thought provoking so be ready to cringe, breathe a sigh of relief and even shocked.

One of the newest guest bloggers is our own James Beni Wilson who also has his own blog called Pathos of Asian Adoptees. Congratulations!

• What we do

  This site is provided as a resource for those exploring the ideas of transracial and/or international adoption.

   

  Readers can submit a question for consideration and adoptees of color will provide insightful comments.

   

  We’ve decided to not make it a discussion board because we donate our time and have lives to lead, but will be happy to share our perspectives.

   

• If you’re a transracial adoptee who would like to contribute

  you can contact us here.

   

  We ask that posts and comments be substantive and that you make a commitment to be involved and contribute regularly. We are interested in a diverse range of adoptee opinions.

   

• If you’d like to submit a question

  you can contact us here.

   

  Please allow several days for contributors to find time to address your questions and check back often!

   

• If you’d like to comment

  Please post at the General Comments page.

  Our Comment Policy:

  Given the power differential between dominant adopter culture and the adoptee, we attempt at Transracial Eyes to even this playing field. Mimicry of this discourse by adoptees can therefore be seen as compradorist, Uncle-Tomist, and/or kowtowing, and we wish to call this out. We aim to achieve a truly equal dialectic, and our response to such feedback will reflect this goal.

   

  Comments which attack one’s feelings or opinions, or which directly or indirectly judge or belittle contributors will not be tolerated.

   

• If you’d like to send us a SHOUT OUT

  We all like to know our work is valued, so if you’d like to drop us a supportive line, please feel free to visit our Guest Registry page, where comments are open to the general public. We’d love to hear from you and to know our efforts are not wasted. Thanks!

read comments (0)

Adoption Basics for the Classroom
Expert advice on how to educate the educators

	Thursday, 9-22-11 7:00 – 8:00 PM Central Time Q & A: 8:00 – 8:30 PM Cost: $15
You have been talking to your child about adoption since he came home. But what about the time he spends at school? What does his teacher know about adoption? About birth parents? Does she know how to help him answer why he doesn’t look like his mom?  Join Debbie Riley, the Chief Executive Officer of The Center for Adoption Support and Education, Inc. (C.A.S.E.), as she discusses how adoptive parents can educate the educators This webinar will help you:   Talk to teachers about creating an adoption-sensitive environment Educate teachers on managing discussions about adoption in school Discover how much of your child’s story to share Learn how to handle some standard school projects (family trees, baby pictures)     Your purchase confirmation email will include a link to submit questions to Ms. Riley. This webinar will not be available for purchase after the event. You will only receive access to the recorded version if you register for the live event.   Thursday, September 22, 2011   7:00 – 8:00 PM Central Time Q & A: 8:00 – 8:30 PM Central Time (Start Time: 7:00PM Central, 8:00PM Eastern, 5:00PM Pacific) Join the conversation on Twitter at @adoptiontweet using #abcwebinar Co-Sponsored By:
Course fee: $15 Learn More about Webinars

read comments (0)

America’s forgotten children

Amerasians – mixed-race children fathered by US soldiers – struggle with discrimination in Asian societies.

The term Amerasians refers specifically to the children of American military servicemen and Asian mothers. These children can be found in countries including the Philippines, Vietnam, South Korea, Japan – all Asian countries that have had a US military presence.

In the Philippines, following the 1992 closure of the US Naval base in Subic Bay, more than 50,000 children were left to grow up without their fathers. As mixed race children, they face high levels of discrimination and identity-related problems.

During tours of duty in various Asian countries, a considerable number of US soldiers carried on relationships with local women, many of whom moved near bases to work as housekeepers or in bars and clubs as sex workers.

The U.S. government issues special visas to children fathered by American troops and employees during the Vietnam War. However, these visas do not apply for children of Filipino or Japanese descent.

Only those born between December 1950 and October 1982 in Koran, Vietnam, Laos, Kambuchea, or Thailand who can prove US paternity are entitled to the special visa.

Despite good US relations with the Philippines and Japan, the Amerasian law excludes children fathered there because neither country was a direct victim of war.

Vietnamese Amerasians face a high level of discrimination from peers and adults. Considered “children of the enemy,” their faces constantly remind those around them of the war that ravaged their country. Sons and daughters of black soldiers face greater discrimination, often times barred from jobs for being “dirty” and “bad for business.”

