Hundreds of Star-shaped Lanterns Light up Yerba Buena for 22nd Annual Parol Lantern Festival & Parade

San Francisco, CA - November 1, 2024 - SOMA Pilipinas Filipino Cultural Heritage District in partnership with Filipino American Development Foundation and South of Market Community Action Network present the 22nd Annual Parol Lantern Festival on Saturday, December 14, 2024. Parol lanterns are the quintessential Filipino symbol of hope, blessings, and luck during the holiday season. The Festival takes place at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (701 Mission Street) from 3-8 PM. Events at the festival include a Taste of Christmas, a sampling of traditional Filipino holiday snacks and treats (3-5pm), alongside new offerings from the Filipino Cultural Heritage Districts new eateries Izzy and Wooks, Mestiza and Sarap Shop.

Client NewsPaloma ConcordiaNovember 1, 2024soma pilipinas, Parol Lantern Festival

New ‘Kapwa Kultural Center’ Addresses Mental Health Needs of Daly City Youth and Community

Daly City, CA - October 1, 2024 – Kapwa Kultural Center (KKC) — a holistic, wellness-focused program addressing the core needs of youth, ages 16-24, and other members of historically underserved groups in North San Mateo County — will open its community, event space in Daly City on October 25th, from 10am-6pm, and feature a boba tea bar showcasing Filipino flavors to celebrate the occasion.

Client NewsPaloma ConcordiaSeptember 30, 2024KKC, Kapwa Kultural Center, Larry Itliong Day, Daly City

SOMA Pilipinas Cultural District Unveils Restored Filipino American History Mural “Ang Lipi Ni Lapulapu” at Sunday Streets

San Francisco, CA - September 10, 2024 - SOMA Pilipinas Filipino Cultural Heritage District unveils the restoration of the first mural depicting the history of Filipino immigration to the Americas, named “Ang Lipi ni Lapulapu”, which translates to “The Descendents of Lapulapu”. The restoration of Ang Lipi ni Lapulapu will be celebrated as part of the Community Block Party during the SOMA Sunday Streets on October 13, 2024 from 12-5PM. Come by the Heroes Village (at Lapulapu and Bonifacio Street) to see the 40-year old mural fully restored for the first time, and enjoy photo opportunities with the MAHAL Jeepney, community performances, inaugural 2024 Parol making workshop, and a taste of Philippine ice cream flavors from the SOMA Pilipinas Sorbetes cart.

Client NewsPaloma ConcordiaSeptember 9, 2024soma pilipinas

SIPA Invites Community to Weigh in on New Mural Design in Historic Filipinotown

Los Angeles, CA - September 9, 2024 - The west-facing wall of HiFi Collective — Filipino American non profit organization Search to Involve Pilipino Americans’s (SIPA) headquarters, a mixed use space with permanent supportive housing, and community center in Historic Filipinotown (HiFi) — will be the latest canvas for a new mural.

Client NewsPaloma ConcordiaSeptember 9, 2024SIPA, Search To Involve Pilipino Americans, HiFi Collective

Navigating the Future of Affirmative Action: Asian American Scholar OiYan Poon Highlights the Continued Relevance of Race in Education Policies

Chicago, IL — September 3, 2024 — OiYan Poon, a prominent educator and scholar in the field of race and education, continues a nationwide book tour this fall. The tour promotes her new book, Asian American Is Not a Color: Conversations on Race, Affirmative Action, and Family, published on April 30th, 2024. The book delves into the complexities of race, affirmative action, and their intersection with family and identity. Poon’s book offers timely insights into what institutions will look like after the Supreme Court's ruling ending race-conscious admissions, and how higher education might adjust to better serve a diversifying American population.

A Filipino Studies Professor-Now-Farmer Opens Barn Doors for Fall Harvest

Unceded Eastern Pomo and Lake Miwok Territory/Lake County, CA - August 14, 2024 – Remagination Farm announces their first annual Fall Anihan (Ah-nee-hahn; Tagalog word for harvest) celebration. The ticketed event will take place on Saturday, September 7, 2024, from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM, and will feature musical performances, a sari sari store, and a variety of activities, including the opportunity for attendees to pick from and take home the farm’s produce grown from seed. The intention of the event is to foster a sense of community and connection with the earth, while its chosen date is an intentional nod towards Filipino American and agricultural workers history.

SOMA Pilipinas at the Heart of Downtown Recovery with Explosion of New Public Art, Restaurants and Jeepney Tour

SOMA Pilipinas, the city and state recognized Filipino Cultural Heritage District proves to be a leader in revitalizing downtown San Francisco by creating a new narrative and cultural boom through innovative economic recovery strategies rooted in equity, community, collaboration and cultural arts.

