#kabataanunite16

Held our General Meeting for February on Thursday! We had an educational discussion on state repression, gave a reportback on our trip to Anakbayan-USA's 2nd National Congress & the Kabataan Magkaisa Conference and celebrated kasama @tigerkrush's birthday! If you want to join us for our March meeting, send us a DM! 😁 #NDrevUp #abusa16 #kabataanunite16 #latergram (at Filipino Migrant Center)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 1, 2016 Reference: Kabataan Magkaisa Steering Committee - [email protected] Filipino Youth in the US Vow to Strengthen Unity, Create Positive Change Seattle, WA - On January 17, over 200 Filipino youth and student leaders from across the United States converged at the Filipino Community Center of Seattle and called for the establishment of a national alliance of Filipino youth and students. This was the resounding resolution that came out of a national Filipino youth conference themed “Kabataan Magkaisa! Strengthen the Unity of Filipino Youth to Build a Brighter Future!” “The challenge for everyone is to use our time and talents to reach more Filipino youth -- the young Filipino workers who are not getting paid the right wages in their jobs, the high school Filipino clubs who are wanting to learn more about Filipino culture, the young undocumented Filipinos who don’t know who to turn to for help or how they will afford college. Let us strengthen the unity among the Filipino youth in the US because in this movement for real change, everyone has a role to play,” said Aurora Victoria David, National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON) Secretary General, in her keynote speech. The conference tackled various socio-economic and political issues affecting the Filipino community in the United States and back in the Philippines. To encourage involvement from participants beyond the conference, workshops ended with concrete action items, projects or campaigns for participants to carry out. Representatives from the Kapit Bisig Kabataan Network (KBKN) encouraged participants to join the annual relief and rebuilding missions to the Philippines. “We as Filipino-Americans need to protect our motherland. We must build a national movement that will redefine what it means to bring relief and rebuild our calamity stricken communities in the context of the intensifying climate crisis,” declared Jewelle De La Cruz, KBKN National Coordinator. In his closing speech, Adrian Bonifacio, Anakbayan-USA (AB-USA) Chairperson, called for the building of a national alliance of Filipino youth. “A decade ago, youth across the country were able to unite under the single banner of Sandiwa, an alliance that fought for the rights and welfare of Filipino youth in the U.S. and in the Philippines. Imagine the magnitude of change 4 million of us can make,” said Bonifacio. He concluded the conference with a thunderous unity clap. The conference culminated with an open mic after dinner where participants shared cultural presentations through various songs, dances, and spoken word pieces. A recap video of the conference as well as contact information of the conveners can be found at the conference website www.kabataanmagkaisa.org.

To get involved wherever you are (you don't have to be Filipino/a!), contact [email protected]. If you live in the SF Bay Area in the East Bay, send us a direct message!

Anakbayan East Bay members spent an empowering weekend in Seattle for Anakbayan-USA’s 2nd National Congress and Kabataan Magkaisa Youth & Student Conference. Anakbayan East Bay members were excited to meet and build with Anakbayan members and kasamas from across the country. The theme for the next three years is: Upsurge! Unite the Youth to Fight for Our Liberation! ABEB is bringing that theme home to the East Bay and we are inspired and ready to continue the struggle by growing and strengthening the movement!

#ABUSA16 #kabataanunite16 #UPSURGE

“ Presented at the Kabataan Magkaisa Filipino Youth and Student Conference held on January 17, 2016 in Seattle, Washington. Conference Conveners: NAFCON, nafconusa.org Anakbayan-USA, anakbayanusa.org Kapit Bisig Kabataan Network, kbkn.tumblr.com“

If we are gong to reclaim Martin Luther King Jr. day, lets reclaim it through international solidarity. #kabataanunite16, the Filipino youth nationwide, stands in solidarity with the African American community of Central District in Seattle, WA to fight against gentrification and Uncle Ike's Dispensary that continue to disrupt and displace communities of color. We are connected by the struggle from a system that has set us up to be oppressed and fail in the land we were born and raised in. We will stay united to liberate each other and fight for the justice we all deserve. FIGHT FOR COMMUNITY NOT COMMODITY! UNITED WE STAND, THEN THEY WILL FALL. #RECLAIMMLKDay #InternationalSolidarity #FilipinosForBlackPower #OneStruggleOneFight #GentrificationIsColonization #StopGentrificationEVERYWHERE (at Uncle Ike's)

Sneak peak our cultural for AB-USA's "Strength of the Youth" Kultural Solidarity Night @ Southside Commons. Saturday, January 16th 7-10pm. #kabataanunite16 #abusa16