Serve the People

| PLEASE READ| . Beyond Impeachment: Anakbayan-USA calls on youth and students to build the anti-imperialist movement and struggle for genuine liberation! . Anakbayan-USA is a grassroots organization of Filipino youth and students fighting for genuine liberation and democracy in the Philippines. To get involved, visit tinyurl.com/JoinAnakbayan. . Anakbayan-USA is also a member of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS), a global formation of anti-imperialist and democratic organizations with chapters around the world. It is also part of the secretariat of the ILPS Youth Commission, which unites anti-imperialist youth organizations across North America, Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Europe. To get involved with ILPS in the U.S. or with the ILPS Youth Commission, please email [email protected]. https://www.instagram.com/p/B6RLQa2gUCI/?igshid=xbtkoz64tydz

Last Wednesday 10/23, we held our 4th #liberationeducation workshop and we collectively answered the question “why is there a toxic relationship between the US and the Philippines?” . First, we wrote down examples of what came to mind when we think of the word “toxic” from past relationships or friendships. Some themes included passive aggression, not feeling like your own person anymore, jealousy and being controlled 😢 . We compared these themes of being toxic to examples of historical events that the US has done to the Philippines, everything from passing unequal economic treaties, military aggression and displacement of indigenous and urban poor people, being pulled in both directions by the US and by China, and the list goes on and on 😖 . We matched up the examples we wrote from our own personal experiences to the toxic themes, found many similarities, then decided to rip up our papers so we can say enough is enough, no more toxic relationships 😌 . Then we discussed examples of healthy relationships that we wanted to work towards instead and these themes included honesty, mutual respect, and love and affection. . From interpersonal to international relationships, we want to manifest these positive themes, but for the case of the Philippines, the only way to achieve healthy relationships with other countries is to be self-sustaining, have our national industries at home and assert a mutually beneficial foreign policy so our own people can feel protected, loved and cared for. ❤️ . From this, we must fight for national liberation and genuine democracy in the Philippines, and we must start today by fighting to arouse, organize and mobilize the masses ✊🏽 . Join us for our next Lib Ed workshop on 11/6 at 4pm on the history of Filipino youth fighting for social change 🔥 . As always, check out our link bit.ly/LibEdSources to learn more and get a copy of our readings! Padayon (onward)! 📕 . s/o also to profe @osuna213 for having us come & speak at your Sociology of Migration Class earlier in the day! & to all the orgs celebrating Larry Itliong Day this week 🥰 (at California State University, Long Beach) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4HANrSgm4y/?igshid=1n2fjd29c014t

Tomorrow we will be doing our 4th #liberationeducation workshop, where we will be discussing the toxic relationship between the US and the Philippines? What does it mean when you’re in a toxic relationship, whether interpersonal or internationally? What does a healthy relationship look like? Find out tomorrow and leave us a comment or DM if you’re free to attend! We’ll be at 4pm at upper campus lawn again between the art buildings and the lecture halls ✊🏽🔥 #anakbayanako #imperyalismoibagsak #philippines https://www.instagram.com/p/B370ZDmABWC/?igshid=1rhaf8rycvdph

Bisingbisi (busy busy lol) weekend tabling at @friendshipgames 2019 with @kabataanalliance and co-hosting our all day Philippine Society & Revolution workshop with @gabrielasouthbay and @puso.socal! Thank you to everyone we met this weekend who had good conversations with us, gave us the pulse of which issues Fil-Am youth care about and to our kasamas (comrades) and new participants who held it down and came together in deeper understanding of our people and our culture. S/O to @pasakaibigan and for having us at FG this year and shout out to all our fellow orgs, friends and allies! Every day, para sa masa (for the masses) ✊🏽 https://www.instagram.com/p/B35m_0KAmoN/?igshid=arsbfwmk0nhh