Just in the last year, ten new Filipino murals, public art pieces, and colorful crosswalks have been completed with many more coming in the near future. Three new Filipino-owned restaurants (Mestiza, Sarap Shop, and Izzy and Wooks) have opened in downtown just in the last two months and are already receiving rave reviews. Earlier this month SOMA Pilipinas launched the inaugural Mahal Jeepney tour of the cultural district.

Client NewsPaloma ConcordiaJune 20, 2024soma pilipinas

Race Scholar Dedicates New Book to Young Daughter’s Question: What Does it Mean to be Asian American?

Chicago, IL - April 9, 2024 - Inspired by her young daughter’s questions about race and racism, Dr. OiYan Poon — an educator, race and education scholar, and author — is publishing her latest book Asian American Is Not a Color: Conversations on Race, Affirmative Action, and Family. Through personal reflective essays for and about her daughter, Dr. Poon looks at how the debate over affirmative action reveals the divergent ways Asian Americans conceive of their identity and earnestly responds to the central question: What does it mean to be Asian American? Poon is currently touring the U.S. to discuss her book, which is set to release on April 30th through Beacon Press and is available for pre-order.

SIPA’s youth, health, and mental health services are essential to a thriving community with new wellness center opening this Spring

Los Angeles, CA - February 5, 2024 - Filipino American nonprofit organization Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) supported over 2400 community members in Historic Filipinotown (HiFi) through their youth, wellness, and mental health services in 2023 — serving over 400 individuals through their health and wellness services alone. SIPA will unveil a new wellness center in the spring and expand their programming in LA County throughout 2024.

Kultivate Labs’ multi-pronged approach to growth in Filipino Cultural Heritage District nurtures ‘Bloom Loop’ in San Francisco

San Francisco, CA - January 30, 2024 - Filipino American nonprofit Kultivate Labs is defying San Francisco’s ‘doom loop’ narrative — witnessing significant economic growth in SOMA Pilipinas Filipino Cultural Heritage District through their multi-pronged economic development and arts initiatives in 2023 alone. In addition to nurturing the development of five new anchor businesses in the district — Bituin, Make it Mariko’s Soma Social Club, Izzy’s Sandwiches, Mestiza, and the Filipino American Development Fund (FADF) — the organization will offer at least nine major events and programs in 2024 to continue fostering business and preserving Filipino culture and community.

Remagination Lab and Magpie Alchemy Launch Experiences and Handcrafted Products Rooted in Radical Love, Intergenerational Healing, and Community Care

Unceded Miwok and Pomo Territory/Sacramento, CA - January 22, 2024 - Remagination Farm and Magpie Alchemy have teamed up to offer Pa/Hinga — a series of sessions focused on collective rest and reconnection to the sacredness of the land — which debuts on February 10th, 2024 at the Amado Khaya Healing House, located in Clear Lake County at a private event. This unique collaboration, rooted in community care and Pinay (Filipina American) sisterhood, includes small batch, handcrafted healing products that will be available to purchase online after February 10.

Fil-Am Nonprofit Nurtures Teen Leaders in Historic Filipinotown

Los Angeles, CA - November 15, 2023 - Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) — a longstanding Filipino-American nonprofit dedicated to improving the quality of life for Filipino Americans in Historic Filipinotown (HiFi) and beyond through ongoing youth programs, mental health education, affordable housing, and more — is centering teens and their holiday wish lists in an annual toy giveaway on Sunday, December 10th from 10am-3pm at HiFi collective. In addition to a toy distribution, this holiday event will include grocery distribution, brunch, resource booths, a vaccination clinic, and more.

‘Ancestor Altars’ Art Installation Offers Community Space to Grieve Deceased Loved Ones

San Francisco, CA - October 18, 2023 - Kultivate Labs, Balay Kreative, and Filipino American artists Emagn and TITTY BOY are creating “Ancestor Altars” — an art installation and healing space for the San Francisco Filipinx, BIPOC & SOMA community to honor their ancestors and grieve for their loved ones that have passed away. The art installation is open to the public at Kapwa Gardens from November 1st to 3rd so that community members may add their own photos, pieces of remembrance, and pay their respects to their ancestors. The viewing will culminate in a special All Souls Day celebration on Saturday, November 4th, 12-4pm where families can gather, listen to live musical performances, share stories of their loved ones and enjoy the day together.

