4 Ways Organizers in the Bay/SOMA Pilipinas are Fighting for Freedom
And how you can get started!
Students
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Artists and Economic Freedom
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Peoples Education in Academia
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Community Organizing
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Students 〰️ Artists and Economic Freedom 〰️ Peoples Education in Academia 〰️ Community Organizing 〰️
There is always room to celebrate the wins we have as a people. Our colonization has inhibited our growth but our freedom to dream still remains.
As we wrap up our Be Free Festival Month in conjunction with Philippine Independence Day, there have been a lot of questions about what it really means to “Be Free.”
But what is the cost of freedom? Do we have freedom now? With 125 years of decolonization under our belt, have we reached what we deem freedom to be? What can a truly free Philippines look like? As Filipino Americans, what can we do to see that freedom?
If you find yourself stuck with these questions in mind, if you're caught up in the chaos of the world, unsure of what to do with the pent up feelings of uncertainty and injustice, we have good news for you.
There are people in the Bay Area community who have been working tirelessly towards true freedom and what that looks like for their own communities. Listen to the stories of local artists, educators, students, and community members who represent organizations and movements that Filipinos and Filipino Americans in the Bay Area are leading.
Students Fight Back! League of Filipino Students UC Berkeley
What is the focus/goal/mission of your organization?
The League of Filipino Students at UC Berkeley is an anti-imperialist grassroots organization. We are composed of students who believe in and fight for genuine democracy and national liberation in the Philippines. We do this by waging mass campaigns that are both relevant to our community and connected to issues in the homeland.
“For LFS-UCB, true freedom and democracy in the Philippines means liberation from the systemic forces of imperialism, feudalism, and bureucrat capitalism, which we refer to as the three basic problems of the Philippines. True freedom would look like having developed national industries and genuine land sovereignty. Education and culture in the Philippines would be pro-people. Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and Filipino Americans would be able to return to our homeland, instead of being forced away from the country in search of jobs and livelihoods to support our families back home. True freedoms like these would be brought through a National Democratic revolution, which would liberate the Philippines from the three basic problems. ”
How are you working to achieve that version of freedom in the community?
Our chapter works towards this vision of freedom in our community by agitating the community around the political and economic situation in the Philippines through community educational discussions, mass mobilizations, political situationers, film screenings, and more. Our aim is to draw connections between our lives, the lives of the working class Filipinos, and the political conditions back home, agitating community members into taking action and joining organizations like LFS to continue this work.
In November, we will be mobilizing again to oppose the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in San Francisco, which is an annual convening of “world leaders” of 22 APEC member countries throughout the Asia Pacific who collude to create neoliberal deals that sell out our countries’ people and land for their corporate gain.
Getting Involved:
Let us know you want to get involved! We hold orientations and open houses throughout the year, and we encourage anyone who’s interested to get involved in any capacity that they are able to. There’s so much room for people of any interests or skillsets, at any experience level, to join and contribute to our movement!
Arts For Economic Equality! Balay Kreative and Iggy Mora
What is the focus/goal/mission of your organization?
Part of Balay Kreative’s mission is to generate opportunities for artists to develop professional skills and have access to material resources like grant funding and performance and studio space locations through programs like our Kreative Growth Grants program and having the studio open to resident artists. These initiatives are also part of a larger framework in which we seek to develop and test modes of self sufficiency in terms of sustainable economic opportunities for artists and culture bearers.
“To me, being free means being able to make choices that aren’t coerced or influenced by economic, socio-political, or violent forces. This includes the freedom to rest, have informed access to healthcare and healthy food, etc. My understanding of freedom is largely shaped by the opportunities available to people based on their class (socioeconomic level) conditions.”
How are you working to achieve that version of freedom in the community?
I think that in my work as a program coordinator for Balay Kreative, I bring an understanding of the economic inequality which is used to inform how we create community partnerships and collaborations. In my administrative roles, I help to execute and facilitate our regranting programs for emerging artists who may not have the resources to produce their work/art.
Art is also a very personal and emotional expression of the self, so supporting artists in engaging freely in their own creativity in a safe and conducive environment is a radical rejection of capitalism.
Getting Involved:
Others can become involved with our organization by signing up as volunteers for the events and workshops we hold, donating to our regranting programs, and encouraging your artist friends, family, and community members to pursue their passions.
An Academic Love Letter to the Masses! Jay Lim and Bridging the Gap
Presenting my work at the 2023 Western Political Science Association ConferenceWhat is the focus/goal/mission of your thesis/work in academia?
My thesis centers the revolutionary tradition of the Filipino masses, assessing how Marxist-Leninist-Maoist theory is adapted to Philippine material conditions! With my work in academia, I hope to bring about conversations on how MLM is not an idealistic theory, but rather a praxis that has been historically carried out by the Filipino masses in resistance to imperialism. Academia and parliamentary struggle is and will never be the primary arena of which revolution will be carried out, but contributing to the literature that shows how the strength of the people can bring about liberation drives my motivation to continue my work despite the limitations of the discipline.