After American troops left Vietnam, many Vietnamese mothers destroyed letters and pictures from their American partners fearing punishment by communist militias for enemy relationships. Without evidence of their American fathers, children of these women lost the needed proof for their US visa application.

Indeed, the United States made some strides in bringing Amerasians home since the Amerasian visa was created in 1987. Nearly 30,000 children and 80,000 family members have been resettled in America. However, the process has slowed with a mere 23 visas granted in the last year, and hundreds of backlogged claims.

Accounts of human trafficking and corruption within the application process have led to tighter eligibility requirements. Evidence of mixed-race facial features is no longer enough proof, now applicants need documents, letter, photos, or DNA testing. For Amerasians who do not have the time, funding or means to track down their father and prove paternity, obtaining a visa is difficult without the help charity organisations and Amerasian connection websites.

Today, numerous websites assist the now adult population of Amerasians looking for their fathers. Sites like Amerasian Family Finder and FatherFounded allow fathers, children and mothers to post searchable profiles to reunite lost relatives. Amerasian Family Finder allows individuals to search for one another but does not provide any further services. Initial contact, DNA testing, and visa applications are left to the two parties.

Joining us to discuss this topic is filmmaker Emma Rossi Landi, co-director of Left by the Ship, a documentary which focuses on Amerasian lives in the Philippines.

These are some of the social media elements featured in this episode of The Stream.

• A family born to an Amerasian man poses inside their small home, which is shared by 20 others.

• 

  globalpost.com

  6 days 10 hours ago

• No longer kids, #Vietnamese #AmerAsians face hurdles to claiming US #citizenship and continued discrimination at home. http://t.co/QdTlH73

  

  tdichristopher

  1 week 2 days ago

  • Favorite
  • Retweet
  • Reply

• This Vietnamese Amerasian lost contact and financial support from her American father after she received a letter from his wife in the U.S. saying, “Don’t ever try to contact my husband again.” This story was told by photographer Philip Jones Griffiths.

• 

  digitaljournalist.org

  2 days 11 hours ago

• A link to a petition to include Amerasians from the Philippines and Japan in the Child Citizenship Act:

• 

  Amend Public Law 97-359 – The Petition Site

  Copyright © 2011 Care2.com, inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved

  

  thepetitionsite.com

• This is the link for the visa form for AmerAsians.

• 

  USCIS – I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant

  Please note that the filing locations have recently changed. Please review the Filing Chart listed in “Related Links” in the upper right corner of this web page for the most current guidance on where to file your application.

  

  uscis.gov

• The video below is footage from a Danish man, Brian Hjort, whose website Father Founded is dedicated to reunite Vietnamese Amerasians with their lost fathers.

• 

  brihj

  3 years 29 weeks ago

• FatherFounded.org contains photos found using Facebook and Google to identify fathers and children.

• 

  farm7.static.flickr.com

  1 day 10 hours ago

• Below is the trailer for the documentary “Left by the Ship,” which focuses specifically on the plight of Filipino Amerasians.

• 

  HumpyDumpy2010

  42 weeks 4 days ago

• Thumbnail image:  circa 1955: Jimmy Blake, the adopted Japanese-American son of American serviceman James Blake, tries on his father’s uniform at his new home in Kisarazu, Japan. (Photo by Orlando /Three Lions/Getty Images)

read comments (0)

One grand-prize winner will win a digital camera and be featured on the cover of Adoptive Families! Eight finalists will receive 8″x8″ Shutterfly Photo Books and be featured in the magazine.

Plus, a GIVEAWAY for all contest entrants! Everyone who enters AF’s 2011 Cover Photo Contest will be automatically entered into a drawing to win a free, self-created Shutterfly wall calendar.

You can enter in ONE of two ways:

|

Entries must be postmarked or uploaded by August 29, 2011, so start snapping now—and watch for winners in our November issue and on adoptivefamilies.com.

By submitting an entry, you agree to the official rules. Because the 2011 Cover Photo Contest is subject to local, state, and federal regulations, unfortunately, only U.S. residents are permitted to enter. We encourage families living in Canada or other countries to upload their great photos to the Canada Adoptive Families photo album or other themed albums on our online community, adoptivefamiliescircle.com. Throughout the year, we periodically feature photos uploaded to AdoptiveFamiliesCircle in the pages, and on the cover, of Adoptive Families magazine.

GIVEAWAY: Seven randomly selected contest entrants will receive prizes. Submitting more than one photo will not increase your chances of winning the drawing. No purchase necessary. Good luck!

read comments (0)