Client NewsPaloma ConcordiaOctober 23, 2023Kultivate Labs, SOMA Pilipinas, balay kreative, Ancestor Altars

SF’s Biggest Filipino Creative Market Celebrates 50 Years of Hip Hop with Three Block Parties This Fall

UNDISCOVERED SF — a Filipino creative market produced by Kultivate Labs and Make it Mariko — returns for its seventh season, honoring the 50 year anniversary of Hip Hop with three block parties on August 19, September 16, and October 21 in SOMA Pilipinas with the main entrance located at 5th and Minna Street. This year’s Filipino American Block Party theme celebrates Hip Hop’s past, present, and future influence and impact on Filipinos, and how Filipino Americans have also influenced Hip Hop respectively. UNDSCVRD’s first block party on Saturday, August 19 debuts with internationally renowned DJ Neil Armstrong, rapper Rocky Rivera with DJ Roza, and DJ Icy Ice of the Beat Junkies. Toro y Moi will donate his ‘Mahal’ tour jeepney bus to SOMA Pilipinas, becoming a permanent love letter and contemporary landmark to the Filipino community.

Client NewsPaloma ConcordiaAugust 2, 2023Undiscovered SF, Kultivate Labs, SOMA Pilipinas, Hip Hop 50

Playwright Star Finch Premieres Comedic Drama “Josephine's Feast” at the Magic Theatre

Centered on the bouts of unprecedented change and excitement for a new future, the play Josephine’s Feast is about a Black matriarch who decides to share a pivotal decision with her family over a birthday celebration feast. In the story, Josephine embraces her now as a seasoned parent and divorcee in post-pandemic life while discovering her new calling. Powerhouse playwright Star Finch centers the intersection of motherhood, legacy, identity, and spirituality through the lens of candid intergenerational family dynamics.

Client NewsPaloma ConcordiaJuly 18, 2023Star Finch, Campo Santo, San Francisco Theatre

Bay Area Event Designers Team Up To Defy ‘Doom Loop’

San Francisco, CA - June 29, 2023 - Lily Spruce — a WOC-led event planning and design firm founded by Genevieve Roja for couples that strive for originality and authenticity — is entering a new era. Lily Spruce is joining forces with Make it Mariko, an experiential event agency led by WOC and founded by Gina Mariko Rosales focused on creating magical, meaningful moments for the community. In the face of a looming downtown “doom loop,” Roja and Rosales are developing a creative events agency focused on creating jobs and opportunities for creatives, entrepreneurs, and artists of color in events, while curating events and activations that bring people back to San Francisco through arts and culture.

“Cultural Kultivators:” a Visionary New Podcast That Explores the Beauty and Complexity of the Filipino American Experience

San Francisco, CA - May 31, 2023 - The San Francisco Bay Area is the second most populous region for Filipinos in the United States, with Filipinos making up to 4.6% of San Francisco’s population. Filipinos are not only an integral part of San Francisco history, but an active part of the city’s identity today. “Cultural Kultivators,” a new podcast by Kutivate Labs and hosted by Nicole Salaver, honors the diversity and richness of the Filipino American experience while inspiring listeners to explore and celebrate their own cultural heritage. Salaver, the Program Manager at Filipino-American arts accelerator Balay Kreative, interviews Filipino American thought leaders, entrepreneurs, activists and artists who are making a positive impact in their respective fields. “Cultural Kultivators” launches on May 31st with Asian American studies scholar Dr. Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales as its first interviewee, followed by rapper Ruby Ibarra for its second episode, street artist Allison Hueman for its third episode, and artist Nikbo for its fourth episode.

Oakland Public Conservatory of Music (OPC) Announces Inaugural Black Banjo & Fiddle Fellows

Oakland Public Conservatory of Music (OPC) proudly announces the four fellows selected for the inaugural Black Banjo & Fiddle Fellowship (BBFF). Done in collaboration with the Berkeley Old Time Music Convention, this 2-year fellowship and teacher training program repatriates old time music in African American communities, illuminates the Black experience in creating old-time music, and repairs the historical and cultural ruptures that erased the Black origins of banjo and fiddle music.

Jade Wave Rising: Portraits of Power

Asian American Women Artists Association and the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center present the multidisciplinary art exhibition Jade Wave Rising: Portraits of Power, opening April 27, 2023 in San Francisco.

How An Asian American Family is Reimagining Healing and Liberation Through Farming, Education and the Arts

Unceded Miwok and Pomo Territory/Sacramento, CA - February 27, 2023 - The Remagination Lab, Founded by highly accomplished researcher and well-loved community advocate, Dr. Robyn Rodriguez, and her husband, second-generation Hmong refugee and nature expert Joshua Vang, incubates and experiments in producing creatively bold, unconventional, and deeply transformative programs and services informed by social justice movements, indigenous and land-based knowledge, the arts, radical love, and healing.

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