“Genuine liberation is not a definite endpoint, but rather a continuing dedication to challenge and disengage with the ways the masses have internalized the effects of capitalism. To be free is to acknowledge that Capitalism is the root of all societal ill, and as such, freedom means a commitment to cultivating a love for the people.”
How are you working to achieve that version of freedom in the community?
In conversations regarding my work in academia, I use the Bay Area as an example as to how the United States exerts is power through state terror: from the way that BART police donates old gear to the Philippine National Police, to how the Philippine National Police Outpost in Downtown San Francisco surveils and targets Filipino activists, there are many ways to expose how close in proximity the struggles of the Philippines is. I aim to emphasize that the struggles in the Philippines are relevant not only to Filipinos, but speaks to the extent of which U.S. imperialism harms all its subjects.
When I’m not writing for my thesis, I work on spoken word and poetry that mostly concern what it means to be a queer, trans, and a first generation immigrant. I find my creative work to be a necessary outlet for thoughts and feelings that do not fall within the scope of my thesis. I offer my words to the movement, whether it be through academia or poetry.
Getting Involved:
My thesis is yet to be finished! If any Filipino readers are interested in sharing their praxis in embodying MLM in their daily life, or can connect me with Filipino political theorists, I’d love to chat! You can reach me at limjaytan@gmail.com :)
Building Community Thru Cultural Practices! Baranggay Oakland and La’On
What is the focus/goal/mission of your organization?
We want to sustain a living culture around cultivation and reclamation of our ancestral ways. Through this reclamation and the re-indigenization practiced within our communities we can create a future that allows us to carry the richness of our culture and vibrancy of our people for generations to come.
What does it mean to ‘be free’?
I guess it is important to recognize you’re shackled before you can realize you need to be free. Tattooing called to me and that changed my life forever. The more I learned the more the chains came off of me and finally found my freedom. I was empowered to learn about our indigenous history, who my people were and that we were powerful. I felt my ancestors for the first time finally embraced me and welcomed me home. That was 12 years ago and I have dedicated my life to setting my people free and everyone else that has been affected by colonization through tattoo work and ancestral reclamation. Eventually founded Warriors Grace Oakland and now with my people at Baranggay Oakland.
“As diasporic peoples, our hope is to create avenues to reconnect with our heritage and preserve stories of who we are and where we’ve come from. For those of us in adopted lands we acknowledge that we have access to platforms that enable us to bridge the cultural gap between the diaspora and our ancestral home. ”
How are you working to achieve that version of freedom in the community?
It's integral that work is done with your people the more specific the better (ex: Tagalog vs Bisayan). To cultivate a safe space to nurture culture, share stories and reclaim lost practices, languages and overall advocacy.
Right now we have 5 major projects.
Tattoo benefits and mutual to support Oakland community and indigenous actions
Joy is resistance special event to support indigenous actions and outreach
Austronesian gatherings (every 2nd Friday) to cultivate culture through sharing, food, stories for peoples within the Austronesian language family
Cultivating spaces for people in these ancestries Yaqui, Pangasinan, Kapampangan, Ilokano and Bisaya and growing.
Bisayan centered film festival in April 2024
Getting Involved:
You can connect with us directly or you can visit our website at www.Baranggay.org and fill out a volunteer form. You can email our team member fay@baranggay.org for more info on how to get involved.
How Can I Get Started?
With the whole world in our hands, it can be overwhelming to even know where to start. Luckily, each person has shared some words to help you get started on the changes you want to make:
“I would really recommend looking into community grassroots organizations, such as LFS, GABRIELA, or Anakbayan chapters in the community! These organizations are strong collectives and sources of community support and revolutionary love, that all work towards the liberation of the Philippines and building solidarity across other movements too.”
“My advice is know you are not alone and there are people out there looking for the same thing. Find your people and find spaces to learn and have dialog specifically with people that you share experiences and identity with. We all hold knowledge and you never know who holds the missing pieces”
“My advice is that working towards collective liberation starts in small acts of service. Helping others with basic needs when you can sounds small, but we (community) have the power to organize and mobilize.”
“Let your heart lead you back to the masses, and to lean into community. Remember that the fight will not be won in a single day, month, or year, and to be motivated rather than discouraged by this. It is not in theory or in academia that liberation is won, but in the ways we show up for ourselves and the community.”
We come from a lineage of peoples who have fought to preserve our culture, and for the simple fact that we are here and still proud, we should celebrate. We can celebrate the community that we live in and we know that there is a lot we can do to improve it.
Together we can build a world where true freedom is a reality, what will you do to get there? Where does your passion lie and can it bring us to freedom?
At Kultviate Labs we work to make sure our SOMA Pilipinas has economic freedoms whether it be through arts with Balay Kreative, business with SEED Network, or community with Kapwa Gardens or Undiscoverd. Sign up for our newsletters or look into our programs if you are interested in building our dream neighborhood!