Thanks to everyone again who came thru to our third #liberationeducation workshop last Wed, Oct. 9th! We had a good time breaking bread picnic style, learning each other’s experiences and trying out IG live for the first time! Here’s a recap of what went down: . We worked together in answering the question, “why are Filipino parents so strict?” We started with an icebreaker where folks raised their hands if a statement applied to them, from “I was never allowed to sleep over friends’ houses” to “I always got compared to my friends or relatives my age.” 😭 . Then we discussed how strict parenting culture is rooted in life in the countryside of the Philippines, since 75% of the country are peasants, and to understand life in the countryside would be to understand feudal culture 🐃 . Feudalism, an economic system where landlords own most of the land and peasant farmers till the land to pay off debt, was brought over by the Spanish in 1521 as a way to control the Filipino people (through force and religion) and to take advantage of the hierarchy and separation of island groups that were already in place at the time. 👑 . Under feudalism, the Spanish treated peasants as slaves or servants, women were treated as property and the people were forced to till the land using backwards farming methods. This way of life still continued even when the US came to colonize the Philippines in the 1900’s, creating a semi-feudal and semi-colonial society in the country today. 🙅🏽‍♂️ . Feudal culture is maintained in modern day families when the father is expected to be the breadwinner and have more economic power than the mother, and children who have no economic power are raised to be obedient and not question their parents. 🙇🏽‍♀️ . We compared and contrasted feudalism with feudal culture in our families and at the end read a reflection of a kasama (comrade) who was raised by a revolutionary family so we could realize another way of life was possible ❤️ (s/o to @ka_labaw!) . Our next workshop on Oct. 23rd will be on toxic relationships... between the Philippines and the US 💔 Today is our 3rd General Meeting so please come thru at 4pm at upper campus lawn! https://www.instagram.com/p/B3sWgmxAx1Q/?igshid=uussboohnp7z

A few photos from our 2nd Liberation Education workshop last Wednesday 9/25. We started off with an icebreaker learning about where our families migrated from in the Philippines or in other parts of the world 🗺 . Then we re-enacted some skits written from the perspectives of a Filipino farmworker character who moved to Stockton in the 1920’s and a Filipino nursing school graduate in 2013 who had to move abroad with her cousin in order to find work 🍇🏥 . Both characters were motivated to move away from home in order to support their loved ones, only to be greeted with discrimination and labor trafficking practices when they arrived 💥 . These skits represent the 6,000+ Filipinos who leave the Philippines every single day in order to look for work overseas ✈️ . Forced migration has been a long standing issue since US colonization of the Philippines in the 1900’s but the recent waves of migration since the 1970’s are a result of the Labor Export Program implemented by the Marcos regime as a band-aid solution to pay off huge debts from US-controlled banks after World War II, forcing millions of Filipino migrants to send government taxed remittances back to their families, keeping the Philippine economy afloat 💸 . It is nothing but a neoliberal set of policies which worsens the conditions of overseas Filipino workers and places financial, physical and emotional costs on them for the sake of creating profit for the wealthy elite in the Philippines and for foreign job traffickers and businessmen abroad 🔺 . Join us for our next workshop on Wed 10/9 at 4pm on upper campus lawn between the art store and lecture hall buildings 🥦 . Our next question we will try to answer is, “why are Filipino parents so strict? How did this happen?” 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 . If you would like to attend, please send us a DM! If you are unable to make it at that time, check out our Liberation Education resource folder (link is in our bio!) ✊🏽📕 . We will send summaries, updates and photos after each workshop so please check them out! Join our revolutionary study movement! 🔥#liberationeducation #anakbayanako https://www.instagram.com/p/B3DOW_cgq1G/?igshid=9r5ijryzgbau

Happy 1st week back at school everyone! If u wanna be a part of our org this fall semester, pls join us on Wednesday’s at 4pm on upper campus lawn (between the art store & LH-151) at CSULB! Hope to see u!! ✊🏽❤️ https://www.instagram.com/p/B1vEvFQA41h/?igshid=2cln0sggkbbu

From yesterday’s #maydaylb march! The masses are the makers of history, let’s continue to build this city and this movement to build people power because we are workers, we are powerful, we are Long Beach, we are revolution! ✊🏽❤️ https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw-O0cuA65j/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1s1xukgggwucn

