Category: Uncategorized
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Queenila
A few Filipina migrants in Kabalikat Domestic Workers Support Network (now MIGRANTE New York) would often joke that they lived in a place called, Queenila. Their feet in Queens, their hearts in Manila. This place in-between, not here, nor there, elsewhere became a sticking point for me in my research for the #LaborofCare. I often…
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The Labor of Care on the New Books Network Podcast
I’ve been on a podcast tip on car rides home with my partner, Raul, and when there’s a lgood point to be made, I’m always like, “PAUSE THAT. Because if that was me…” So, finally, here I am on a podcast talking about all things #LaborofCare. Its origins story, more extra cuts and stories that…
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A Remedy for Remedios
After a long day of work at the care home, Nanay–my paternal grandmother, Remedios, or Reme, for short–would sit in the laundry room with a contraption that looked like it was separating her head from her body. After years of working as a caregiver in a care home (or Residential Care Facility for the Elderly/RCFE),…
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Duterte’s Kiss is a Kiss of Death
A couple of days ago, President Rodrigo Duterte kisses an overseas foreign worker at a press conference in Korea. His administration’s spin excuses his behavior stating, “Malacañang sees nothing wrong with President Rodrigo Duterte kissing a married overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in Seoul, saying it is ‘very [much] accepted in the culture of Filipinos.’” The…
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Labor of Care on HellaPinay’s #GetLit
The Labor of Care is on HELLAPINAY, y’all! In May’s book review roundup from the brilliant Pia Cortez, my book is sandwiched among some pretty awesome titles in their series, #GetLit! I’ve been following hellapinay on Instagram for a while now because its Pinay-centric content gives me my whole life. And when the infamous book-reviewer and homie,…
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Bridge City
Often, when I deliver a talk about The Labor of Care, I can’t help but get choked up about the lives and sacrifices of the women in the book. And during my last stop on this semester’s book tour in Portland, it was no different. More so because I began with the story of my…
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Honoring mothering
On Mother’s Day, I’d like to honor those who are doing the work of mothering: Migrant mother’s caring from afar Mothers who are red fighters Single mothers Queer mothers Nannies, domestic workers, childcare providers Teachers Single fathers Aunties and Titas Ates and older sisters Mothers who have lost a child or children Best friends of…
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Nickel and Dime
Growing up in the Bay Area, I always fetishized the East Bay, the 510, the nickel and dime (as was referred to in voicemail intros back in the day), as the center of Filipinos in the Bay. In contrast to what was then a very homogenous (read: white) city of Concord, the East Bay was…
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Today, in the East Bay!
CSU East Bay has always had a soft place in my heart, mostly because of my student organizing days with PACE, PASA and Akbayan, and the formation of Tri-Force back in the day. I’ll be back on the CSU East Bay campus after a decade to talk about my journey and how it informed my…
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Portland, get ready!
A huge part of The Labor of Care was finalized in cafes, restaurants and community meetings in Portland. Organizations like Portland Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines, GABRIELA PDX, and Anakbayan PDX were political homes for my book and developing the manuscript. I’m so happy to be coming back to the PNW to share the…
VFM 