Yesterday at @lb_pac’s 33rd Pilipino Cultural Night! Congratulations to everyone who participated and to our kasamas who contributed to the show through perfoming, creating costumes, and skit writing! Celebrating our Philippine culture as we continue the fight for relevant cultural studies and upholding human rights for our kababayan back home 🇵🇭✊🏽❤️ (at Carpenter Performing Arts Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bwi-R7YAx0Y/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=h4lmthvd343r

Had fun tabling at @larazacsulb68’s Tierra del Oro tonight ✊🏽❤️ #internationalsolidarity (at California State University, Long Beach) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwJeXPYhDwE/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=lgnnbmq35wis

Mobilized for the #handsoffvenezuela march led by @answer_losangeles and @psl_losangeles on Saturday in downtown LA! We say no sanctions, no coup! Respect the sovereignty of Venezuela to elect their own leaders, no US intervention in Latin America and no imperialist wars for plunder of Venezuela’s oil! From Venezuela to the Philippines, we fight for international solidarity! 🇻🇪 https://www.instagram.com/p/BvIvbfdBPlS/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1gbwxig3dwkum

@kabataanalliance repping at the @scpasa Summit, “Kapwa” yesterday at UCI. Thank you for getting us to meet Pilipinx students all over SoCal to learn more about our new campaign, #Rise4Rights! . $184.5 million is sent to the Philippines from US military aid and we want to redirect those funds, our tax payer money, back to our education, housing, healthcare, and social services! We want to uphold human rights in the Philippines by stopping the 20,000+ killings from the drug war and countless human rights violations by cutting off US military aid. . Pls send us a DM if you would like to know more about our campaign, join an action team or come with us to Washington, DC this April 5-8 for the National Summit on Human Rights and Democracy! https://www.instagram.com/p/BuUDHc4BkrP/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1t3qglqyr4u7x

No to US imperialist wars in Latin America, respect the sovereignty of Venezuela! #handsoffvenezuela https://www.instagram.com/p/BtFMXMsh-51/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1d4wqdk617d5d

On Saturday, we marched with our comrades and allies @filipinomigrantcenter @dsalongbeach @movelbforward to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr at the annual MLK Parade in East Side LB. While MLK is widely known for advocating for racial equality, he was also an anti-imperialist, he condemned the brutal Vietnam war and was critical of the use of US military defense spending over social programs for poor blacks. Today, we are still seeing the continuation of these policies, from attacks on the Philippines, Central America, Palestine etc to the countless killings of black people in the US. Continue the legacy of MLK by fighting for the liberation of all oppressed peoples, cut off US military aid to the Philippines! #internationalsolidarity #blacklivesmatter #oustduterte https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs7be_ehF2h/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=uqtngc2sufbf

Come thru tomorrow for @filipinomigrantcenter’s Manila Disco Christmas Party Fundraiser! Wear your best 70s outfit and boogie down! Proceeds go to the FMC’s year round programs of serving low income Filipino youth, migrant workers and seniors for free. Only $20 a ticket! See you tomorrow! https://www.instagram.com/p/BrrXa4DBd_L/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=jv9jx0z2lkn2

Come thru tonight from 5-10pm in downtown LB! The first ever parol lantern festival in Long Beach 🌟 A parol is a traditional Filipino star shaped ornament made of paper and bamboo sticks. We’ll be tabling alongside @gabrielasouthbay @filipinomigrantcenter and @filipinoyouthinaction today and teaching parol making workshops! Learn more about what’s currently happening in the Philippines and stop by our tables. Bring your family and friends! See you there 🌲 https://www.instagram.com/p/BrbJHhrBgp7/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=nvdlm94bvzpe

#latergram post from Friday N30, revolutionary hero Andres Bonifacio’s birthday and Anakbayan’s 20th anniversary in the Philippines! Congratulations again to the formation of the new chapter of Anakbayan UCLA! The youth are the hope for the future, continue to educate, organize and mobilize the community to achieve national liberation in the Philippines! https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq5rJpghoEM/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=2740gbr3cajr